Paul and Meghan Godsman will take part in bp’s Coast 2 Coast cycle in aid of Simpsons Special Care Babies in Edinburgh
A couple whose baby son was born nine weeks early are to take part in a Scottish cycling challenge to raise money for the charity which supported them after his premature arrival.
Paul and Meghan Godsman, whose baby Blake, was born in May 2024, will be part of a 70 strong peloton for the bp Coast 2 Coast cycle in support of Simpsons Special Care Babies at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE).
Paul, an offshore wind engineer at bp, based in Edinburgh, has completed the annual cycle twice before but Meghan is cycling for the first time. He said: “Although I’ve completed Coast 2 Coast a couple of times prior and seen the incredible amounts of money raised for charity,
I’ve never had that personal connection with the charity before but this year I’ll be cycling in a totally different headspace.”
Meghan added: “When I first went into labour, Paul was with two members of the bp Coast 2 Coast committee cycling in Inverness so it seems fitting that we will now cycle together with Paul’s colleagues to help raise funds for the charity that saved Blake’s life.”
After Blake was born, he was admitted to the Simpson Neonatal Unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where he stayed for nine weeks. Facilities available in the unit meant the couple could also stay there for four weeks, allowing them to be close to their son whilst he was in a critical condition.
The Neonatal Unit is supported by Simpsons Special Care Babies (SSCB), a charity that exists to enhance the support and advice provided by the NHS to families of babies admitted to the unit from across the country.
Paul explained how critical SSCB’s support was for them as parents, as well as crediting bp with allowing him to have extended neonatal care leave while Blake was in hospital: “As much as the neonatal unit is there to care for the babies, there is a huge support need for parents who are navigating this terrifying experience,” he said.
“We were so grateful to stay in one of two parent rooms on the neonatal ward for the first four weeks of Blake’s life when we really needed it. It meant we could wake up and walk along the corridor to be beside him.
“If we’d been driving home to Linlithgow every night, we’d have been an hour away from the hospital should anything happen. That would have put an even bigger strain on us.
“Our goal is to raise money to help the unit improve its support for parents, refurbish family rooms and facilities and buy specialist equipment.
“I was also extremely grateful to my employer bp, which allowed me to have extended leave so I could be with my wife and son while he was being cared for in hospital.”
One in seven babies born in the UK are admitted to a neonatal unit each year due to being born prematurely (before 37 weeks) or full term (after 37 weeks) but requiring specialist lifesaving support.
Meghan explained how the couple’s experience has changed their outlook and inspired them to support the charity that helped them: “We were naive to the reality of what it felt like to have a baby in the neonatal unit and we were shocked to learn how common this is for families.
“Before Blake was born, we hadn’t realised there are only three centres of excellence in Scotland for babies requiring complex specialist care and people from across the country must travel to come to these centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen.
“Now that Blake is out of hospital and doing well, we want to support the charity that gave him life and make sure other parents who find themselves in a similar position can receive the same support we did and go on to experience parenthood like we are now.”
The 234-mile cycle will take place over three days from 6 June 2025. The endurance challenge, now in its 16th year, has raised more than £2million pounds for charity.
The cycle which will pass through Aberfeldy, Grantown on Spey and the Lecht this June will raise funds for four charities including Russell Anderson Foundation, the Teddy Bear Development Playgroup and Murtle Market by Camphill School, as well as Simpsons Special Care Babies.
The challenge is open to cyclists of all abilities with individuals covering their own accommodation and food costs. Each cyclist has a fundraising target of £1,000 and the total fundraising is split between the four charities.
The group is mainly made up of bp employees as well as bp alumni, representatives from the chosen charities and local organisations. Any money raised by bp employees will be matched by the bp Foundation – doubling the value of their contributions.
Emma Coffey, trustee at Simpsons Special Care Babies, said: “We can’t thank Paul and Meghan and the Coast 2 Coast team enough for selecting SSCB as one of the charities to benefit from this year’s fundraising. It’s thanks to supporters like them that our specialised staff can continue to provide care for the 750 families who attend the neonatal unit each year.
“Voluntary donations and fundraising are crucial for SSCB and this donation will help us purchase new specialist equipment such as the latest video laryngoscopes, which allow our staff to better visualise the airways of extremely small babies when inserting breathing tubes. This improves time, comfort and safety and ultimately helps save lives.
“We wish all the riders the best of luck and look forward to hearing how they get on.”
To sponsor one of the four Coast 2 Coast charities, you can select your preferred cause and click the link below: