“I feel that I can say thank you for getting us through the worst time of our lives.”

Sarah Lister simply cannot express how the support of baby loss charity SPRING helped her and partner Steve through the devastating loss of their much-wanted baby, Fraser.

But, by organising a family race day at Upton Country Park in aid of the organisation, she hopes to raise not only awareness, but also vital funding, so SPRING can support other families like hers.

Sarah and Steve’s lives were turned upside down on August 1, 2013, when their son was stillborn.

Following a textbook pregnancy Sarah, then 41, was taken for a Cesarean section at Poole Hospital when her labour stopped progressing.

But, despite having a strong heartbeat immediately before the operation, Fraser did not survive the birth.

“We saw his feet and we heard this little gasp,” remembers Sarah, who lives in Christchurch.

“We thought that was him about to cry, but they whisked him off. That was the first point when we thought something was not okay.”

Doctors could not resuscitate Fraser and a post mortem later found he had been born with an unrecognised condition where the bones in his skull had not developed properly, meaning the pressure of the birth had caused fatal head injuries.

Sarah and Steve were able to stay in a special suite, called the SPRING suite, which is a private room away from the main maternity wards, part-funded by SPRING, where they could also keep Fraser with them, with the help of a temperature mat, also provided by the charity, for a few days.

“We met one of the bereavement midwives who said somebody would be round to see us,” said Sarah.

“The next day we met Julie White. I don’t know how we would have got through this without her.

“She genuinely became our lifeline, which you can’t underestimate. I connected with her straight away. She was really warm and friendly.”

Julie literally held Sarah and Steve’s hands through their grief, organising professional photos to be taken of Fraser, and arranging for the hospital chaplain to talk to them about his funeral.

“She just told it how it was. If things were difficult, or we needed to expect things to be difficult, she didn’t shy away from telling us that,” said Sarah.

“She was really honest with us. She just talked us through every single step of the way and prepared us for how we would feel at every step, which you can’t underestimate.”

Julie continued to support Sarah and Steve once they had returned home, urging them to focus on one or two activities every day, whether it was to do with Fraser’s funeral, or arranging a phone call to a friend.

“SPRING does give you a different perspective on things,” explained Sarah.

“Some of the coping mechanisms that they give you we will use for life. Our lives did fall apart for a long period of time. You can see how that can overwhelm the rest of your life. I remember saying I couldn’t see a way through this, I couldn’t see myself being happy again.

“SPRING showed you that there was a way through it.” Sarah and Steve, who are both keen runners, decided to run a local 10k to raise awareness for SPRING, as they had been so blown away by the support they received.

Friends and family wanted to join them and, eventually, a team of 13 completed the event, wearing SPRING t-shirts, to raise £8,500 for the charity in Fraser’s memory.

“I remember finishing the race and smiling,” said Sarah.

“That was probably the turning point. I thought ‘I shouldn’t be smiling’. But the fact that all these people had come together for Fraser it was really mind blowing. I did genuinely think ‘we can do this’.

“Hearing our son’s name made us realise what a legacy he had left.”

Sarah knew at that point that she wanted to continue fundraising, and decided to organise her own run.

The Family Race Day, in aid of SPRING, is taking place at Upton Country Park on May 17, with events for children, beginners and for families to enjoy together, as well as something for more serious runners, including a 10k and 5k race, a 1.5k fun run, plus a segways area, face painting and a bouncy castle.

She is hoping more than 200 runners will take part on the day, which is sponsored by Nationwide Building Society and supported by Asda, Active Therapy South and Purple HR, to raise awareness and funds for SPRING.

“It’s not me doing a challenge and expecting people to give me money, it’s something where you can raise the profile of SPRING directly and indirectly,” she said.

“The whole thing about SPRING is about family doing things together so it’s representing what SPRING is all about.”

  • The Family Race Day takes place at Upton Country Park on May 17. Closing date for entries is May 1. To find out more, visit racedayforspring.co.uk, Facebook/racedayfor spring, or springsupport.org.uk