I’m Dr Nish Manek, a GP, and through my work I’ve sadly seen just how many families are affected by baby loss - often quietly, and in ways that are deeply life changing.

I’ve heard so much about Petals from both patients and colleagues who have worked alongside them, and the consistency of what I hear is how invaluable their support is at one of the hardest points in someone’s life.

As a GP, I’m often struck by how much grief sits beneath the surface in everyday consultations, and how little space there can be in the system for people to truly process it.

It is also a stark reality that in the UK:

1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage

1 in 200 babies are stillborn each year

over 5,000 pregnancies are terminated for medical reasons annually

and 24 babies die shortly after birth every week

These are not just statistics. They represent families whose lives are changed forever, often without wider acknowledgement or ongoing support.

I am running the Royal Parks Half Marathon for Petals, the baby loss counselling charity. They provide specialist counselling for women, men and couples after the devastating loss of a pregnancy or the death of a baby.

Petals deliver hundreds of counselling sessions every month. Each session costs £80, and I’m hoping to raise as much as possible so that more families can access this support when they need it most.

Every donation genuinely makes a difference.

🌸 £20 will contribute towards one counselling session for a bereaved family

🌸 £80 will fund one full specialist counselling session

🌸 £500 will fund a complete counselling package for a bereaved family