We are raising money in memory of our little boy, George Barra Melligan, who was born prematurely, at 17 weeks, on 17th April 2020. We hope to share some of the positives of our story, to highlight how life-changing a simple word, phrase or action can be to bereaved parents.

We have been so well supported by the midwives, funeral directors and a couple of charities that specialise in baby loss. They have influenced the shape of our grief, making it somewhat more manageable, and enabling us to find ways to celebrate George, and build a legacy from the heartbreak of losing our little boy. Sadly, not everyone receives this kind of support. In talking to the midwives, we realise that this isn’t common practise and will differ from area to area.

But it’s evolving, and gradually improving – the hospital services, funeral services and charities need help to improve the support they can provide.

Our initiative is called 'Change 17' - working towards changes in how bereaved parents are spoken to, and comforted by professional services - so other parents can feel supported in the way we have.

What Change 17 plans to do:

Action 1 - Present our story of support to at least: 17 individuals/groups of midwives; 17 A&E department doctors and staff; 17 funeral directors…to share how well we’ve been supported, in the hope that this becomes common-place for many more parents in the future. We aim to either do this in person, by letter, or via video.

Action 2 - Write 17 articles for Change 17, indicating good practise in the hope for positive change. Please share these as widely as possible, and learn how to speak about babyloss so it becomes less of a taboo subject.

Action 3 - Support our bereavement midwives, Sophie, Clare and their team at DCH for future change…we’re still working out the details, but we may be able to fund: additional employment days for them (they both work on the bereavement care for just a couple of days per month), training for the midwife team, or equipment for the Forget me Not suite, where George was born.

Action 4 - Sponsor 17 bears from Aching Arms , and 17 memory boxes from 4Louis for future bereaved parents and their babies, in memory of George Barra Melligan.

How we will fundraise for Change 17:

James and I got together as adventurous spirits, wanting to take on challenges and adventures. We’ve faced some mighty challenges in the last few years, but would prefer our future challenges to be for good….we will fundraise by completing challenges - we may even ask you to join in!

What will fundraised money be spent on?

Fundraised money will be spent on achieving our four main outcomes (above).We anticipate there being only minimal costs attached to Outcomes 1 and 2.Outcomes 3 and 4 will be where most of the fundraised money will be spent.

We hope to fund:

The work of the team at Dorset County Hospital - funding time, items for the Forget me not Suite and training for the midwives.

An Aching Arms bear for a family who have lost their baby costs £15 . We need to raise 17 x £15 = £255

A 4Louis memory box costs £30. We need to raise 17 x £30 = £510

£30 - £500 funds ongoing awareness training programmes for hospital staff, via charities such as 4Louis and Beyond Bea.

You can read more about what this support, the bears and the memory box meant to us at http://myheartsingshere.co.uk/about-change17/

Please sponsor us to complete our challenges for Change 17, so we can support more bereaved families like ours and improve services to parents who lose their baby during pregnancy.