THE SAM PARKIN GIFT FUND.

In September 2022 we suddenly and unexpectedly lost our beloved son, Sam to a dangerous and tragically undiagnosed condition, malrotation. He died a month before his 10th birthday.

Sam was, and remains, one of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever known. Gentle, kind and curious, the perfect mix of serious and silly. We were, and are, so privileged to be his family. Losing him has ripped an unbearable and unrepairable break in our hearts and lives. And the lives of so many of his family and friends.

Sam was brave and loving, thoughtful and generous and from the day he was born, has inspired us to try to be better people. Now we want to continue his legacy of love for others.

So, this year I’m undertaking a series of challenges, putting one foot in front of the other, designed to take life, and grief, one step at a time in an effort to keep going for our incredible boy. It doesn’t feel like enough, I suspect nothing ever will, but for now, for this year, it’s a start.

• In March, my sister Clare and I are taking part in the London Walk, an overnight sponsored walk to raise money and awareness of people experiencing homelessness in London.

• In June, friends and I are attempting to hike part of The Eagle Trail, walking from Oberstdorf in Germany, across the Alps, through the Austrian Tirol to Merano in Italy. 65 mountainous miles in 6 days.

• In July, I’ll be running the London 10km with my friend Rosena

• And later in the year, I’ll be walking part of The Thames Path with some of my oldest friends.

We hope to raise £9000, £1000 for every year of Sam's life, to be split equally between the 3 incredible charities we’ve chosen on Sam’s behalf that support causes he believed in and was passionate about.

Centrepoint: The UK's leading youth homelessness charity. They support over 16,000 young people every year with a crisis helpline and over 60 accommodation centres. They also work with schools to identify any 11-16 year olds who are at hidden risk of homelessness.

Wandsworth Foodbank: A local charity that provides a warm welcome, emergency food, support and advice to people and families across the whole of Wandsworth borough who are experiencing severe hardship. They're part of the Trussell Trust national network of food banks and in 2022/23 provided more than 11,000 emergency food supplies. One in three were for children.

Wandsworth Music: Another local charity that provides music provision in many schools across the borough. Their mission is to inspire enjoyment and excellence in music for all children and young people in Wandsworth. Your donation will help them provide music classes and experiences in schools that may otherwise not be able to access such services.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Emma, Chris and Billy