Inspirational Ronnie's Mission To Help Bereaved Families

Last summer Ronnie Hawkings embarked on a daily five-mile cycling challenge to raise £2,000 to purchase the special cooling pad and memory boxes for causes that help bereaved families.

He was inspired to fundraise following the death of his little brother Vinnie in 2019. Ronnie’s parents, Carly and Ryan, were able to spend five precious days and nights with their child by using a cuddle cot, after he was stillborn at 32 weeks.

After doing his research, Ronnie decided that Demelza should be the recipient of the specialist equipment. Mum Carly, said: “If we hadn’t used the cuddle cot, we wouldn’t have had those precious days with Vinnie; we wouldn’t have had time to say goodbye. We are so proud of Ronnie – the fundraising is all his idea. He wanted everyone to remember his little brother.

“Ronnie researched several organisations and he knew straight away that he wanted Demelza to receive the cuddle cot. It’s important to him that he helped other families experiencing loss and grief.”
In March, Ronnie is planning on travelling over 200 miles to Demelza’s Kent hospice to hand-deliver the cot and three memory boxes.
Senior Healthcare Assistant Louise Cariney, who is a bereavement lead at Demelza, said: “Ronnie’s fundraising efforts are nothing short of remarkable and he should be very proud of all he has achieved in Vinnie’s memory.

“Thanks to Ronnie, families who have experienced the death of an infant will have the choice to use the cuddle cot if they wish, giving them time to be together to create memories.”