As many of you will be aware, our son Ellis was born 14 weeks early at 26+3 gestation weighing 1lb 13oz after Jenna was unexpectedly kept in hospital at 25 weeks pregnant.

We were moved from our local hospital at Forth Valley to Simpsons Edinburgh Royal Infirmary so that when the time was right Ellis could be born in a specialist unit for the best possible chance of survival. Now, the term specialist unit doesn’t nearly cover the level of care not only our son received but also us as new parents in a world we didn’t know anything about.

We were lucky to be provided with accommodation on the Neonatal ward for 7 weeks so that we could be at Ellis’ side every step of the way at any hour of the day and that is something we will always be grateful for.

Even from our early days in to Ellis’ journey, we promised that we would raise funds for the unit to help families who find themselves in a similar situation to us. The brutal reality of the Neonatal Unit is that Jenna, Ellis and I are the lucky ones so if we can help make another families journey that little bit easier then we will feel we have given something back.

The honest truth is that I used the idea and planning of a fundraiser as a positive distraction during what was some of our hardest days and nights. So as Ellis approaches his first birthday and it will mark 1 year to the day that Jenna was taken in to hospital it feels fitting to put my plans in to action and walk over 40 miles from Forth Valley Royal Hospital to Simpsons Neonatal Unit at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on Saturday 26th July 2025, the two hospitals that Ellis spent a combined 88 days in before coming home.

I know times are tough at the moment for a lot of people but if anyone would like to spare the cost of their morning coffee, Friday night beer or a Saturday night takeaway it would mean the world to me and the hundreds of families that will pass through the neonatal unit’s doors each year.