Back in 2022 my husband Anthony and I ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon, this would not have been possible without my incredible friend Charlotte, who braved wind and rain to train with me week in and week out. This year Charlotte and I will be running together in support of Abigail’s Footsteps, a charity we hold very dear to our hearts.

In 2021 my husband and I gave birth to our precious son Tom, who was sadly born sleeping. The support that we received during this time was incredible. The midwives at Darent Valley were amazing, they cared and supported us during every step of the way.

It was here that we were introduced to Abigail’s Footsteps, who provide support and counselling to bereaved parents as well as specialist bereavement training for midwives and healthcare professionals. This was evident by the way that we were looked after by the midwives at Darent Valley where they helped us turn our worst nightmare into an experience that we will cherish forever.

A huge part of this is thanks to the memories box and Abi Cooling Cot which allowed us to spend invaluable time with Tom and make memories before we had to say goodbye.

In addition to this, they funded 6 sessions of counselling which was instrumental in helping us make sense of our new reality.

Sadly, this experience isn’t the same for all bereaved parents in the UK today. 14 babies are either born stillborn or die a neonatal death every single day. Yet despite this shocking statistic many hospitals remain ill prepared to deal with these events.

Our goal is to raise £3,850 for Abigail’s Footsteps which will fund an ‘Abi’ Cold Cot which many hospitals still do not have, and without the cot parents only have a matter of hours to say goodbye, counselling for parents, and bereavement training for 20 midwifes.

We will be forever grateful to Abigail's Footsteps and the midwives at Darent Valley Hospital. x