On the 27th of March 2025, our daughter Freyja Blanchon was born at Calow Hospital in Chesterfield. Not long after her arrival, Freyja became critically ill and was rushed to the neonatal unit. It quickly became clear she needed more specialised care than Calow could provide.

At just 12 hours old, Freyja was transferred by the incredible neonatal ambulance team, Embrace, to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Jessop Wing in Sheffield. We were told that Calow had done everything they could—but that our little girl might not survive the journey. My wife, Emily, was also taken by ambulance to Jessops, and I followed behind by car, fearing the worst.

Thanks to the expert care and compassion from the team at Jessops, Freyja’s life was saved. She spent 15 days in their care—9 of them in intensive care. Today, we are home together, and every sleepless night and every eardrum splitting cry is a sound we’ll never take for granted.

To give something back to those who gave us everything, I’ll be taking part in the Luke Horton Scafell Pike Charity Hike, aiming to raise £20,000 for the NICU at Jessops.

I'll be joined by Freyja's godfather Peter Jellis

Every donation, no matter how small, helps provide life-saving care to babies like Freyja and support for families like ours.

Thank you for helping us support this incredible cause.