Adam Lang:
“He always wanted a child. At the 20 week scan we found out Thomas had a condition called Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). From that day Adam was my absolute rock. Adam listened to everything they said, while I didn’t really understand. He talked me through everything and he never gave up, no matter what they said. The midwife came in and said we need to get to the ward immediately. We ran back to the ward and as soon as we walked into the room Thomas passed away. We got to spend the full day with him and night to wash him, kiss him, cuddle him, sing to him and spend some family time together. He truly is the best father and partner me and Thomas could ask for.”
Andrew Dingwall:
“Andrew is amazing Daddy to William, Baby Thomas and George. From the very first meeting with this beautiful family, I have been struck by Andrew’s gentleness. He is able to articulate, with such honesty, his own experiences. He has been such a support to his wife, showing understanding and acceptance of her own feelings and needs. I recently had the honour of supporting Andy and Vicky during the pregnancy, labour and birth as they welcomed their rainbow baby George to the world. I’m not sure I have ever before witnessed such love and dedication.”
Chris Binnie:
“Chris started to help with the charity Our Angels after the loss of his son Henry. Chris is adamant a change is needed in the taboo world of baby loss and uses his voice in a dignified manner. Chris regularly shares his story to a wide audience via his blog ‘Pine cones and study days’ and through his conferences where he addresses healthcare professionals and parents. With his posts he engages his readers and by sharing his son’s story he ensures Henry’s legacy lives on. He is an eloquent and gentle speaker yet with a determined message. He is a voice for men suffering from the loss of a child, and encourages others to share their story. ”
Christian Boyle:
“My husband Chris was there every step of the way to support me. Even though he was dealing with his own grief he was my rock. He must have been terrified too but he was truly there for me in every way. Evie weighed just under 1lb and was so tiny but perfect. I had so many mixed emotions after the birth and didn’t know if I even wanted to hold my baby. It was Chris who encouraged me to do this. In the following months we joined a local support group Sophia Pregnancy Loss Support. Chris has achieved so much for the charity, fundraising, became a trustee, helped to raise awareness of pregnancy loss and how it can affect dads. He ran the London Marathon to raise money for Sophia PLS, raising £4000.”
David Hopkins:
“I’d like to nominate David for Inspirational Father due to his relentless, resounding impact of sharing grief through a father’s eyes since the stillbirth of his sweet boy, Dexter Bear. In such a humbling manner, he strives every day to keep his little boy’s memory alive through sharing the reality of loss – equally sharing and being in awe of the strength of his wife very publicly which, in turn, portrays his strength in a very unique way.”
Peter Goodchild:
“Daddy to Poppy and Rueben, Pete is very publicly navigating life after loss and parenting a rainbow. Poppy was born on the 28th of October, 2016. She passed away just three days later. One sentence that really stuck out for me when reading Pete’s blog was that he said “I just got my shit together, I had to” … it rings so true for many of us who are going through difficult times. He is, without a doubt, an amazingly inspiring father and deserves the recognition of this award.”