I'm running the London Landmarks Half-Marathon to raise money for Sands as they provided such caring support to myself, Louise and our family when Millie Louise was born asleep nearly 17 years ago.

Sadly, the death of a baby is not a rare tragedy. Every day in the UK around 13 babies die before, during or soon after birth. That means nearly every two hours a family is faced with the devastation of the death of their baby. 

The good news is that the number of babies dying is now falling – there were 296 fewer baby deaths in 2020 than in 2019.

Understanding why babies die is vital if we are to save more lives and Sands is working with bereaved parents, world-leading researchers and clinicians to find the answers. We are also determined to keep up the pressure on the Government as we need to see a much faster and greater fall in future.

At Sands we know that the lives of the babies who die can never be reduced to a statistic. While fewer babies are dying in the UK than ever before, our work continues supporting the many thousands of bereaved families.

Sands is here for anyone left shattered by the death of a baby and we will continue to do everything possible to stop people having to experience such tragedy, to reduce the thousands of people whose lives are changed forever

This is a significant step forward and with your support Sands has played a crucial role in helping to reduce baby deaths, making this a priority issue for government and healthcare professionals so they can make the changes that are now starting to have an effect.