1 in every 7 babies born in the UK will need specialist care. As you may know, our son Leo was born via emergency c-section and required resuscitation. Although not premature, he was born very sick. We haven’t shared any pictures of Leo in hospital before, but I think it’s important to see how he was. Leo was transferred to the NICU in Hull for intensive care and remained fully sedated for a number of days. The care Leo received, both at Hull NICU and Harrogate Hospital was phenomenal and ultimately resulted in us being able to take him home, happy and healthy, 12 days after he was born. We spent a lot of time unsure whether Leo would make it home, and even if he did, what kind of condition he would be in. Not everyone is as fortunate as we are.

To that end, a few of us will be cycling the Way of the Roses, coast-to-coast cycle route on the weekend of the 3rd of May (exact times/days to be decided), which is a fairly gruelling ride, especially for an overweight 42 year old man....

Bliss is the leading UK charity for babies born premature or sick. They rely on donations to fund their work, and without our help they won't be able to reach the 90,000 babies needing neonatal care each year.

Your donation to my page will help Bliss to drive improvements in neonatal care, to ensure that the needs of babies are at the heart of policy and planning for the future, and to provide information and support to all families with a baby born premature or sick.