In April 2014 I will be running the coast to coast and cycling back again in memory of my neice Freya.

Sands is an organisation which can offer you support when your baby dies during pregnancy or after birth.

The death of a baby is a devastating experience. The effects of grief can be overwhelming and parents, their families and friends can be left feeling dazed, disorientated, isolated and exhausted.

It can be hard to take in information, to make decisions or to imagine how you are going to cope.

At Sands there are people who understand what it's like because many of us have been through this experience ourselves, and we are here to help offer support and information when you need it.

Support for all

The death of a baby can happen to any one of us. What brings us together in Sands is the common experience of this painful loss.

Your baby may have been stillborn or died during or soon after birth. He or she might have spent some time in a special care baby unit. It may be that your baby died at an earlier gestation or that you had to make the difficult decision to end your pregnancy. We offer support whenever a baby dies.

As well as supporting mothers and fathers, we are also able to help other members of your family, especially grandparents and other children. Many people may be touched by your baby's death, including friends and health professionals, and all are welcome to contact us for support and information.

You may not want anything from us right away. We are here to help whenever you feel you need it. That may be now or in a few weeks months or even years.

Our core aims:

Sands is a national charity, established by bereaved parents in 1981.

We have 3 core aims which are to:

• Support anyone affected by the death of a baby;
  
• To work in partnership with health professionals to improve the quality of care and services offered to bereaved families; and
  
• To promote research and changes in practice that could help to reduce the loss of babies' lives

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.