My amazing sister & incredible brother in law welcomed my first little nephew, Isaac Thomas Lowe, into the world last year. 

I am running the Manchester Marathon on April 3rd, and have decided to raise some money for Spoons, a charity that have been incredible to Bec, Nick & Isaac. I want to do my bit to give a little back to an organisation that has given so much to my beautiful little nephew and his wonderful parents.

Isaac was born in September 2021 at 30 weeks and 2 days, nearly 10 weeks prematurely!!! He spent over 8 weeks being cared for at Wythenshawe hospital NICU, and Spoons provided amazing support to Bec, Nick & the little man during that time.

Spoons’ aim is to alleviate stress and reduce isolation for families who experience neonatal care, which they do in a number of ways.

Bec & Nick benefitted from resources provided by Spoons in the form of welcome packs, milestone cards, and a going home pack to assist us with the transition.

I know that Bec & Nick found the support from Spoons volunteers invaluable - other parents who’ve experienced neonatal care visited the unit on a regular basis, meaning they had people to talk to who understood what they were going through and could offer insight and experience, something that was incredibly comforting for them & also for the rest of our families.

Finally, since coming home Spoons have provided the new parents with free counselling to help them process their NICU experience - helping Bec, Nick and Isaac settle in as a family in their home. They also provide baby groups and classes specifically aimed at those who’ve experienced neonatal care.

They really are an incredible charity who do so much for so many families - much more than just the above which is what our families have seen first hand.

Amongst other things they also provide financial help with transport and accommodation for families who are a long way from their baby’s hospital; support siblings of babies in neonatal care to allow them to feel part of the process (particularly during covid when only parents have been allowed to visit NICU); provide furniture for parent sitting rooms on the wards; and run special campaigns to help with celebrations on neonatal wards, e.g. for families spending Christmas in hospital.

Any donations will help in allowing Spoons to continue the great work they doing in supporting families like ours through what can be an incredibly difficult time.