Many of you are aware of Lia's Wings, the charity named after Lia Schoennagel, who tragically passed away in September 2022.
This coming September, a group of supporters will be cycling 200+ miles from London to Paris to raise vital funds for this amazing charity. The group will include a variety of supporters including quite a few mamils (middle-aged males in lycra).
Lia's Wings does life-changing work, and it would mean so much to us if you can offer any support you can for our team, for the charity, and for the incredible families they support every day.
We are incredibly grateful for any donations you can offer, as they will really make a difference to babies and children in need. Thank you!
Lia's MAMILs
Lia’s Wings is a national charity that ensures babies and children can access vital medical treatment and care. They provide an air ambulance service for British babies and children within the UK and to/from overseas and also provide a bespoke Family Support Service to help families navigate extremely difficult times.
To date, they have supported over 170 children (and their families) and this year they expect to help upwards of 40 more babies and children requiring an air ambulance flight, to access life-changing, and potentially life-saving hospital treatment.
The charity is named in memory of a very special little girl, Emilia (Lia) Schoennagel, who sadly passed away in 2022. Lia lived her life to the fullest, and she was one of the kindest, and most compassionate people we have ever known. We know hundreds of little lives have been changed for the better because of Lia, and it makes us all so proud.
Lia's parents, Melissa and Patrick - Trustees of the charity - have helped the Lia's Wings raise almost £1 million so far, and are keen to continue, to support the charity in their goal: ensuring that every baby and child in the UK can access the care they need, when they need it, regardless of their circumstances.
Lia's Wings doesn't receive any government or NHS funding to carry out their work, so they really do need the support of fundraisers like us, and donors like you, to ensure they can carry on, and that they never have to say no to a family that needs them.
Although we all know how to ride a bike - with varying degrees of success - this is going to be a tough challenge for us, and one that we aren't taking lightly.
We will be starting in Trafalgar Square, London on the 5th September, and cycling for three straight days until the 8th, where we will hopefully finish underneath the Eiffel tower.
We know we are going to ache, and we will likely be a bit cold, wet and windswept too, but, we know we are doing it for the most worthwhile cause, and in memory of a very special girl who continues to have an impact on the world she left behind – Emilia "Lia" Schoennagel.
We have already had lots of support pledged from our family and friends, and we are really hoping we can smash this fundraising target. It's the first time that Lia's Wings have taken on a challenge like this, so we are hoping we can do them proud!
Without Lia's Wings, a lot of the families they are supporting don't have any other options. It really is them, or nothing. If we can hit our target, we will be able to entirely fund one of their flights this year. That may not seem like much, but to that child, and their parents, it means everything!
Thank you for all your support from the bottom of our hearts, we look forward to sharing our progress with you, and hopefully, a few photos from Paris too!
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
