There is reason to wave the flag for a group of cyclists who have covered 440 kilometers along the Jutland west coast as part of VENOtour – a voluntary support project under the organization Danish Center for Families & Grief.

The bike ride resulted in a collection of a total of 220,000 kroner for the association's work in offering free support to families in grief. This brings great joy to the initiator Michael Tjørnelund, who, along with his wife, Camilla Sigtenborg, is behind the project.

– I am incredibly proud that we have managed to raise so much money for the association that helps parents who have lost – or are facing losing – a child, says Michael Tjørnelund, who has been involved in VENOtour since 2020.

Michael Tjørnelund and Camilla Sigtenborg themselves lost their first child, August, in March 2019. Camilla Sigtenborg had gone overdue, and when the couple arrived at the hospital to induce labor, it was determined that the little boy had died in the womb. The grief over August will forever be a condition of life – and in the time after his death, the couple found support and meaning in meeting the Danish Center for Families & Grief. That is why they are now engaged in supporting the association's work.

– VENOtour is both a physical and emotional journey, where community is of great importance. Our hope is to show grieving parents that there is hope in the darkness – and that it is possible to live a meaningful life with grief as a companion, says Michael Tjørnelund, who had thoughts of his son August throughout the entire route along the Jutland west coast.

– For both Camilla and me, it’s about doing something good in August’s spirit. If we can help others through VENOtour, August helps leave a positive mark on the world, he says.

This year, VENOtour was held for the 10th time, and the participants share the unbearable in common – losing a child.

– When you lose a child, you become a different person. It can be difficult to find a community that encompasses the whole person you have become. In VENOtour, I experience a community where there is room for both the difficult and the easy. We can talk about what it was like to lay your child in a coffin – and then talk about Aalborg Handball. It can be hard for others to be in, but not in the community we have created, says Michael Tjørnelund.