On 15th December 2023 our son William was stillborn just five days before his due date and after a healthy and uncomplicated pregnancy. William was our longed-for second child who we eventually conceived via IVF, following two years of infertility. The loss of William has changed us forever and his absence is felt every single day. As we continue to parent William, in a different way to how we hoped, we would like to mark his 2nd birthday with something positive and fundraise in his name.

In the aftermath of losing William we were referred to a local charity The Bodie Hodge’s Foundation. The Bodie Hodge’s Foundation support families who are bereaved of a child in Leicestershire. Rob and I have had regular counselling to help us process the grief and shock of William’s passing, we feel lucky to have had this help, as mental health support for bereaved parents is hard to access and very limited (typically only 6 sessions). Penny, our daughter who was only four when William died, has also worked closely with a counsellor who has visited her in school and given her the age-appropriate bereavement support she required to deal with something so sad at such a young age. The Bodie Hodges Foundation are currently fundraising to pilot a 12 month Bereavement Educator Role which will work with schools to support children/young people as they grieve. So many children are going to school each day and having to put a brave face on as there is very little support available to them.

To show our gratitude for this amazing charity we would like to raise money towards the Bereavement Educator role. This December a team of William’s friends and family will be combining efforts and running, walking, cycling 1,512 (William’s birthday) miles. Follow our progress on Strava (and if you can, please donate.

READ MORE ABOUT THE BEREAVEMENT EDUCATOR ROLE HERE:

Your support will help us to launch a new service for schools, which will provide early intervention training for staff, equip teachers with emotional resilience and coping strategies, offer follow-up therapeutic support for grieving students and develop a bereavement resource pack.

The role will take a bespoke approach to supporting a school community following the death of a pupil.