Darts fundraiser in memory of son (From Swindon Advertiser)

Darts fundraiser in memory of son

11:10pm Friday 30th July 2010

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A SWINDON mother who is holding a darts charity fundraiser in memory of her son, says he will never be forgotten.

Georgina Lane, 41, of Gorse Hill lost her son Antony to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) when he was just seven months old and plans to mark what would have been his 20th birthday by staging an event to raise awareness of the condition.

The competition will start at 3pm at the Fox and Hounds pub in Haydon Wick tomorrow and entry is open to everyone. Entrants will need to sign up to the event before 2pm in order to play.

The mother-of-four said: “Time goes on but you still don’t forget. He is never going to be forgotten.

“It affected the whole family – my mum and dad moved back from Ireland to Swindon to help support me at the time. All of my children know about their brother and they are helping out on Sunday.

“It still kills about seven babies every week and it is not well publicised. When Antony died we had hardly any support and my marriage fell apart due to losing him.

“We did not have anybody to support us, we had to go looking for it and when you are grieving you don’t want to go looking – it’s a really difficult time.

“It seems like it has to be someone important before people are made aware of it. It is scary. I fell pregnant with Kari-Anne very soon after losing him and that added more pressure. I was too scared to go to sleep.

“With her we used an apnea alarm, which detects breathing, and it went off twice in the first 18 months.

“We thought we would like to do something to mark his 20th birthday and raise awareness about cot death.

“I am hoping to raise between £1,000 and £1,500.”

The event will also include a barbecue and a raffle, including prizes such as wine, champagne and a signed t-shirt from a professional darts player.

Entry to the darts competition cost £5 per person with amateurs welcome to take on county players. The winner will receive a £100 cash prize. All proceeds will go to the SIDS charity.

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