Following the loss of my brother and sister-in-law's baby last year, I've decided to run from London to Paris (7 marathons in 7 days) to raise money for the charity Sands. I will start in London on Monday 6th April and run a minimum of 26.2 miles every day, before finishing in Paris and running the Paris marathon on Sunday 12th April.

I want to do this because I'm very keen to raise awareness and money for Sands who were a huge support for my brother Paul and his wife Louise. Each year in the UK over 6,500 babies die just before, during or soon after birth. That's 17 babies every day. Over 6,500 families whose lives are devastated with lifelong consequences each year. Sands is the stillbirth and neonatal death charity. They operate throughout the UK supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby and promote research to reduce the loss of babies lives.

Please see below the story of the passing of my niece, Lottie, written by my sister-in-law, Louise Stafford:

Lottie's Legacy

On the 13th June 2014 our lives would change forever. The irony of it being Friday the 13th has never left me.

A beautiful sunny day and 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant, I decided I would take our daughter (Pippa, 2 1/2) to the park and as a treat we would stop for coffee and cake. My thinking? I was soon due to give birth to another baby girl and knew that our time would suddenly have to be divided with a due date of Monday 23rd June.

We had a great morning with coffee, cake and the park. On the way back my husband, Paul, called to ask how I was feeling that morning. I told him I felt fine but that I didn't think I had really felt the baby move. To be honest both of us dismissed it as me being a little anxious and distracted. Although we agreed if when I got home I felt no movement I would call a midwife.

I got home and tried everything, a hot drink, a cold drink, twisting onto my side, loud noises, nothing. I panicked. Pull yourself together though I kept saying. I rang the triage team and they advised going immediately to Gloucester. We did just that, bundling Pippa in the car with us.

The entire way there we were trying to reassure each other that everything was fine.

Triage Gloucester. They can't find the heartbeat. But the midwife tries to reassure us in saying sometimes they don't pick it up - so she tries another machine. Nothing.

Panicked looks at each other. Each deep down knowing in our heart of hearts it wasn't good news but each trying to weakly smile and reassure the other. And both trying to distract a 2 1/2 year old.

What happens next is a little blurred........ we are quickly bundled into a private room for an ultrasound scan with a doctor. And then the dreaded words: "I'm sorry there is no heartbeat, your baby has died."

I hear this noise, a wailing, animalistic, primeval one and wonder what it is and then I realise it's me, me trying to climb the walls of this awful room trying to escape what is happening, escape what I’m being told. Your world falls apart.

Leaflets are given to us explaining or rather trying to explain our situation but we can't compute it - it just doesn't make sense. We are told that we need to go back the next day for more tests and then on the Monday to start the induction process.

The care we received at Gloucester that day and in those that followed was exceptional. We were dealt with in a genuinely sympathetic, caring and compassionate manner. We could not have wished for nor wanted better care.

The following hours and days passed in a blur, we wanted answers and we wanted them now: How had this happened? Why? Why us?

A later post-mortem revealed that Group B Strep had crossed the placenta and was in Lottie's lungs, she had essentially died of pneumonia.

We are fortunate, we have one amazing daughter, Pippa. She is the light of our lives and brightens our days, she was our saviour in our darkest days, our own ray of sunshine. We also have wonderfully supportive families and friends without whom we would be lost.

The information and support offered by the charity Sands was invaluable. They help you realise that you’re not alone and that you can get through the darkest days. Sands support bereaved parents who have lost stillborn children and help to raise awareness and promote research to reduce the loss of babies lives. They are an amazing charity and an extremely worthwhile cause.

If we can all do a little collectively we can achieve a great deal and that's what will make a difference. So please make it worthwhile and support my brother-in-law running this distance.

This is Lottie's legacy, let's make it count.