Anna and I met as fresh-faced 11 year olds at our catholic convent school for girls, all knee high socks, puppy fat and wide-eyed wonderment. As teens, we giggled over boys in the locker room, then made fantastically unbridled life plans as super-mature sixth formers. Later, we saw each other off to university, toasted new jobs, watched each other fall in love, then out of love, then in love and then eventually marry our “good eggs” and start families… Then we bore witness to each other’s darkest days as we each buried a son.

To mark the year that Seamus and Owen should have turned five, Anna and I will be climbing five mountains this year – the highest in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland – as part of the 5for5challenge.com. Five peaks for the boys who should have turned five.

After facing the most incomprehensible loss and unspeakable pain, we are climbing for our boys, and raising money for two incredible charities along the way: Sands and Tommy’s.

What is the Pebble Project?

We are extending an invite to anyone who has lost a child to join our pebble project. We would like to paint the names of the babies you have lost on pebbles and carry them to the summit of the mountains, in return for a small donation. It is a simple act to honour the lives of the babies you carried, loved and lost. At the summit of each mountain we will take a moment to set their names down, pause and remember their precious lives.

We will then carry the pebbles back down, and post them home to you. From there, you can choose how to build on your pebble’s journey – take it to your own special places, find a nook in your home to display your baby’s name, travel the world with it, or just keep it in your pocket day to day.

We are climbing the five highest peaks in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland:

Scafell Pike, England – 3209 feet
Carrauntoohil, Ireland – 3406 feet
Ben Nevis, Scotland – 4409 feet
Snowdon, Wales – 3560 feet
Slieve Donard, Northern Ireland – 2790 feet

How to take part

If you would like us to carry a pebble for your baby, please go to the following link and follow the instructions, before donating!!

http://www.5for5challenge.com/the-pebble-project/

This link will answer all of the following questions:

Will you take photographs of my pebble at the summit?
I love the idea, but I didn’t name my baby… Can I still take part?
Can you leave my pebble on one of the mountains?
What kind of pebbles are they?
Who does the money go to?
Can I take part if I do not live in the UK?
Is there a time limit?
Can I order more than one pebble for the same baby?
When will I receive my pebble?
How do I book a pebble into your backpack?
Once again, please do not donate until you have read the full instructions.

Heartfelt thanks from Anna & Aoife xx

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.