One in nine babies in the UK are admitted to the Neonatal Unit each year. The admission of a baby to the neonatal Unit is a stressful time for the family. The stress is heightened for families, as most UK Neonatal Units do not provide organised sibling support.

My cousin, Jo-Anne, officially launched 'Noah's star' in October 2017 at Birmingham Women's Hospital. Noah's Star provide support to the siblings of babies, who have been born prematurely or are experiencing health issues. This includes emotional support both on a 1:1 basis and through a group facility using volunteers.

Jo-Anne first created the organisation 'Sociability Care CIC (non for profit)', based on her own personal experience. In July 2015 her twin boys, Oscar and Noah were born at 25 weeks. Sadly, Noah only lived 30 hours. Due to his prematurity Oscar has a range of health conditions including cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease.

Those hours spent in the Neonatal Unit were an extremely difficult time for Jo-Anne and her family, especially her 8yr old son. Jo-Anne is determined to use her experiences to help other families in similar circumstances. Jo-Anne wants Noah's life to matter and is passionate about helping other people.

So far Jo-Anne has recruited & trained 40 Volunteers, and together they've already provided over 500 hours of support to the babies and families at Birmingham Womens Hospital.

Fundraising is needed to ensure Noah's Star can continue to provide the current level of support and to allow them to grow the support they offer. They are aiming to:

* Scale from 40 to 150 vounteers

* Offer the service within other hospitals when needed (including emergency support 24hrs a day, 7 days a week).

* Support families across the West Midlands when they are discharged from a Neonatal Unit within their own home environment, to provide free childcare to the siblings and peer support to the mothers.

To support Noah's Star and raise awareness of this great cause, I am running the Birmingham 10k (6.4miles) on 6th May and the Great Midlands Fun Run (8.5miles) on 3rd June 2018.

All sponsorship will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.