The family and friends of a St Helens bereaved mum are making a 160ft plunge to raise funds for a support group of which she was a founder member.
Claire Waring, an assistant at Top Shop in St Helens Church Square Shopping Centre, helps run the Baby Loss Foundation with her friend Katy Quinn, to raise money for a new scanner at Whiston Hospital and help other parents facing the tragedy of the death of a child.
Both mums had suffered the pain of losing a baby – Claire and her fiancée Kieran Revill lost their son Charlie to spina bifida, 25 weeks into the pregnancy, in June 2012, while Katy has experienced three stillbirths.
On March 16, St Helens 27-year-old Kieran will be joined by his best man Kevin Fanning, also 27, who works with him at Morrison’s in Baxter Lane, St Helens, in a four-strong team making a 160ft bungee jump at Salford Quays.
The third team member is Tesco worker Luke Cartwright, 27, who is engaged to Claire’s 24-year-old sister Maygen – he is doing the jump in memory of the baby the couple lost in April last year. Maygen, from Blackbrook, who is expecting another child this July, will be stood watching the event with their daughter Lily.
The final person making the charity plunge is Kimberley Joyce from Parr, who gave birth in January 2013 to a full term baby boy, Isaac, who sadly died due problems during the delivery.
Claire and Kieran first met at St Augustine’s School in Blackbrook when they were teenagers and plan to marry in summer 2015. Claire said: “Losing a baby makes you feel helpless. It’s tough on your relationship and it’s hard to support your partner as your own world is crumbling too. We wanted to raise money for Whiston Hospital because Kieran and I have sat among happy pregnant couples in the antenatal clinic and know how horrifying the experience is.
“It’s up to us to help make the change and we know from very personal experience that it will make a real difference.
“Customers and my colleagues at Top Shop and staff at other stores in Church Square Shopping Centre have been very supportive, and they have been very generous in backing my fund-raising for the scanner at Whiston Hospital.
“This is to buy a scanner for Whiston Hospital so that parents experiencing baby loss don’t have to be scanned in the clinic alongside people enjoying healthy pregnancies.”
Church Square Shopping Centre Manager Steven Brogan sent his good wishes to the four making the bungee jump. He said: “As a dad myself, I admire Claire and Katy for setting up such a group at a time when they are dealing with personal tragedy.
“I know that our customers are very generous, and I hope they are able to back this campaign by the Baby Loss Foundation and help raise the funds for the new scanner.”
Kim, 24, said she was looking forward to making the bungee jump. She added: “Since losing Isaac I’ve really changed, I never would have considered doing this kind of thing before but now the scariest thing in my life has already happened to me so I have nothing to fear by jumping off the platform – though I’m not saying I won’t be a bit scared when I take the plunge, it’s all for a very good cause and one I truly believe in.”
Katy, former corporate communications manager for Bury Council, has a son and a daughter but lost twins Hope and Faith in 2006 and her son Andrew last year.
She added: “One in four pregnancies ends in stillbirth or miscarriage. I set up the charity, because while you can’t stop people losing babies, all you can try and do is make the process easier.”
The group is also organising another fund-raiser in June, a summer gala dinner and raffle at Leigh Golf Club in Culcheth.
Donations can be made at www.goldengiving.com/fundraising/BabyLossFoundationBungee
