Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. 

I'm running the London Marathon in memory of Oliver Willsher, Daisy Clark and Izzy Curry.

Although I have been running for years, the marathon is the one distance I've never tried before. Now I have finally have the opportunity I wanted to use it to raise money for a charity that has helped some very close friends of mine who sadly lost their babies at birth. The money I raise will be split between the national SANDS charity and the local Milton Keynes group.

I'm writing a blog about my journey to the start line and the race, but also to raise awareness of SANDS and the work they do to help bereaved parents like those of Oliver, Daisy and Izzy. You can read all about it here - http://runwithchips.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much for your support.

About the Charity I am raising money for: Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, is an organisation that offers support when a baby dies during pregnancy or after birth.

Sands, was founded in 1978 by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies and in particular by what they felt was a complete lack of acknowledgement and understanding of the significance and impact of their loss.

Over the past 25 years the charity has supported many thousands of families whose babies have died, offering emotional support, comfort and practical help. Sands has worked tirelessly with health professionals to revolutionise the care bereaved families receive in hospital. Sands has fundamentally changed the way in which bereaved parents and their babies are cared for

Why Sands is so relevant: Incredibly in the UK today, in spite of medical advances, many parents, their families and friends continue to have their lives quite literally turned upside down by the death of their baby.  17 babies a day are either stillborn or die within the first twenty eight days of life, over 6,500 babies dying every year.  Rates of stillbirth have remained relatively unchanged for 20 years and in fact are increasing.

Sands core aims are to:

support anyone affected by the death of a baby;

work with health professionals to improve the quality of care and services provided to bereaved parents and their families;

and promote changes in antenatal practice and to fund research that could help to reduce the loss of babies' lives and the number of families devastated by this tragedy.

With your support we can really make a difference.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Sands gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

Sands has a nationwide network of local support groups run by bereaved parents to support anyone affected by the loss of a baby. Our local group Milton Keynes Sands is part of this network and 50% of your donations will be used to support their work. It is also the most efficient way to donate: Sands will receive your money electronically and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in Gift Aid will be added to your donation at no cost to you.  The Gift Aid is used to support Sands work across the UK.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. So please sponsor me now and thank you for your support!

Nicole