On September 7th I’ll be taking on Tough Mudder’s 10 miles of mud and obstacles in memory of my son Henry. 

As many of you will know, Henry died at 37+5 weeks gestation on 30th April, 2014, and was stillborn (yet STILL born) two days later on Friday 2nd May.

Many strides have been made in the five years since Henry died - both in terms of prevention and avoiding babies needlessly dying in the womb, and also in terms of bereavement care provided to families. But training for maternity professionals remains incredibly limited and inconsistent. 

Many student midwives can go their entire 3 year degree with virtually (or sometimes actually) no bereavement training. Only 46% of NHS trusts have mandatory bereavement training for their maternity staff. Of that 46%, two thirds provide that trust annually, and 86% of those allocate just ONE HOUR or less (SANDS, 2016).

As a bereaved parent, let me be very clear - one hour a year is ABSOLUTELY not enough to enable professionals to provide the care bereaved families so desperately need in their darkest moments.

Beyond Bea offers free, high-quality, bereavement care training anywhere in the country for any students or professionals who come into contact with bereaved families. It’s a combination of professional clinical training, personal stories from bereaved parents, and hands-on practical memory-making workshops on inkless prints, clay imprints, 3D castings and photographs.

The training is completely free for any unit or university - no student or professional should have to decide on receiving bereavement training based on cost - and is now accredited by the Royal College of Midwives. Each full day training day costs around £500 to put on, and the charity is entirely funded by donations.

I’d love to raise £500 to host a study day at a hospital in my area in memory of Henry.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela

For more information about Beyond Bea, please check out the charity’s website: www.beyondbea.co.uk