Leo's is a parent-led charity set up to support families in neonatal care in the North East. The charity was launched in 2018 with the sole purpose of providing continued wellbeing support for families during maternity, neonatal and paediatrics.

Our charity was set up in memory of Leo, twin brother of Oska, and son of Lottie, our founder. Leo was born at 24 weeks gestation but sadly only lived for four hours.

As Lottie said goodbye to Leo in those precious brief moments, she was inspired to turn her love for him into a lasting legacy which would help other families like theirs. We are so proud to carry his name and speak it aloud to so many hundreds of people.

Leo's twin brother Oska arrived four days later at 25 weeks and went on to spend 109 days in neonatal care before going home. On their journey, Leo and Oska's family made some incredible friends who had been in both NICU and PICU & met some fantastic people who understood all about neonatal care. All of these people played a huge role in founding Leo's and getting it where it is today.

Our team is filled with peer mentors who have experienced neonatal care and works in conjunction with our caring counselling team. We know all the emotions youll be feeling, we know all the medical jargon and between us weve dealt with an array of situations which happen when having a sick or premature baby.

We listen to parents and their needs, and make sure our care reflects that, we make sure you know that no matter what, weve got you.

We provide an array of support including peer support, EMDR to treat PTSD, high level CBT, counselling, we ensure that families have ongoing support once home which includes specialised community groups such as Small World Story Time Adventures, neonatal yoga, music cubs, stay and play classes and much more!

If you've ever wondered what it's like to see inside a neonatal unit, take a look at our video below.