Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am participating in the Mont Blanc Massif Trek on 08/06/2013, a tough trekking challenge through parts of France, Swizerland and Italy circling the highest peaks in Western Europe - 3 countries in 3 days.  This is a huge challenge for me and is something I've always wanted to do in memory of Ethan (my son) and to raise awareness of the good work the Bliss charity does.

Bliss, a charity for babies born too soon, too small, too sick is an important UK wide charity that gives vital support and care for premature and sick babies and their families. Bliss is active across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and delivers a range of nationally available services. 

One in every nine babies in the UK is born premature or sick meaning over 80,000 babies a year with one being admitted to special care every 6 minutes.  Bliss provides support and advice over the phone, via messageboard, through a network of local counsellors and local groups.  The charity campaigns for the highest standards of care to be available to all babies and their families wherever they live and fund innovative research and practice.  They are helping to raise standards so the best possible care can be provided.  Bliss is also driving forward a number of projects to provide direct care to babies, their parents and families within hospitals and within their communities.

How your donations can help

£1 will provide text message support for a distressed parent

£10 will provide telephone support for a family

£24 will keep the Family Support Helpline running for 1 hour

£60 will fund a neonatal nurse on a Bliss study day

£100 will provide training for a Parents 4 Parents volunteer

£500 will support a Family Support Group for a year

£2,000 will provide a year's worth of good practice updates to all UK neonatal units

£2,500 will train a neonatal nurse in developmental care

£5,000 will provide a study day and support package to 50 health visitors on supporting premature and sick babies after discharge from hospital

£6,000 will fund a new campaign to recruit more specialist nurses for the most vulnerable babies

£10,000 will fund the online parent messageboard and text message support service for a year

My son was not premature, he was not too small, but he was too sick to survive having suffered meconium aspiration syndrome.  The support and advice that Bliss can offer parents in a similar situation is invaluable and you can't put a price on any improvements made possible to the care the baby receives.

Please dig deep and donate as much as you can to this worthy cause and support me in my venture to raise the minimum of £2100 required for me to participate in my challenge.  I'm hoping to raise much more in the next year and plan on doing some fun things along the way.

Please ignore the event date at the top of the page - I can't seem to change it.  It's taking place on the 08/06/2013 and this page is open until then for donations.

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.  Every penny counts.