Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In the UK 17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day -  that's around 6,500 a year!!!! Thousands of devastated parents, families and friends ask one question - Why?  The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (Sands) 'Why 17?' campaign is aiming to answer that question by raising awareness and working with governments and health bodies to undertake vital research in order to bring these tragedies to an end. This year sees the 30th running of the Reading Half Marathon and I am one of a very few to have completed every event since it began in 1983.  More importantly, my stillborn son, David, would now be 17 and the next Reading Half Marathon will be on the 17th of March 2013. In addition, last September tragedy hit our family again when my niece (Carolyn) and nephew (Phil) lost their perfect and beautiful baby daughter, Dorothy, shortly after birth.  This brought home again the terrible devastation that losing a baby has on parents and those most closely related.  Therefore, on behalf of both David and Dorothy I have chosen to raise funds for Sands in the hope that together we can make a difference.

You know, 1 in 200 babies are stillborn in the UK.  Stillbirth is when a baby is born dead after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy.  1 in 300 babies born alive will die within the first 28 days of their young lives - this is known as neonatal death. Stillbirth is 10 times more common than cot death.  Yet in the 21st century in the UK there is still no understanding as to why many of these babies die. 

This has to end and all monies raised will go to help Sands answer the question why?  Why are 17 babies dying every day in the UK.

Thanks to you all for your support.