Bereaved Bovingdon mum climbs Snowdon in bid to raise awareness for child death charity

A bereaved mum from Dacorum was part of 12-strong team of bereaved women who climbed Snowdon for the charity Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood UK (SUDC UK).

Bovindgon’s Nikki Speed helped set up the charity SUDC UK after losing her child Rosie, aged two just before Christmas in 2013.

Fellow Herts mum Sharon, of Bushey, is an operating department practitioner and lost her child Tobias when he died suddenly aged just 14 months.

Both of their children died suddenly and no explanation has been found.

Nikki explained that there is nothing quite like looking another parent in the eye that truly understands the impact of losing your little boy or girl so suddenly and not knowing why.

She said: “Coming together to climb this mountain gave me immense comfort and hope. We would have done anything to save our children and together, we are determined to inspire the support needed to save other children's lives and stop SUDC.”

The group reached the summit in under five hours, with each member carrying a symbol of remembrance for their child that they placed on the peak.

The charity aims to fund research into potential explanations for these children’s deaths in the hope of preventing others.

Sudden unexplained death in childhood is when seemingly healthy children unexpectedly die, often in their sleep, and without explanation.

Through SUDC UK, these mothers found each other and were given family support, independent testing and research.

The group's fundraising efforts can be supported here.