‘Buggy push’ event to raise funds for premature baby charity

Bradley Stoke is once again looking forward to its annual Bliss Buggy Push event, where parents take buggies and prams out on a walk through the town in order to raise money for babies born prematurely.

The event was started off in this area for the first time last year by Kerry Robinson, mum of two. Kerry’s inspiration for drawing attention to Bliss came from her birth experience with daughter Amber, who was born prematurely but is now very happy and healthy. Kerry says she received support from the charity, which included a pack and lots of helpful information, and she wanted to raise money for Bliss because “it is the UK charity working to provide the best possible care and support for premature babies and their families.” One in nine babies in the UK is born either prematurely or sick, and the care they receive after birth is vital. Bliss provides advice and support to families in need of such care through its helplines and community groups.

For last year’s event, Kerry created publicity through Facebook, the Bristol Post and BBC Radio Bristol. She says she was “amazed at the response”, which exceeded her expectations as she managed to raise over £5,000. Kerry suggested that having collection tins in shops might be another option for raising money, but with so many charities to choose from, she realises that raising awareness of what Bliss does is a vital step.

The buggy push walk is a sponsored 5km walk through Bradley Stoke and the nature reserve on Saturday 29th June at 10am, leaving from the Brook Way Activity Centre.

There is a cake sale and picnic afterwards from 11am to 1pm, also at the Brook Way Activity Centre.

People are welcome to join the walk without buggies too. For more information, please see the Facebook page ‘Bliss Buggy Push Bristol’ or e-mail Kerry at kerryrobinson AT hotmail.co.uk. For online donations to the charity, please visit www.justgiving.com/teams/blissbuggypushbristol.

This article originally appeared in the June edition of the Bradley Stoke Journal magazine, delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to all homes in Bradley Stoke.