13 Days. 13 Conversations. 13 Miles a Day!

13 days. 13 conversations. 13 miles a day.

From 22 August I'm walking 13 miles a day for 13 days, and on each of those days I'm sitting down with a different man to talk about the baby he lost.

That's 169 miles and 13 conversations. The miles are the easy part.

I'm an ambassador for Sands United FC Nottingham, a football club made up of dads and family members who've been through baby loss. Being around these men changed how I think about all of this. They talk. They turn up for each other. They kick a ball about and, somewhere in that, they find a way to carry something unbearable.

Every conversation will be recorded and shared on our social channels through the challenge. No script, no polish. Just a bloke introducing his baby, telling his story his way, and saying what he'd want someone in the same place to hear.

Here's why I'm really doing it.

Since I started talking openly about baby loss, people close to me have told me they've lost babies too. People I've known for years. I had no idea. Not because they were hiding it, but because nobody had ever made it feel like an okay thing to say out loud.

That's the whole point of this. Thirteen conversations that make it a bit easier for the next person to speak.

I'm fundraising in aid of Sands, for every much-loved baby sadly not here today.

Sands ensure that everyone affected by the loss of a baby gets the support they need and deserve when facing the toughest of times. They campaign for change, provide training for midwives and healthcare professionals, and support research so that fewer babies die and so that fewer families experience the tragedy of losing their baby.

I'm aiming to raise £250. Anything you're able to give means so much, and if you can't donate, please follow the conversations and share one. Getting these stories in front of someone who needs them is worth just as much.

Thank you.