TRI-POD: From grief to inspiration – In conversation with Morgan’s Army Co-Founder Natalie Ridler : Moodie Davitt Report

The latest edition of TRI-POD, The Moodie Davitt Report’s video podcast in association with The SEVA Group, is arguably our most powerful to date.

Presented in two parts (the first below, the second to follow later this week), it features Morgan’s Army Co-Founder Natalie Ridler in a compelling, remarkably human and deeply poignant conversation with Co-hosts Roger Jackson and Martin Moodie.

Morgan’s Army was created by Natalie and her husband Matthew after the death of their son Morgan in Wales from cancer, aged just three, on 28 June 2023.

The charity supports families across South Wales affected by childhood cancer, with a particular focus on the often-overlooked siblings of young cancer patients.

Morgan Ridler’s (left) courageous fight against cancer has inspired his parents’ ongoing charitable efforts, which support hundreds of Welsh families affected by childhood cancer. (Right) Matthew, Natalie and young Rhiannon Ridler have turned desperate loss and grief to life-changing purpose.

Women in Travel Retail+ chose Morgan’s Army as its official charity partner for 2026. It was successfully nominated by The Moodie Davitt Report Publisher Irene Revilla and Sinead Moodie before the latter’s passing this February.

Sinead conceived #KickCancerThon, the enormously successful ‘global + local’ travel retail campaign to raise funds and visibility for cancer research worldwide, an initiative that lends both context and poignancy to this edition of TRI-POD.

Tonight (9 June), Women in Travel Retail+ is hosting a special event to honour Morgan’s Army. Natalie Ridler will be in attendance as will Sinead’s husband Adrian.

In a particularly moving part of the TRI-POD conversation, Natalie says, “Having lost Morgan… it’s important that we make the most of every day, because you don’t know what’s around the corner.

“Morgan was not even four when he passed away, yet I do know that he loved us unconditionally. So I feel it’s very important for me to also love myself unconditionally the way that he loved me.

“And to live my life is important, because it’s choosing to live despite everything we’ve been through. And that’s the beauty of life, isn’t it? In that we can live beautiful lives, and we can experience joy again, despite everything that we’ve been through.

**Morgan’s courage and loss has inspired an extraordinary movement through the charity that bears his name**

“And I think that’s what Morgan would have wanted. He lived life to the fullest, as children do. When you go to the children’s ward at Noah’s Ark [Children’s Hospital in Cardiff, Wales] they’re whizzing around on scooters, they’re throwing stuff around.

“You wouldn’t think anything was wrong with a single one of them, apart from the fact they are on an oncology ward. You know, children live each day. If they wake up feeling rubbish, they rest. If they wake up feeling good, they get up and they make the most of it, and I think we can learn a lot from that.

“I’ve lost many friendships but I’ve made many friends who will be my friends for life. It just makes you look at life completely differently, once you’ve been through something like that – whether it’s an adult daughter, a small child, a mother or anything.

“I think grief is a horrible teacher, but it does change us inside, and does make us better people, ultimately.” ✈