Alloy Wire International has made its seventh donation of the ‘Wired for Good’ campaign, providing a charity that is committed to saving babies lives and supporting bereaved parents with £5000.
The Black Country manufacturer of round, flat and profile wire has now spent £35,000 on backing local charities and causes close to their employees’ hearts and this latest funding boost was made after several workers wanted to pledge their support to Sands.
With 13 babies a day stillborn or dying within four weeks of birth in the UK, the need for the charity has never been greater and the financial assistance will be used to support all of its work, including the operating costs of its free helpline, face-to-face bereavement support groups, working with healthcare professionals and cutting-edge research that will save more babies’ lives.
“Unfortunately, everyone knows someone who has been affected by miscarriage and baby loss, and that is why the work Sands does is so important,” commented Adam Shaw, Financial Director of Alloy Wire International.
“There are a lot of parents at AWI, and we never want to imagine the thought of coming to terms with losing any of our children. However, we also acknowledge that if this tragic situation ever happens, the right bereavement care and support needs to be in place.
“Several members of our team put this charity forward, so we are pleased to back their idea as part of our ‘Wired for Good’ campaign, which is leaving a positive legacy for our 75th anniversary celebrations that took place in 2021.”
Sands helps anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby, with 91,500 people helped throughout its bereavement support services in 2022 alone.
This support was provided through helpline calls and emails, GriefChat, being a member of the Facebook support group and Sands’ own online community.
In addition, nearly 2000 memory boxes and 11,134 bereavement support books have been supplied to hospitals and community services across the UK.
Currently, far too many babies die without scientists, doctors, midwives, or their own parents understanding why. That is why Sands supports research to discover how to save babies’ lives and uses that evidence to drive improvements in maternity safety.
The charity also leads Baby Loss Awareness Week, which runs between 9th and 15th October.
Saranne Moreno, Partnership Development Lead at Sands, said: “Receiving financial support from businesses like Alloy Wire International is so important to our charity, especially post-Covid when the financial landscape is extremely complex.
“Every penny of AWI’s £5000 donation will be used to support the work that we do, whether that’s paying for a half day face-to-face bereavement care workshop and training a new befriender to offer peer support to providing a bereaved family with a memory box to help create and keep safe precious memories of their baby.”
To celebrate its 75th year in business in 2021, AWI launched its ‘Wired for Good’ campaign, which aims to donate vital funds to local community groups and charities that are making a difference on the ground.
So far, the Brierley Hill-based company has supported Mary Stevens Hospice, the Chris Westwood Charity for Children with Physical Disabilities, the Giving Hands Mission, Acorns Children’s Hospice, Santa’s Black Country Toy Appeal and Tough Enough to Care.
For further information about Sands, please visit www.sands.org.uk
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