My story

On 17 April, Chris is (very foolishly) taking on the London Marathon and from 6-9 July Jemima is cycling from London to Paris.  In doing so, we’re hoping to raise as much money as possible for two premature baby charities which are very close to our hearts.

 

Anything you can donate would be greatly appreciated.

On 26 November 2009, our twins Florence and Jack unexpectedly entered the world at just 26 weeks and 2 days, weighing in at 790 grams and 900 grams respectively, each less than a bag of sugar.  We were told it was unlikely that they would survive the birth. 

 

Against all the odds, they battled through thanks to some wonderful nursing and expert medical care at a number of London hospitals, including Chelsea & Westminter and Kingston.  Jack came home last March followed a month later by his big sister.  As you can see from the photos, they've come a long way.  

  

Both twins are now going from strength to strength and we're very hopeful that they will continue to do so.

 

The road ahead is a very long and dark one when your children are born so early.  We were indebted to the support, not only of family and friends, but also of Bliss, the only national charity dedicated to improving both the survival and long-term quality of life for babies born too soon, too small or too sick to cope on their own.  In particular, the advice of Bliss and their publications helped us to make sense of all the monitors, wires and operations that were needed to keep the twins alive.  Their reassurance was invaluable. 

 

1 in every 9 babies in the UK is born either premature or sick. That is over 80,000 babies every year. Every six minutes another baby is admitted to a special care baby unit. The vital care that premature and sick babies receive after birth can have a profound impact on the rest of their lives.

 

As well as providing emotional support and guidance for families affected, Bliss fights and lobbies hard to combat the desperate shortages in specialist nursing and medical staff, as well as funding crucial research into the care of premature babies.

  

We will be donating 10% of all the funds we raise to the Kingston Hospital charity "Born Too Soon".  This charity offers wonderful on-site support to parents like us who have babies in the Kingston Neo-Natal Unit, as well as raising funds for the purchase of specialist life-saving equipment for the Unit.

 

Thank you so much for your support. 

 

Chris and Jemima

 

My gallery 3

My Teams

My company

My charity

Bliss, for babies born too soon, too small, too sick

Bliss, for babies born too soon, too small, too sick

Charity Registration No. 1002973, Registered Scottish Charity SC040878

Bliss is the UK charity for premature and sick babies. We offer guidance and information at a critical time in families' lives and we also fund ground-breaking research and campaign for babies to receive the best possible level of care regardless of when and where they are born.

Donations 112

many congrats to you all for your seperate challenges to date, love Rowley, Dorcas, Felix, Milo and bump!

Donation by rowley aird on 06/09/11

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well done to you both! an excellent cause. with lots of love julie, alex, rebecca & madeleine xxx

Donation by julie gisbert on 03/08/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Get to that Ferry on time Jemima :-)! Good luck! Ana x x

Donation by Ana Abad on 17/06/11

£30.00

+ £7.50 Gift Aid

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Chris ... big congratulations, but anticpating Jemima will offer a much stronger finish in her leg of the relay!

Donation by Simon Thorp on 03/06/11

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Well done Chris and good luck Jemima for the bike ride! xx

Donation by Annabel Keville on 24/05/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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well done - last few miles I hear were tough - shame the performance related fees did not kick in !

Donation by john perera on 04/05/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

Donation by Miquela Elsworth on 02/05/11

£20.00

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Well done Chris! From Onside Law X

Donation by onside law on 19/04/11

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Fantastic work Walshie and good luck Jemima!! Love the Hilts clan x

Donation by Rebecca Hilton on 18/04/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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Well done Walshie, awesome achievement for a man of your stature! Good luck Mimes. Those two will be so proud of their Mum & Dad.

Donation by Rodders, Scruff and Immie on 18/04/11

Donation by Hen Fearnley on 17/04/11

£150.00

+ £37.50 Gift Aid

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Nutters!

Donation by Pads x on 16/04/11

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Best of luck to both of you! Love Nick P x

Donation by nicholas peters on 16/04/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

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Chris, the level of professionalism and dedication shown to the tapering element of your training is to be admired. Sunday will be a walk in the park!

Donation by Leo Avery on 16/04/11

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Wishing you both the very best of luck. Great effort but worth it to have your dear little people. love Jude x

Donation by Judy Arscott on 16/04/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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You guys are amazing taking on these challenges, Good luck to you both. Lots of love Baxie, Jules, Emmy and Hess XXxx

Donation by Matthew and Juliet Bax on 16/04/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

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Best of luck to you both!

Donation by Mike and Jacky Scott on 16/04/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

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Really good luck to both of you, what an amazing effort - Florence and Jack will be so proud of you. Love Penny, Dan, Harry and Jack x

Donation by Penelope Jordan on 15/04/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Good luck!!

Donation by Andy, Lene, Oliver & Tom Cunis on 15/04/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

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Couldn't think of a more worthy cause after seeing the amazing J&F grown up. Looking for the 4 hr mark, should help the skip either way! Best of luck

Donation by The Hendos G,S,A,C&R on 14/04/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Good luck and bon voyage! Well impressed.

Donation by James Stone on 14/04/11

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Best of luck and look forward to seeing all of you in the summer. Shalesy

Donation by Ant Shales on 13/04/11

£20.00

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Great cause. All the very best, Anthony, Isabella and Alex at no. 86.

Donation by Anthony Cummins on 11/04/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

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Team Walsh - what an amazing effort and charity. Am sorry we won't be there to cheer you on but will be thinking of you all. Army, Spells, Tilly xxxx

Donation by Nick Armstrong on 04/04/11

£200.00

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What stars you are!! So so proud of the 4 of you and cannot wait to see you all very soon! All our love J,L,T&Wxxxx

Donation by Lesley Ford on 31/03/11

Donation summary

  • * Online donations$9,243.35
  • Offline donations$818.67
  • Text donations$0.00
  • Total raised$10,062.02
  • Gift Aid$2,354.57

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.