Team Martin is Christine, John, Cameron and Jenny (non-running coach!).

Christine, John and Cameron are running the Great Manchester 10km on 20th May 2012 in memory of Alexander George Morrell Martin and to raise vital funds for Sands. We also hope to raise awareness of the unnacceptable stillbirth rate in the UK.

Jenny cannot run as she will be 26 weeks pregnant with Alexander's brother or sister. As many of you know, Alexander was born sleeping on 4th June 2011. The support of the local Sands Group has been very helpful and continues to be important to us.

Update 24/3/12:

Team Martin is sad to announce that we are one runner down after Christine spectacularly broke her ankle on an illicit skiing holiday. She will be cheering in the crowd with Jenny :-)

About the Charity we are raising money for: 

 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.  Rates of stillbirth have remained relatively unchanged for 20 years and in fact are increasing.

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.