Hello everyone, thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

If anyone was wondering how many times a person could watch the London marathon and say "I'm going to do that next year" and then proceed to not do it next year, the answer is somewhere between 8 and 10. So after reaching my limit, I thought it was about time to sign up. And when deciding which charity to raise money for, there is one extremely close to my heart - The Lullaby Trust.

 

As X Factor has proven, nothing gets people on board more than a heartfelt story, so here is mine...21 years ago I lost a brother, Edward, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or cot death as it is also known. Edward was just 8 weeks old. And even though I was just 5 at the time, I can vividly remember the night that he passed and I won't ever forget it. But though I remember the night, being only 5 meant I didn't fully understand what had happened. And thanks to family, friends and teachers at school I could have my mind taken away from it all with the simple persuasion of toys and games. My parents didn't have that luxury, but they did have The Foundation for the Study of Infant Death (FSID), or as they are now known, The Lullaby Trust.

 

As a child it never really sunk in that I had lost a brother, and it certainly never hit me just how hard that loss would be if it wasn't a brother, but a son. Once older though, it really hit home how tough that must have been for my parents, or indeed any parents. And whilst I hope to never fully understand the pain of losing a child, I am glad that organisations such as The Lullaby Trust are there to help parents and families through these toughest of times.

 

For over 40 years The Lullaby Trust have supported thousands of bereaved families and has funded extensive research that has led to a significant reduction in the number of babies dying each year. But Sudden Infant Death has not gone away, 600 babies still die unexpectedly every year in England and Wales, and of these 300 remain unexplained. The Lullaby Trust's strategy endeavours to halve the number of unexplained sudden infant deaths by 2020. And while this is an ambitious target, with enough help The Lullaby Trust believe it can be done.

 

So this is where I (and you) come in. I never thanked The Lullaby Trust for the help they provided to my family and continue to provide for families, so now is my chance. And what better way to do that then raising as much as I can to support them reaching their 2020 target. Now, to help encourage you all to dig deep, here are some examples of where the money could be spent:

 

£1 could buy a room thermometer, to help maintain a safe temperature for a baby

 

£5 could pay for a Bubbalicious information pack, raising awareness of The Lullaby Trust's safe sleep messages among teenage parents

 

£14 could provide one hour of helpline support from trained advisors

 

£110 could train A&E staff in how best to support families when a baby dies

 

£438 could alleviate the anxieties of a bereaved family by providing a breathing monitor for their new baby, and

 

£550 could train bereaved parents who wish to support other families in the future

 

So there it is, my plea for your help and support. I know that 100% of the people reading this either 1) have a baby, 2) have had a baby, 3) will have a baby, or 4) were once a baby, so this charity could impact everyone. Please help The Lullaby Trust reach their target; anything you can give will help. And it will also help me get to the finish line at the end of 26 miles of running.

 

Thank you so much. Lots of love, James

 

Happy 21 Birthday Edward – Love you always

 

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.