A Plymouth couple who lost their daughter last year have dedicated themselves to a fantastic fundraising effort for Derriford’s Snowdrop Suite, the special area of maternity set aside for bereaved parents.
Kate and Paul Vincent’s daughter Ayla was still born in August 2020, just seven weeks before she was due to be born.
Kate, who is a nurse at Derriford, said:
“We received so much fantastic help and we wanted to find a way to pay it forward. We wanted to give something back to somebody else in a similar situation so we worked out how much we needed to raise, but then it just exploded. People were so generous.”
Kate and Paul have so far raised nearly £7000 allowing them to make donations to organisations which gave them the extra support they needed when Ayla was born.
So far, they have been able to donate to organisations including Aching Arms, Remember My Baby and the Plymouth-based charities Pregnancy Crisis Care, Luna’s Fund and Little things & Co, as well as to the Snowdrop Suite at Derriford Hospital.
The Snowdrop Suite has received, among other things, a new sofa bed for partners to stay over, a coffee machine and a new television.
The new sofa bed will allow partners to be able to sleep more comfortably for the length of their stay in hospital. Care packages were also donated which included toiletries for partners and activity packs for siblings. The coffee machine will allow parents to have a hot drink without having to cross the maternity department and encounter new parents and babies, something both Kate and Paul found upsetting during their difficult time.
Another important part of the donation has been the Heart in their Hand keychains.
“The keychain is really special as it provides us with a tangible connection with Ayla,” said Kate.
“We were able to take her picture whilst she was holding the heart and then keep the heart to remember her by.
“You have to make your memories in those moments you have together, and this is something that helps.”
The idea to start fundraising came to the couple when, paid for by Luna’s Fund, they were able to take a short holiday on what was Ayla’s due date.
“We decided that Ayla’s life couldn’t be for nothing,” added Kate. Their fundraising efforts are not over yet and they are determined to keep supporting those who helped them.
Kate and Paul have shared their fundraising journey through their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aylarevevincent and Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/ crowdfunding/aylarevevincent
