Sadly, the death of a baby is not a rare event. Every 90 minutes in the UK a baby dies shortly before, during or soon after birth. This is unacceptable and Sands is determined to reduce the number of babies dying by at least 20% by 2020. We receive very little government funding and rely entirely on donations from people like you.

By donating to Sands you are sharing our vision of a world where fewer babies die and helping to ensure that every bereaved family, wherever they live in the UK, gets the care and support they need, when they need it, for as long as they need it.

Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity supporting bereaved families across the UK. Many people feel that only others who have experienced the death of a baby can offer real understanding. Our UK network of support Groups offer people the chance to meet others, gain support and share their experiences. Durham & Wearside Sands is a unique and vital link in our network and the group is run by and for bereaved parents and families within County Durham & Wearside. Our small and dedicated team of trained volunteer befrienders at Durham & Wearside Sands provide vital emotional support, as well as practical help and information. To find out more about the group or being a Sands volunteer please visit https://www.sands.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer-sands/volunteer-sands-group

Your kind donations will help Sands continue to provide free bereavement support services to families, including Family Support packs and memory boxes to families in County Durham & Wearside and across the UK. Donations will contribute towards the running costs of Durham & Wearside Sands including local support meetings and helpline. All these local services are fully backed up by our Sands helpline, and other dedicated support services offering a lifeline to anyone when a baby dies.

The money you contribute will help to maintain and expand our extensive bereavement care training programme for health professionals across the UK including those within County Durham & Wearside. You will be helping to make sure every parent whose baby has died receives equally excellent bereavement care wherever they are in the UK.

Research is also an incredibly important part of our work and your donations will also be helping to fund research to better understand what causes baby deaths and save babies’ lives to ultimately ensure every parent gets to see their baby grow up.

Thank you so very much for your support, we could do none of this without you.

All funds raised on this page will support activities linked to the core charitable aims of Sands. All funds raised will be spent where the need is greatest, helping Sands to continue to deliver its vital services to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, to improve the bereavement care received by parents and families, and to promote research to save babies' lives. To find out more please visit https://www.sands.org.uk

Thanks for taking the time to visit this JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so very much for your support.