Thank you for visiting Sherman's page.

We are totally overwhelmed with the response so far. Thank you all so very much, and because of your wonderful support you have given us, our target has been raised from the original £2,000.

Sherman was born fast asleep on Friday 26th June 2009 at 7.13pm. Those few precious hours we spent with our first gorgeous baby boy, our first child,  were such amazing moments. To hold, cuddle and kiss him was so very special. The love that we have for our beautiful baby boy Sherman, now and forever, is, and always will be, impossible to measure.

Sherman was perfect in every way. A beautiful chubby little boy, perfect features and just so gorgeous. But to have all this in your arms, and never be able to see his little eyes open is the hardest thing we have, and ever will have to cope with.

After all the possible tests to find out why this had happened, nothing came up. There was no reason whatsoever. So why did this devastating loss of our son have to happen........

SANDS was a life line for us, and helped us in this devestating time. Gloucestershire SANDS had just been set up in June 2009 and the group will need as much support and donations to help them continue their amazing work. The group provides monthly support meetings and are also piloting the 'next pregnancy group', another monthly meeting where parents can support each other through the next, very nervous and tense, and sometimes very upsetting and emotional pregnancy.

The SANDS charity are raising much needed funds for the research into why 17 babies die every day in the UK. Why does this happen in the 21st century? And why is there not enough awareness about this ..... The Why17? campaign is so important and is working hard on research and also promoting awareness, and this will be a campaign that we will be working hard to help. 

We plan to raise as much money as possible through many events and challenges that we will be holding in the name of our wonderful baby boy, Sherman

Money already raised has helped to provide memory boxes to surrounding hospitals in Swindon, Hereford and Bristol, as well as Cheltenham and Gloucester. We are also in the process of designing a new memorial area in Cheltenham's cremetorium, which will be a sancturary to grieving parents and family. We are also going to be planning a special day in Sherman's memory. This year it will be the summer ball on the 25th June, with fireworks to see in his 1st birthday. His soon to be launched website will keep you up to date with all the events that are going on.

We would just like to say thank you for all the support you have given us, and we will take something positive from this devestating part of our lives. The support you have given to us and to our families is a great step to that positive belief that Sherman will be such an important little boy, and his short 37 week life will help many families in the future.

Thank You

Jase, Shelley and Sherman x x x x s

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Every £15.00 donated will buy one precious memory box. Having received one, they are priceless.

A £22.00 donation  will sponsor the room hire for one month., enabling SANDS to provide local support to parents.

Gloucestershire Sands is one of 90 local support groups linked nationally to Sands. Details of their work below -

About the Charity I am raising money for: Gloucestershire Sands and Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, is an organisation that offers support when a baby dies during pregnancy or after birth.

Sands, was founded in 1978 by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies and in particular by what they felt was a complete lack of acknowledgement and understanding of the significance and impact of their loss.

Over the past 25 years the charity has supported many thousands of families whose babies have died, offering emotional support, comfort and practical help. Sands has worked tirelessly with health professionals to revolutionise the care bereaved families receive in hospital. Sands has fundamentally changed the way in which bereaved parents and their babies are cared for

Why Sands is so relevant: Incredibly in the UK today, in spite of medical advances, many parents, their families and friends continue to have their lives quite literally turned upside down by the death of their baby.  17 babies a day are either stillborn or die within the first twenty eight days of life, over 6,500 babies dying every year. 

Sands core aims are to:

support anyone affected by the death of a baby;

work with health professionals to improve the quality of care and services provided to bereaved parents and their families;

and promote changes in antenatal practice and to fund research that could help to reduce the loss of babies' lives and the number of families devastated by this tragedy.

With your support we can really make a difference.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Sands gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Thank you for your support.