A MUM who has worked tirelessly over the past 10 years to raise awareness of stillbirth has been recognised by the charity which supports bereaved parents.

Annika Dowson and her husband James, who live in Helmsley with their son Nathaniel, aged seven, started campaigning after the couple’s daughter, Gypsy, was stillborn in 2008.

Annika has now been recognised for her fundraising work by SANDS, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, with an award for her dedication to improving bereavement care for parents.

She said: “When your child dies, you can’t think about the next five minutes, hours, days or even weeks after that happens but, in time, we simply wanted to give back to those who helped us when we needed it and that was the staff at

Scarborough Hospital.”

In 2013 the couple were asked by Maya Richardson, the fundraising officer at Scarborough Hospital, if they would spearhead the Snowdrop Appeal, which was to raise £120,000 to provide a bereavement suite at the hospital.

Annika said: “We were happy to do this at a time when we felt able to share our and Gypsy’s story. It was an honour to be able to announce at the Snowball in 2014 that the money had been raised and plans would soon be on the way for the

Snowdrop Suite.

“In those months, from the launch of the appeal to the end, as a family we organised and took part in the Lyke Wake Walk, the Breaking The Silence Nude calendar, numerous fundraising fairs and the Snowball.

“While doing these we made so many friends, who we will have for life. We have heard how other parents have gone through what we have, or similar, and have now felt able to talk about their children and experiences, something that some have kept to themselves for a long, long time.”

As part of her campaigning Annika was awarded the Fundraiser of the Year at the York Hospital Teaching Trust Awards, and appeared on the BBC Victoria Derbyshire show, alongside MP Antionette Sandbach, the CEO of Sands, to discuss child loss and how things needed to change, following which, an All Party Parliamentary Group on child loss was set up.

They also received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award in 2016.

Annika said: “Gypsy’s 10th anniversary was this year and, crazily, I wanted to recognise this by raising £10,000 towards bereavement services at York Hospital and the dedicated SANDS room. We started the year with the Big Balloon Pop, which was by far, the best event ever. So many different people came to that event, everyone enjoyed it, even with the loud bangs, but one conversation stood out.

“A lady who had followed and supported our work since that first walk, opened up and told me about her grandchild. Something she had held on to and been unable to voice and here, she was able to find that voice and to speak. These years of campaigning haven’t just been to raise money but to break the silence and taboo around child loss.”

Annika added: “James and I have been on a long journey and are thankful to everyone who has supported us, joining in the walks, coming to our fairs, taking their clothes off, blowing up balloons or simply been there for us when we needed a shoulder. There have been many many people that have made this legacy to Gypsy possible and we will be eternally thankful.”