This June, Nick and I are taking on the Dragon Race, which is a 157KM race over the arduous terrain of the well known Brecon Beacons. We’re doing this to raise money for Bliss.

Bliss is a charity that champions the rights of premature babies and their parents in order to guarantee that every baby receives the best possible care. They also lobby on behalf of parents and provide a voice for ongoing research.

Our twins, Ariella and Athena, were born at 26 weeks gestation, both only weighing 747kg. Their birth certainly wasn’t what we had envisioned. My wife was on monitors, 3 teams of doctors were present and there were medical staff and equipment all over the room. The uncertainty of what was to come was the most dreadful thing we've endured.

This was the beginning of a long journey through absolute mental and physical torture. There would be good days and bad days but we would all be there fighting together.

When we got to meet the girls, we couldn’t comprehend how small they were -their heads were smaller than a tennis ball, their hands the size of my thumbnail. We were only able to have one cuddle a day for the first few weeks as the process of getting them out of the incubator and putting them back took a huge strain on them.

We definitely had ups and downs, particularly in that first few months. Spending as much time as we could manage between us, somehow we got into the groove of things and NICU just became life. It was very strange life. At the start of every day, we had to brace ourselves for what lay ahead -the warm dark room, the tubes, the beeping monitors and alarms. Then, at the end of each day, we had to brace ourselves to leave our babies again. It was hard being there but harder being away.

The staff in NICU are truly amazing people. The extreme care and attention to detail that the nurses and doctors provided our girls was amazing. They definitely deserve more recognition for the work that they receive. We can’t thank all the staff enough for the care and support that they gave Ariella and Athena and for giving them the best start to life.

The NICU journey felt impossibly hard at the time and changed us in many ways. The experience will no doubt stick with us forever. We have a gratitude for parenting that we know we couldn’t ever have appreciated in the same way. To watch them grow so much, from the smallest little beings to the strong and capable little people they are becoming has been incredible.

After 86 days in Preston and Lancaster NICU, we finally got to take our girls home and for that we cannot thank all our friends, family and NICU staff enough.

Every donation that’s made to The Ariella and Athena's Sunshine Fund celebrates them making it through a difficult start, as well as bringing Bliss closer to ensuring that every baby born premature or sick in the UK has the best chance of survival and quality of life.

Bliss is almost entirely reliant on the donations that it receives from people like me and you, so please celebrate Ariella and Athena's life by donating to their Sunshine Fund today and help support other babies born premature or sick.