Steve Allen, President of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce has chosen Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity’s Woodland House Appeal as his chosen charity of the year and we will be running the Great Birmingham 10K in support of this truly special appeal.

Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity launched a £3.5 million fundraising appeal last year to enable Woodland House, the UK’s first pregnancy and baby loss and bereavement centre to be built in a hospital setting.

Every year, approximately 2,000 women and families at Birmingham Women’s Hospital are given heart-breaking news.

Every loss is a devastating and uniquely personal experience, but at the moment, the space in which our expert bereavement midwives have to hold these conversations, doesn’t reflect the significance of each family’s loss.

News is delivered in cramped rooms, often just off the maternity ward or busy outpatient areas, and patients speak of feeling rushed and of having ‘nowhere to go’ after receiving devastating news. Woodland House will change this.

Woodland House will be a brand-new, purpose-built, centre away from the hustle and bustle of the main hospital, where families can spend time together in safe, secure and serene surroundings before they feel ready to face the world again.

The Woodland House Appeal will make an enormous difference to our region, local people and their communities. It’s absolutely crucial that as a Chamber of Commerce we are able to help Birmingham Women’s Hospital lead the way in setting a new standard of care and change the experience of these families.