Beth and Luke from Faringdon had their world turned upside down earlier this year when the family suffered the devastating loss of their newborn baby girl, Phoebe. This was after a battle with Sepsis, a life-threatening condition that affects over 25,000 children a year in the UK.

Due to the severity of the illness, her twin sister Mabel was rushed to the Oxford Children’s Hospital to undergo treatment to make sure that the virus hadn’t spread to her.

The couple wanted to do something special in memory of Phoebe and also to say thank you for the care that little Mabel received. Together with the strength of family, friends and the local community behind them, they organised a Darts Family Day in Faringdon and raised over £4,175.

Beth told us: “Losing a child is any parent's worst nightmare, and it’s been an incredibly tough time for us as a family since we lost our daughter, Phoebe.

“However we really don’t know how we’d have coped the way we did, if it wasn’t for the love and support from all the staff on Robin’s Ward. It sounds silly but they became like family, and they were incredible with us all, and in the days that followed after Phoebe’s left us, they were incredibly caring and compassionate. We just don’t know what we would have done without them.”

Luke explains: “We both felt that we needed something positive to focus on in memory of Phoebe and so with the help of friends and family we began planning a darts night to raise money for Oxford Hospitals Charity, after seeing first-hand how the charity helps make a difference.

“We’re absolutely blown away with the generosity that people have shown, it’s an astounding amount of money and we hope that it goes some way in showing our thanks and appreciation to all those who looked after us.”

Lorna Eaton from Oxford Hospitals Charity added: “We are touched and incredibly grateful to Beth and Luke for choosing to make a difference to Robin’s Ward for the care their daughter Mabel received and in memory of her sister Phoebe. The generosity they received from family and friends at their darts event has been incredible. It is truly inspiring to see how much has been raised in support of the Oxford Children’s Hospital.”