Hannah Laidler, 30, and Liam Hargrave, 30, from Lincoln, sadly experienced the stillbirth of their baby girl, Ayla Frankie, in March this year at just over 40 weeks into their pregnancy.
In honour of Ayla, her family are cycling 310 miles, from Helensburgh, Scotland to Lincoln County Hospital maternity unit. Ayla’s Dad and her three uncles will be making the epic journey, from Thursday 24 September to Sunday 27 September, to raise money for United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust maternity bereavement services, SANDS and Tommy’s.
Their aim is to raise money to support those services and families going through a traumatic experience whilst also raising awareness of the support and advice that is available.
Hannah said, “We wanted to do something that will honour Ayla’s memory as well as help any other families who may go through a similar experience. Ayla will always be with us. We want those families to know that they are not alone and they can access help and support when they need it most.
“We also want to raise awareness and break the silence around baby loss, trying to make it less of a taboo/isolated subject, so other bereaved parents feel able to talk about their babies openly, and give friends/family members the confidence to ask questions and communicate with bereaved parents.
“For those who know of someone who has lost a baby, I urge you to ask them about their baby, don’t feel scared that you might upset them further, please ask all the same questions you would if their baby had lived. This will mean so much to them. Please don’t ignore that it has happened because it is far worse to say nothing at all.
“Ayla weighed 6lb 3oz, had lots of beautiful dark hair like her daddy and was the perfect combination of us both.”
Bereavement Midwife, Rachel Bond said, “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Hannah and Liam for thinking of others in their own time of need and we wish all the riders luck and hope they have a safe journey which is not hampered too much by saddle sores!”
You can donate to their JustGiving page by clicking here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-hargrave300?utm_source=Sharethis&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=ben-hargrave300&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_term=e5d022d048e142ce8325adb2c2c7972b
If you would like to track their progress you can do so on Instagram @cycle_for_ayla