Meet Thomas who is running in memory of his father Piers  

My dad, Piers Vimpany, worked for Sands for many years. In September 2023, he passed away suddenly while on holiday, aged 55, devastating everyone around him.  

Dad was a loving father and a great friend to many. He was always a laugh to be around, always cracking a joke and very passionate about the things he loved and enjoyed, and he is still so sorely missed. I wish to honour his memory by raising money for Sands, a charity he was passionate about and one he loved working for dearly, and to support all the parents and families who Sands help.  

I still remember going to watch the marathon with him and seeing the passion that he supported all runners with, especially the ones that were running for Sands. 

 

Meet Bessie who is running in memory of her and her friend’s babies

Unfortunately, we have lost four babies in two years, all before 15 weeks. I am also running for some of my friend’s beautiful babies, who were both born sleeping. 

Sands has been, quite literally, a life-saving charity, not only for me but many others. They have helped me and people around me to navigate the world around baby loss, so the least that I can do is to raise a bit of money to keep the support they offer going. 

 

Meet Kate who is running in memory of her daughter Darcy  

In June 2013 my world was shattered when my beautiful daughter, Darcy was stillborn when I was 38 weeks pregnant.  

In the weeks, months and years after Darcy died, I was supported by Sands, and I’ve been involved ever since.  Following Darcy’s death when I was heartbroken, lonely and scared I attended Sands weekly support meetings with other bereaved parents. These meetings were a place that I felt understood and accepted as I grieved for my daughter.  

 I’ve gone on to complete the Sands Befriender training to support other parents. I’ve also held several charity events to raise money for Derby Sands, and I‘ve raised over £16,000 for them since Darcy died. Derby Sands supported me through my darkest days, and I will forever be grateful to them. 

I still miss Darcy as much today as I did in the first few months after she died. I long for the mother and daughter experiences that we will never share, and every happy moment is tinged with an element of sadness as someone is missing.  

I will complete the London Marathon in memory of my beautiful daughter whilst raising money for this incredible charity. 

 

Meet Jordan who is running in memory of his son Jacob

For me doing physical challenges in honour of Jacob are massive and one of the ways I express my love for him. That’s why I’m doing the London Marathon. It will be my first official marathon which is exciting.  

As a grieving parent of a stillborn baby, you're almost taught to avoid talking about them and bringing their name up in day-to-day life, but running in their name is the total opposite of that, and that’s very important. 

To be able to say Jacob’s name loudly and proudly and for other people to be able to see it on my running vest, is really, really special. I absolutely love wearing Jacob’s name. When I run with his name on me it almost feels like a bit of a superhero cape and like he’s giving me power, strength and a bit of help.  

Running the London Marathon for Sands also feels special because it feels like I’m running for a whole community of people who have gone through pregnancy and baby loss.

 

Meet Saira who is running in memory of her baby  

I lost my baby in 2018, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. The pain, the heartache, the sense of loss and the countless ‘what ifs’ still stand with me. It broke me. At the time, my loss affected my mental health deeply. After seeking counselling and support for over a year, which was a very difficult thing for me to do, this helped me through the darkest time of my life and I healed somewhat.  

I’m running the marathon in memory of my baby.  I started running whilst I was silently struggling. It helped me clear my thoughts and made me feel refreshed. I would often run to the cemetery to visit my baby’s grave. Although I will never forget my baby or the pain I endured, I feel I am at some peace now.  

For a long time, I wasn’t aware that support groups like Sands were available and I felt like I dealt with each hurdle, challenge and emotion, often alone. Being Asian, I feel in our community it is difficult to start a conversation, to understand and ask questions, and to know that the right help and support is available. 

I hope to raise more awareness for Sands by speaking about my fundraising, and I hope to break the stigma around baby loss in our community as it’s often not spoken about.  

I hope in turn this will lead to people talking and starting the conversation in different and diverse communities.  

 

Meet Amy and Chris who are running together in memory of their friend's babies 

Amy: Two of my close friends have suffered the loss of their children at quite late stages in their pregnancy. Sands was, on both occasions, such a great support to the parents during such a tragic and emotionally difficult time. 

Chris: Sands is very close to mine and Amy’s hearts. The charity was - you were such a great support to some close friends of ours who lost their daughters. Both personally and through our business, we have donated a good few thousand pounds to support Sands’ amazing work. Having also suffered from miscarriages, my wife and I with three healthy and happy young children, love to do what we can to give back. 

 

Meet Liam who is running in memory of his nephew Jaxx-Jay and who is a member of Sands United Grimsby and Cleethorpes FC team 

I lost my nephew, Jaxx-Jay, when he was one day old. There were no issues during pregnancy, however when he was born, he was not breathing. After 20 minutes, he was able to breathe but 37 hours later, he grew his wings. This knocked myself and my family and my mental health has been an issue since. I play for the Sands United Grimsby and Cleethorpes football team, and this has been a great support for myself. I think Sands is an amazing charity. 

 

Meet Chester who is running in memory of his son Archie 

In October 2022, my wife Fliss who was three days overdue at the time, was rushed to hospital having suffered a placental abruption. Once in the labour ward, she received the worse news, that our baby boy Archie’s heart had stopped beating and he had died.  

Losing your baby is the worst thing imaginable but to make matters more tragically complicated, at the time of Archie’s death, I was in hospital myself having suffered a traumatic brain injury. I was a professional jockey and in September 2022, I had a fall whilst riding.  

Every day that I was in hospital, Fliss in the late stages of her pregnancy and Archie, were beside me helping me to get better. Fliss was desperate for me to be well enough to be present for Archie’s birth, my first child.  

Grief journeys are complicated and everyone is different. Because I wasn’t there in the latter stages of Fliss’ pregnancy and not present the awful night he died, I struggled to process the information for a long time. The chance to spend time with and hold Archie was stolen from me as I was simply unable to cope at that time.  

At the most difficult juncture in Fliss’ life, I couldn’t be there, but Sands were always present for Fliss, providing the support and understanding community that she needed, and our local Sands support group has been a great outlet for her. 

In January 2025 our perfect little girl, Ada, was born. Seeing her grow every day makes me realise what we missed with Archie and I miss him now more than ever.  

I’ve had my own personal battle, but I feel ready and want to run the marathon to make Ada and Fliss proud of me, but especially Archie. As I train, my connection with Archie grows and strengthens, giving me the uninterrupted time to think about him and how chaotic life with him and Ada would be! 

 

Meet Niamh who is running in memory of her nephew Jacob 

Running the London Marathon for Sands is my way of shining a light on the wider impact of baby loss, including on the family and friends who want to support someone. 

Sands supported my brother Jordan during one of the darkest periods of his life. Now I want to give something back, because support services like Sands are vital. I've done some of my training for the marathon with Jordan, and on my hardest training days I remind myself why I started this challenge. It’s been a huge motivator to know that I'm doing this not just for my family, but to help other families as well. It's a way of raising awareness so family or friends who know someone going through baby loss can tell them about Sands and the support that's available. 

I’m excited to wear Jacob’s name on my running vest on race day to show that every mile I run is for my nephew, but I’m also running for Jordan and for my mum and grandma whose first-born sons were both stillborn too. For me this isn’t just a marathon; it’s a promise to keep talking about baby loss and to break the silence around it so that no other family feels they have to go through it alone.