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We offer confidential support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child.
A new chapter for The Lullaby Trust
Every chair brings different experiences and expertise to a charity, but Steph and George are connected by something deeper. Both have personal connections to our work which shape how they lead The Lullaby Trust.
For Steph, becoming chair was her opportunity to channel grief into something meaningful. “It had been just over four years since I’d lost my son Bruce suddenly and unexpectedly. I had a Lullaby Trust befriender and had attended Family Days. The Lullaby Trust really helped me get through those early days, weeks and months. Just knowing others out there had survived really got me through.”
Throughout her time as chair, Steph’s own experience of bereavement helped to shape our charity’s work.
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I think personal experience is really helpful because you have a little bit of understanding of how and why services are important, but also of how bereaved parents think. There are things that are just obvious to me that aren't necessarily to others - like having to talk to children about death, the double grief of a grandparent or dealing with difficult dates like birthdays.
Steph
Steph has achieved so much for our charity in her time as chair. She has transformed our governance, recruited a diverse board with the skills we needed and developed a committee structure that allows us to focus on what matters most. “Today we’re working to prevent all sudden unexpected infant deaths, not only unexplained deaths, and we’ve broadened our impact through work like infection prevention, and through welcoming both the Kit Tarka Foundation and the Scottish Cot Death Trust into The Lullaby Trust family.”
“Being chair gave me somewhere to put the time and energy I would’ve spent mothering Bruce. When your child dies, you don’t know what to do. Chairing the board became the time I spent with Bruce.”
“I’d love to see The Lullaby Trust become a household name. And I’m so pleased to the next chair will be George Williams, a bereaved sibling. I tell my daughter that George is like you, the baby born after the baby that died. His contributions have shaped how I think about parenting my living children.”
George Williams, our new chair, was born 15 months after his brother Henry died suddenly and unexpectedly. George’s family was supported by our Care of Next Infant programme through pregnancy to George’s arrival. CONI helps bereaved families navigate the difficulties of welcoming another baby after loss.
“As a CONI baby, the CONI programme was incredibly important in supporting my family. There are challenges that come with being a Rainbow Baby that others don’t always see. I worried about being a replacement, or feeling as though I need to ‘live’ for both my brother and me. I feel incredibly grateful to be trusted with the responsibility of being chair. Our charity does such vital work and it’s a great opportunity for me to give back to the charity that has done so much for my family, but for me to honour Henry too.”
George has big hopes for our future. He hopes to see our impact, awareness and income grow so we can reach more people in need of support. “The transfer of the Scottish Cot Death Trust’s work to The Lullaby Trust gives us the opportunity to develop a UK-wide approach to saving babies’ lives and providing bereavement support, recognising nuances in each nation. We have had much success from our recent policy and advocacy work with the Campaign for Gigi and our work in early years settings, and there’s opportunity for delivering even more.”
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We’ve made incredible progress over the past 55 years, but there is still more to do. It has been a real pleasure to work with Steph for the four years I’ve been a trustee already. As Steph leaves behind an incredible legacy, I know I have big shoes to fill!
George
Your voice remains at the heart of everything we do
As one chair hands to another, their stories reflect what has always been at the heart of The Lullaby Trust: the families we support. We’ll be there for every baby and every family, until no life ends at the start.
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About the CONI programme
The Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme supports bereaved families before and after the birth of their new baby, giving hundreds of families peace of mind and support.
Our people
Our impact
We exist to keep babies safe and to keep grieving families supported, as no family should face grieving for their baby alone.