UON students turn sadness to positive action raising nearly £9k for charity

Midwifery students made maximum impact with sport and swanky soirees to support charity appeals, in time for a national awareness campaign.

Now in its 22nd year, Baby Loss Awareness Week is an opportunity to bring people and communities together who have been affected by pregnancy and baby loss.

Netball tournament

One of those committed to a good cause is University of Northampton (UON) Midwifery student Bayleigh Layram-Smith. She is also an avid netball fan and recently combined her personal and professional passions for a good cause.

Bayleigh hosted a netball tournament – her second such event – to raise money for Kettering General Hospital’s (KGH) Twinkling Stars Appeal.

The suite will provide a dedicated bereavement space for people experiencing baby loss, a private, dignified, and comforting environment when they most need it.

Bayleigh’s netball day attracted around 180 people, with 13 teams competing across two pools before play-offs decided the final placings.

Bayleigh’s charity games this year and last summer have ‘netted’ £5,350 for the appeal. She says: “As a student midwife, I have seen first-hand the impact baby loss can have. While we do our utmost to support people, our facilities could be improved. The new bereavement suite will offer privacy and care at a time when it is needed most.

“Hosting this tournament allowed me to combine my love of netball with helping others, and I’m so grateful to everyone who supported it.”

Midwifery Ball

This is the second, recent charity event organised by philanthropic Midwifery students at the University as four of Bayleigh’s peers – Katie Prosser, Sophie Sigsworth, Millie Cannon and Kirsty Burbank – got together to restart an old, fun event.

Traditionally, UON Midwifery students have enjoyed an end-of-course celebratory ball. This has fallen by the wayside since COVID, but thanks to a lightbulb moment from Sophie, the event is back on.

The first of the reinvigorated balls helped them raise over £3,500 for the Twinkling Stars and the Daisy Suite Appeals, a campaign for a baby loss privacy room at Northampton General Hospital (NGH).

Sophie says: “Midwifery is an incredibly rewarding profession; we are kind and passionate about our work, but it isn’t always sunshine and smiles. We meet wonderful people from all walks of life, but sadly, this can also be during grieving periods.

“Baby loss is a highly sensitive subject, and some parents may feel they cannot speak about it or access support. Raising awareness of baby loss can encourage families to get the help they need and feel seen and heard.

“Although the Ball was a time for music and dance, it had a serious element to it as attendees heard a first-hand story of a brave mother who sadly lost her baby daughter. This was an important way to come together and help spotlight the changes needed to enhance care.

Katie adds: “I wanted to become a midwife following having my daughter in 2020, and my midwife was more than I could have ever asked for. She gave me strength, guidance, and courage to enter motherhood, and I will forever be grateful to her for inspiring me to become a midwife.

“All four of us are newly qualified and extremely grateful to the University’s Midwifery team for all they have provided through our student journey, such as the confidence and encouragement to create this event.

“The Ball kept us all busy as we divided the roles, from decorations to sorting the prizes and entertainment, making posters, thank you cards, leaflets, and social media pages. Everything was done from scratch. The night was very successful, it was filled with laughter, joy, and that sense of community and positivity we wanted, so it kept us on course to support the reason we organised it in the first place – families.”

Find out more about Midwifery at University of Northampton.