Forever Stars

16/10/2026

Hot dogs, superheroes, an inflatable lobster… and an incredible £1,230 for Forever Stars!

A HUGE thank you to everyone at Stark for turning a 5km fun run and walk into something that will make a real difference to families affected by baby loss.

Stark invited employees to nominate charities to benefit, and we were absolutely delighted that Forever Stars was nominated and selected. The company pledged £10 for every participant, with another £10 for anyone wearing fancy dress or pink and blue. What a generous way to encourage people to get involved and help raise awareness!

The team certainly embraced it. Joel Stark, owner, turned out as a hot dog, CEO Alex Warren became Captain America, and MD Hani Ratib took part dressed as an inflatable lobster!

Special thanks to Joel and Alex for their generosity, and to Karen O’Hara and Claire Murray for organising such a brilliant event. To every person who walked, ran, dressed up or helped make it happen: thank you for getting behind our charity with so much enthusiasm.

And then came an unexpected bonus…

Participants raised £730, but Nottingham also scooped TWO awards, each bringing an additional £250 donation. That takes the total to a fantastic £1,230!

For Forever Stars, support like this means more than a donation. It means baby loss being spoken about in workplaces. It means colleagues showing compassion. And it means more people discovering that support is there if they ever need it.

Finally, a very special thank you to Luke Orme-Hawksley, one of our FSFC players, for helping organise this and bringing Forever Stars into the heart of it.

Luke, you represent everything we hope Forever Stars stands for: raising awareness, getting involved and showing real compassion for others. We’re incredibly proud to have you as part of our team.

Thank you, Stark Energy Services, for your generosity, your kindness and for helping us keep our promise:

No family should face baby loss alone.

16/10/2026

To say we’re bowled over is an understatement. Two awards in two days is a first for Forever Stars!

This time, our entire organisation was honoured as we scooped Charity of the Year at the East Midlands Business Awards. What a way to bring an unforgettable Baby Loss Awareness UK Week to a close.

A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful volunteers Michelle and Kelly for representing us so brilliantly and to Alex and the PWC for their kind invitation. By being there, you allowed other members of our team to spend the evening remembering our babies at the International Wave of Light. That is what being a team is all about: showing up for one another.

A huge congratulations and a virtual hug to Epic Partners, Gifts from Fairies Ltd and the Leicester & Rutland Cricket Foundation. Your work matters enormously, and it was an honour to stand alongside you last night.

A while ago, we made a difficult decision about the future of Forever Stars. Change isn’t always easy, but we’re now seeing the positive impact of that decision and the changes to our structure that followed. Our charity is thriving, reaching more families and growing stronger together.

To every volunteer who gives their time, energy and heart to Forever Stars: this recognition belongs to you. Many of you carry your own grief while helping others navigate theirs. We see what that takes, and we will never take it for granted.

Our work is being seen. Our voices are being heard. And, most importantly, more families are discovering they don’t have to face baby loss alone.

15/10/2026

Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026 — what a week, what a community.

Tonight, we brought BLAW to a close at our special Serenity Garden, joining the international Wave of Light. Families, trustees, volunteers and supporters stood together, lighting candles at 7pm to remember our precious babies. So much love, so many memories, and a reminder of why everything we do matters.

From our 26-mile One Step At A Time walk, to the incredible sea of pink and blue at the Long Eaton parkrun takeover. From our annual FSFC match against our dear friends at John Pye, to our quiz night, cake sale and tonight’s beautiful gathering. Every event created opportunities to talk, remember and support one another.

Together, you have helped raise around £14,000. An extraordinary amount that will help us continue supporting families affected by baby loss. Thank you to everyone who walked, ran, played, baked, donated, organised or simply came along.

But the most important part of this week cannot be measured in pounds.

It’s the new families we reached. The people who came over for a conversation. Those who shared their baby’s name, spoke about their loss or discovered that support is here for them. At our parkrun takeover alone, at least eight families approached us because we were there. Those connections are everything.

In the middle of it all, we also had the enormous pride of seeing our founders, Richard and Michelle, receive the national James E Smith Award at the Charity Today Awards. Such deserved recognition during a week that means so much to us all.

And to our volunteers — you are the heartbeat of Forever Stars. Many of you are baby loss families yourselves, carrying your own grief while giving so much to others. You have turned up, set up, packed away, listened, comforted and kept going, often across several events. We see what you give, and we cannot thank you enough. Please take some time for yourselves now, too.

As the candles flicker tonight, we remember every baby loved and missed, and every family living with that absence.

Baby Loss Awareness Week may be over for another year, but our support continues.

Your babies remain at the heart of everything we do.

No family should face baby loss alone.

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

Tonight 👇

Ready for the Light

We tend the beds and clear the ground,
With autumn falling all around.
We sweep the paths and pause a while,
Remembering who makes this work worthwhile.

Each flower planted, each small repair,
Is one more way of saying, “We care.”
With willing hands, we play our part,
And ready this garden, heart by heart.

More than a thousand babies remembered here,
Each one precious, each one dear.
Behind each name, a love that stays,
Through changing seasons, passing days.

So we’ll make it beautiful, peaceful and bright,
Ready for the International Wave of Light.
A place to gather, a place to be,
To say their names beneath the trees.

And when the daylight starts to fade,
We’ll stand beside the space we’ve made.
With candlelight and room for tears,
For love that lasts beyond the years.

For every family walking through,
This garden holds a place for you.
And in each flame that warms the night,
Your babies’ memories shine so bright.

15/10/2026

Day Seven & the final day of Baby Loss Awareness UK Week 2026.

A moment for baby loss families from across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to join together for the

We’ll start from the Lakeside Arts Centre in Highfield Park, leaving there at 6pm, to walk through Highfields Park towards the Serenity Garden, where we will all gather to light a small battery candle in memory of our babies.

(Parking available at the Lakeside Centre)

Everyone will be provided with a candle who joins us, we will also have our special BLAW Pink & Blue torches for families.

Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate will be available.

We hope to see you there.💖💙

15/10/2026

Whilst our founders were busy winning national awards, our amazing volunteers were outside the Serenity Centre selling cakes and bringing the community together!

As part of our ongoing Baby Loss Awareness Week activities Lisa, Martyn, Kelly, Emma and Tracey Ayrton were putting in the hard work, welcoming supporters and making time for those meaningful conversations that are at the heart of Forever Stars.

Rob and Martyn have also been very busy at the Serenity Garden, getting everything ready for a very special Wave of Light walk this evening. Thank you both for helping make this such a welcoming and meaningful place for families to come together and remember their precious babies.

A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered, baked, bought a cake or stopped for a chat. Every contribution helps us raise awareness, build connections and remind families that they don’t have to face baby loss alone.

Our volunteers really are the heartbeat of Forever Stars. Whether you’re out front chatting, behind the scenes baking and setting up, or tending to our garden, your kindness makes days like this possible. Thank you for everything you do.

14/10/2026

National Recognition

Wow, what a day and a first for Forever Stars. Our founders, Richard and Michelle, have been honoured nationally at the Charity Today Awards, scooping the prestigious James E. Smith Award.

Apologies for the long post, but this is Dan writing, and there are a few things that need saying.

Richard and Michelle, I know I speak for everyone involved with Forever Stars when I say we are so incredibly proud of you both. This recognition comes as no surprise to any of us who see the love and effort you put into this charity.

You’ve given so much of your lives to helping others, often sacrificing your own family time to make sure another family has somewhere to turn. For that, we can never thank you enough.

When we wobble, you’re both always there to steady us. Even when you’re carrying your own grief, you somehow find the words, the time or the hug that helps someone else get through their day.

To receive this award during Baby Loss Awareness Week feels particularly special. Almost meant to be.

We know this week is every bit as difficult for you as it is for so many of us. Yet, year after year, you face it with the same compassion and determination to make sure nobody feels alone. Emily’s memory is at the heart of it all, and the love you have for her continues to reach families who need it most.

Now, we already know what you’ll say: “This award is for everyone.”

But I think, collectively, we’re allowed to disagree with you on this one.

This is yours. For your love, your compassion, your sacrifices and all the things you quietly do that most people never see.

Thank you for being there for us all. Tonight, enjoy a fizzy drink, take a moment to let it sink in and please be as proud of yourselves as we all are of you.

You deserve every bit of this.

12/10/2026

12/10/2026

BLAW Day 3
FSFC v John Pye
Wollaton Sports Association

Before we go any further, we want to acknowledge our incredible volunteers, who were out in force once more, many giving up their time for the third day running. Your dedication, energy and care make days like this possible. We simply wouldn’t be where we are without you. Thank you, every single one of you.

Our annual BLAW match took place in beautiful sunshine. Unfortunately, the result didn’t go the lads’ way, with a 2–0 defeat despite another fine performance from the whole team. Huge congratulations to a fantastic John Pye eleven. What a workplace team they can put together! Plenty of talent and, just as importantly, plenty of heart.

The day was about love, remembrance and standing together. We stood side by side with the Pye family to honour Mr Pye, whose community spirit shone throughout the day through the people continuing his legacy.

We were also honoured to present Wollaton FC with a new reflection bench. A place for anyone to take a minute or two, remember someone special or simply sit with their thoughts.

Over £4,000 was raised on the day, taking John Pye’s total fundraising for Forever Stars above an incredible £30,000. Something the entire Pye family and everyone at John Pye should feel immensely proud of. That support makes a real difference to families facing baby loss.

UPDATE: Adam Pye has generously made a donation to take the fundraising for the day to £5000! Thank you so much.

To both teams, our hosts, our volunteers and everyone who came along, donated or supported the day, thank you.

Football brought us together. The people we were remembering were at the heart of it all.

Photo credit: Steve Edwards Photography