Tag: baby loss charity

Held in our Hearts launches new Thrive for Five campaign

Baby loss charity Held In Our Hearts announce their new fitness-focused campaign – ‘Thrive For Five.’ This campaign directly encourages the charity’s supporters to set themselves weekly goals and challenges in order to build up their ability over a number of weeks to run a 5k. 

The ‘Thrive For Five’ campaign is framed around the concept of 8 weekly challenges where Fundraising Manager, Tracy Watt, an ultra-runner herself, will release encouraging and motivating videos setting out the fitness guidelines of the week – this will enable the campaign to be inclusive, accessible, and welcoming to participants of all fitness levels. 

Tracy Watt, Fundraising Manager said; “We know that now an end to lockdown is in sight, many people may be feeling uneasy at the changes taking place, or lacking in confidence at leaving the house.

“So we wanted to create a challenge that is inclusive and encouraging to Thrive For Five! Our hope through the campaign is to get our supporters out the door moving again and feeling happier, healthier and aiming to complete their virtual 5k with the Edinburgh Marathon Festival at the end of May.”

Fitness-focused campaigns can be a daunting challenge for some, so Held In Our Hearts notes that it is critical for this type of campaign to express to participants that everyone begins their fitness journey at different starting points, with different goals.

The main focus is that participants challenge themselves and thrive towards a new goal which will help manage some of the anxieties we are all feeling coming out of lockdown. 

The ‘Thrive For Five’ campaign also offers the participants practical training to participate in the upcoming virtual Edinburgh Marathon Festival (EMF) – a challenge which subsequently supports Held In Our Hearts through vital fundraising. 

Fundraising through the Edinburgh Marathon Festival is vital in constructing community bonds, developing connections, and is critical for generating income to ensure the charity can continue its services for bereaved families. 

Held In Our Hearts have continued to run a full service to bereaved families throughout the crisis, and have seen a successful adaptation to the shifted landscape of support services directly linked to the current pandemic and various restrictions and regulations.

Held in Our Hearts charity marks Baby Loss Awareness Week

October 9-15th is a very important week in the work of Held In Our Hearts. This is Baby Loss Awareness Week #BLAW and every day the charity will be sharing stories/ videos and podcasts of families and their own experience of loss.

From the workplace to home the families will share about how they have been supported by the charity and how you can get involved. The event will end on 15th at 7pm with a wave of light that will be shared by many.

You can get involved by sharing  as much as you can.

14 babies a day die in the UK and as a charity we want to make sure that all families get support. Charities have been adversely affected by the pandemic but we want to make sure that no one sits in silence.

Baby loss charity’s community keep connected through virtual running

Local charity Held In Our Hearts has seen success through a series of virtual challenges through April and May to keep their community connected and raise essential funds for their work.

The charity has always had a groundswell of supporters who are keen runners, as part of Team Held In Our Hearts, and they wanted to find a way for them to stay connected as a community throughout the lockdown.

Through the month of May the challenge was #MayTheKBeWithYou for supporters to continue to get out, with the aim of completing a longer distance over the Edinburgh Marathon Festival (EMF) weekend.

The charity has now launched a new June challenge, #TheKTeam, asking supporters to see how many ‘K’ they can do and how far round the world that would be.

During what would have been the EMF weekend, 102 runners put on their charity vests, doing virtual runs in their local community, completing 1ks, 5ks, 10ks and even a marathon relay team of 4 (who ran separately at different times). In the process, they raised a wonderful £4357 over the month.

The events started on Friday morning at 6am as two supporters Stephanie and Anita were working. They braved a wet and windy early start as they wanted to make sure they could be part of something very special. A mother in law and daughter in law duo determined not to let work get in the way of their support of the charity.

Anita Baggs said about starting this special weekend with her virtual run: “On Friday morning at 6am I felt extremely proud, lucky and privileged to be starting the Virtual EMF for Held in our Hearts charity. 

“Although, it was raining and at times gale force winds it didn’t put a damper on my face!  It is such a worthwhile charity to be involved with as it supports so many people.”

Many of the participants were bereaved families who took part to remember their baby. There were also friends and family who cheered on from their garden as supporters went past on their solo runs. All the runners, walkers and cyclists continued until Sunday where they met up at the virtual tent via Zoom to celebrate the success of a great weekend.

Nicola Welsh, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Since the lockdown, we have provided over 339 hours of face to face (online) support to families individually, in couples and in groups, 126 phone calls, 873 emails and texts, which is a huge increase on what we would normally provide.

“Our team is working harder than ever to meet that increased need and is never more needed, as we are only beginning to see the traumatic impact of this crisis on families, especially those families that have experienced a loss during lockdown.

“These challenges have been such a positive way for people not only to raise awareness, but also to give a small, but much appreciated donation for our work.”

The funds that this is raising will go towards helping parents like Scott and Katy, who has been receiving support before and now during the lockdown:

“We lost our wee baby girl just before Christmas. We first met our befriender Tracy at Held in Our Hearts a few weeks before lockdown.

“Tracy was empathetic and present from the off and we felt comfortable enough in that first session to talk openly about our loss in a way that hadn’t been possible before.

“Held In Our Hearts have continued to be present for us since the lockdown, by email and most crucially over Zoom. We speak to Tracy regularly and she has been so available for us. Sometimes we talk in a light hearted way, but that connection is really important and it often opens the vital wee space we need to talk through our feelings about our grief and what it means for our future.

“While there is no replacement for being present in a room with someone, the fact that Held In Our Hearts are continuing to connect with us, and people like us, is invaluable … Held in Our Hearts have helped us feel so much less alone in our situation, and have helped us understand the feelings of failure and individual culpability that can be torturous at this time … We are very grateful for their continuing support, and that they are out there supporting other families at this time.”

Tracy Watt, Fundraising Manager, says of the current situation: “Like many charities, we have seen our income streams hugely affected by the Covid-19 crisis with many spring and summer sports and challenge events cancelled.

We wanted to create challenges that would bring our community together, giving a focus and helping boost their mental health, while we all remain in lockdown. Our next challenge for June, #TheKTeam is available to anyone, any age and any fitness and we are so grateful for everyone that has got involved so far and help provide much needed funds for us to continue supporting bereaved parents, like Scott and Katy, in the community.”

In order to take part, the charity is asking for a £5 donation and people can also encourage others to donate in support of their challenge.

If people prefer they can also just text KTEAM to 70085 where they can donate £5 to help our work.