Hospital charity raises over £15,000 for bereavement services

Activities hosted by the charity and partners included a sponsored skydive, a 12-hour-walk around Lakeside and joining the Wave of Light, a global candle-lighting event in remembrance of babies lost.

In addition to these events, DBTH Bereavement Midwives, Matt Procter and Rhian Morris, and Fundraising Manager, Sarah Dunning, visited locations across Doncaster and Worksop, hosting awareness stands to encourage conversations around baby loss.

Rhian said: “The week was a huge success. We spoke to many families who shared both heart-warming and heart-breaking stories of their journey through baby loss.

“We hope that by making ourselves available and open for these discussions, this will help spread the message that we can, and should, talk about baby loss.”

A raffle organised by the trio raised approx. £1,400 alone.

The 12-hour-walk was hosted in conjunction with fellow charity Sands United South Yorkshire, a football support group for bereaved Dads to process their grief, and ended with a lantern walk in the evening.

Sarah Dunning, Fundraising Manager for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity, who assisted and participated in all the week’s events, said: “We want to say thank you everyone that visited our stands to share their own stories or find out more about what we were doing.”

Further funds were raised on the final day of Baby Loss Awareness Week, when Thorne Rural Lions held a charity concert which raised £3,000 for the appeal.

Alongside fundraising activities, hospitals sites were lit up pink and blue as well as other local venues across Doncaster such as the train station and Conisborough castle.

To find out how you can support DBTH Charity and the Serenity Appeal, please visit: https://dbthcharity.co.uk/serenity-appeal/.