I am doing this challenge in memory of my niece Remi Rouen Coull, who was sadly stillborn in January this year.

I have chosen the charity Sands as they provided valuable support to my sister and her wife during Remi’s birth, as they were able to be in the specialist bereavement suite. The butterfly suite has lots of facilities funded and provided by Sands in order to make the birthing experience as comfortable and supportive as possible for both parents. This enabled my sister and her wife the comfort, space and time to navigate the birthing experience in order to find the “little joys” in an otherwise heartbreaking situation.

Sands has also provided ongoing support for my sister and her wife in the form of monthly support meetings, where they have been able to talk about their experience with other parents who have been through similar situations.

I am therefore hoping that by raising this money, more parents will be able to have a positive birthing experience in heartbreaking circumstances, and be able to find a community of like-minded parents to support them through their journey.

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Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, operates across the UK: supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby; working in partnership with health professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care; and promoting improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

We depend on the amazing energies of our supporters to raise the vital funds that we need to deliver the wide range of services that we offer. #TeamSands