We’ve been fundraising for the past few years for SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity) in memory of our little boy, Lorenzo. He was our first - and very much longed for – baby and was stillborn when I was 8 months pregnant on 25th April 2017. We will never know why he died and the hardest day of my life was leaving that hospital without him. SANDS fund rooms in hospitals and we were able to use the Butterfly Room in the Royal Gwent Hospital – it’s a suite specifically designed for grieving parents and families to spend time with their child and be parents. We are so grateful for this time we got to spend with him, which would not have been possible without SANDS.

Currently in the UK, 13 families a day suffer the heartbreak of losing a baby before, during or shortly after birth. SANDS helps fund vital research into reducing this number and ensuring that, when a baby does die, anyone affected gets the support they need.

Lorenzo would have turned 7 years old in April and whilst I get to parent my 2 little girls every day, the best way I know how to parent him is to try and keep his memory alive by talking about him and doing things just like this. Very sadly, my colleague Naomi Shaughnessy and her partner James Stappleton’s little girl, Millie Rose Stappleton was born sleeping on 29th September 2023 so I will be doing 100km each for Lorenzo and Millie.

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, operates across the UK: supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby; working in partnership with health professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care; and promoting improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

We depend on the amazing energies of our supporters to raise the vital funds that we need to deliver the wide range of services that we offer. #TeamSands