A baby loss charity that has supported over 1,000 families across Nottingham says they will be forced to close if they don't find enough funding. SiMBA says it will have to close its doors in three months if they cannot raise £50,000.
The charity, which supports bereaved parents during baby loss, was established in 2005. They have supported more than 50,000 individuals and families across the UK and Ireland providing them with invaluable support during their critical time of loss.
SiMBA works with hospitals including Nottingham University Hospital and Queen’s Medical Centre. The combination of a surge in requests for Memory Boxes from hospitals across the UK in 2022, a significant shortfall in expected fundraising income, and soaring costs of producing, distributing, and donating them, has left the charity running desperately low on funds.
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John Webb and his partner Kate Lowery from Nottingham were helped by SiMBA after the deaths of their three babies between 2020 and 2022. John said: “Over the births, and deaths, of our three children, we found the memory boxes vital in our support. Although you leave hospital without your baby, you do get to leave with some memories and keepsakes that you can treasure. The emotional impact of having something tangible is hard to put into words.
“Without the work of SiMBA, we would have left the hospital empty-handed, and with no support to start thinking about what memories you can make in hospital. We’re so grateful for their work.”
Despite an urgent appeal at the start of last December SiMBA still needs to raise £50,000 to keep its operation going. Sara Fitzsimmons, Chief Executive and co-founder of SiMBA, said: “Our wonderful charity, so appreciated and loved by the thousands of families who have received our support over the years, is now in trouble.
“Our costs have increased faster than ever before, while at the same time we’ve seen a huge growth in requests for our precious Memory Boxes from families and healthcare professionals in maternity and neonatal wards across the UK. As a result, we are devastated to say that we could face closing our operation unless we receive vital funds by the end of March 2023.
“So, we are making an unprecedented appeal to the public, organisations, and businesses to help us through donations; fundraising; sharing our story, or in whatever way they can, so we survive this critical period and continue to support bereaved families when they need us most."
Memory Boxes contain items such as clay imprint kits; birth acknowledgement certificates; a letter from another parent who has also experienced child loss, and items knitted by volunteers such as teddies and blankets.
The charity has already undertaken cost-cutting measures, including reduced hours and salaries. To donate to #SaveSiMBA or to find out other ways you can help support the charity, please visit simbacharity.org.uk today.
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