At our 20 week scan, we were told that our baby would be one of the 1 in 125 babies born in the UK with congenital heart disease.

This came as a massive shock to us, but the help and support we received from a range of charities was amazing.

For National Heart Week (8th-14th of February), our two daughters aged 5 and 3 have decided to raise money for two heart charities by doing a sponsored walk on Sunday February the 14th. They have set themselves the challenge of walking the route to our older daughter's school and back 6 times (about 9 miles altogether). They have chosen to raise money for Families of Ocean Ward and Heartline Families, as these are both charities that have helped us, and provided information and support when it was most needed. You can find more information below.

Please sponsor them if you can - even a little can go a long way. Thank you!

Heartline Families is a registered charity (1153442) run by volunteers and trustees. They provide information and support to children with heart disorders and their families. They provide a handbook packed full of information for these families, as well as other information booklets. They also support families in other ways, such as by providing wetsuits for chilly heart children, and offering subsidised family breaks.

Families of Ocean Ward are a registered Charity (1145013) formed by volunteer parents of children with cardiac disease who rely on the services provided by Ocean Ward and it’s team of specialist and dedicated staff. They have strong links with the ward with a representative from Ocean Ward involved in strategic planning and decision making . This enables them to stay abreast of the day to day needs of families being cared for on Ocean Ward.They provide services and days out to families of children with heart conditions treated on Ocean Ward, Southampton GH.