HUNDREDS of pounds have been raised at a sponsored walk in memory of a Darlington baby who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
The event, in South Park, was organised by Stephanie Stoker who lost her son Leo to SIDS in October last year.
Leo would have turned one on Friday and Mrs Stoker led the walk on Sunday in memory of him and to raise money for The Lullaby Trust which offers support for bereaved families.
As well as cakes and games, children’s favourite Peppa Pig joined in the event which Mrs Stoker said was a huge success.
She said: “It was absolutely amazing.
“We raised around £600 in total, which I am over the moon with.
“It was a happy occasion; we let balloons off for Leo and one of my friends said a speech in his memory.
“But it was all about the kids playing games, full of fun and laughter; it was amazing.”
Mrs Stoker was moved to raise money for The Lullaby Trust after getting to know their services first hand.
Her family was left devastated by the loss of Leo who died aged just six-weeks-old at Darlington Memorial Hospital.
An autopsy confirmed that he had been a healthy baby but had fallen victim to SIDS – also known as cot death.
Mrs Stoker would like more researched to be conducted into the syndrome which at the moment cannot be attributed to any single factor.
It is more common in premature and underweight babies and usually happens in the first six months of pregnancy, but to date no specific reason for SIDS has been identified by medics.
The Lullaby Trust offers specialist support and advice to families affected by SIDS and has been funding research into the syndrome since 1971.
To date, The Trust has spent over £11 million on over 265 research projects to identify the mechanisms and risk factors to SIDS.
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