A mother near Banbury who co-founded a charity that has helped over 250 bereaved families in the past year will climb Ben Nevis this month (May 31) to raise funds for the charity.

Sharon Darke from Middleton Cheney co-founded Footprints Baby Loss Twin and Triplet Support in January last year with fellow bereaved mother Suzie Scofield.

Sharon and Suzie both experienced the tragic loss of twin sons and were motivated to start a charity that supports parents who have experienced similar loss.

Since launching Footprints Baby Loss, the pair, alongside a team of 30 volunteers, have offered advice and peer support to hundreds of grieving parents from around the world.

Founders of the Footprints Baby Loss charity, Sharon Darke and Suzie Scofield, have been training hard for their climb up Ben Nevis this month.

They have also undertaken several challenges, including walking 50km around London’s Royal Parks to raise funds for their charity.

Now, Sharon, Suzie and the team at Footprints are preparing to take on their biggest fundraising challenge yet by climbing up Britain’s highest peak.

Sharon Darke said: “It is by far our biggest fundraising challenge yet. We are so pleased to have an amazing 38 people in the team.

“It will definitely be a day to remember, and all in memory of our twins and triplets that have died. The funds raised from the climb will make so much difference to the charity and ensure we can provide continued support for our families.”

The team of 38, which includes eight children, hopes to complete the 1,345m (4,413 ft) climb to the summit and return journey in around eight to ten hours.

Most of the team taking on the challenge have experienced twin or triplet loss or are friends or family members of parents who have.

Sharon will push herself to climb the mountain not only to raise money for the charity but also in memory of her twins, Charlie and Joshua who died in 1999.

When the group reaches the top of Ben Nevis, they will release hundreds of rose petals with the names of babies who have sadly died written on them.

Anyone who would like a petal for a baby or child should contact Footprints Baby Loss, who will be very happy to include them.

To donate to the Footprints Baby Loss team for the challenge, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sharon-darke-ben-nevis25

To contact Footprints Baby Loss, visit: https://footprintsbabyloss.org/

Mother near Banbury to climb Ben Nevis to raise funds for bereaved parents' charity