The Miscarriage Association

There is a moving and thoughtful piece in the 11 May edition of The Guardian, reflecting on the experiences and feelings of staff as well as patients in the ultrasound room.

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2013/may/11/letter-to-lady-in-ultrasound-room

Feedback on our Facebook pages and on Twitter has shown just how much this has touched readers.

So, too, has the blog written by Grazia journalist Jude Rogers, reflecting on the article she wrote about miscarriage as taboo: http://www.graziadaily.co.uk/conversation/opinion/jude-rogers–why-i-wrote-about-my-miscarriage–breakthetaboo

Our warmest thanks to the National Association of Ladies Circles who have supported the Miscarriage Association over the last year while we were President Marj Aird’s chosen charity.

At their AGM today they announced their combined fundraising had reached well over £16,500 for our work – a result of sponsored abseils and races; of parties and dances; of lunches and dinners – and some diets too!

Throughout the year, they have raised awareness of the M.A. as a source of support and information, and awarenss too of the facts and feelings of miscarriage.  They have supported our campaign to get people to start talking about miscarriage, circulating and distributing our mystery blue envelopes, our leaflets, posters and cards.

We couldn’t have asked for better partners, better champions or better friends.  Thanks to each and every one.

Our warm congratulations and thanks to the wonderful team of people who ran the London Marathon for us on Sunday 21 April. Having trained for months in the snow and ice, they had to cope with blazing sunshine on the day, but every one of them made it to the finish and collected a well-earned medal.

Three cheers and more to: Andy, Ben C, Ben H and Ben McDH; Chris, Claire, Emma and Jenny; Kate, Laura, Lizzie and Louise; Madeline, Matt, Melanie and Michelle; Naomi, Nick, Nicky and Niki; Peter, Rachel, Rashed and Robert; Roseanne, Rupert, Simon D and Simon R; Stephen, Steven, Terry and Tim.

You can see their photos at http://www.facebook.com/MA.MarathonTeam

Inspired? If you’d like to be part of our 2014 team, please start the process by entering the race for a ballot place at www.virginlondonmarathon.com. The ballot opens in the early hours of Monday 29 April and is likely to close within 12 hours, so do be quick!

Once you’ve done that – or if you missed it – do apply for one of our coveted Gold Bond charity places at www.crunch.org.uk/ma. You can  read a little more on our London Marathon page. And if you have any other questions or would just like to talk it through, please contact ruth@miscarriageassociation.org.uk or call 01924 200795.

All our very best wishes to the wonderful team of people who will be running the London Marathon on Sunday 21 April, raising funds for the M.A. and raising awareness of the facts and feelings of pregnancy loss.

Three cheers to: Andy, Ben C, Ben H and Ben McDH; Chris, Claire, Emma and Jenny; Kate, Laura, Lizzie and Louise; Madeline, Matt, Melanie and Michelle; Naomi, Nick, Nicky and Niki; Peter, Rachel, Rashed and Robert; Roseanne, Rupert, Simon D and Simon R; Stephen, Steven, Terry and Tim.

(That’s Lee Ashton, above, from Team 2012.)

We are delighted to say that we have a number of charity places for Nightrider™, which takes place on 8-9 June 2013.

One of the most sought-after cycling events of the year, Nightrider™ is a 100k moonlit ride past some of London’s most famous landmarks.

Imagine cycling across Tower Bridge, through a deserted City of London and Canary Wharf, past London Zoo, Piccadilly Circus and more.  What’s more, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you are raising much-needed funds for the Miscarriage Association.

Want to join our team?

If you’d like one of our charity places,  we’ll ask you to pay a £39 registration fee (non-refundable) to Nightrider and to commit to raise a minimum of £175 for the Miscarriage Association.  If you’re willing to do that and we have a place, you’re in!  Just contact us and we’ll give you the link to register.  But be quick – the deadline for entries is 10 May!

For more information on the event itself, please check the FAQ’s.

Our thanks to car insurance comparison site Monkey for their support for the Miscarriage Association.   Not only have they made a donation of £300 but they will donate a further £10 for each new customer they sign up through our website. See www.monkey.co.uk for details.

Our poster and blue envelope campaign, designed and donated by LIDA, is in the Creative Round-Up Vote on @TheDrum.

Please vote to see it in print and get more awareness out there for LIDA, for miscarriage and for the M.A.!

Go to http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/03/13/vote-best-piece-work-our-creative-round-winners-be-featured-29-march-issue-drum …, scroll down more than halfway and click on “Like”.

It’s been two weeks since we launched our campaign to get people talking about miscarriage – and what a success it’s been!

We began with features on BBC Breakfast news, Radio 5 Live (47 minutes in) and BBC Radio Manchester and the conversations have been growing exponentially on Facebook and Twitter, in blogs and by text, as well as by phone and email.

We have 30 five-foot high  posters at 14 railway stations:  Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Linlithgow, Liverpool, London (Blackfriars, Finsbury Park and City Thameslink, Reading, St Albans, Newcastle and Monument.

And we have an army of over 60 volunteers who are helping with our stealth campaign, quietly leaving mysterious blue envelopes on benches, in cafes and on railway seats.

- all aiming to get people talking.

If you’d like to help, whether by alerting us on Twitter or Facebook when you spot a poster or envelope; or by helping to distribute envelopes in your area, please contact ruth@miscarriageassociation.org.uk.

As ever, our warm thanks to:

• London marketing experts LIDA for their unrivalled design work for the campaign
• media and PR company Pumpkin for getting the messages out there
• all the people who have volunteered to talk openly to the media about their experiences of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Please help us keep the conversation going on Facebook and @MiscarriageA.

It’s been a week since we launched our campaign to get people talking about miscarriage – and what a success it’s been!

We began with features on BBC Breakfast news, Radio 5 Live (47 minutes in) and BBC Radio Manchester and the conversations have been growing exponentially on Facebook and Twitter, in blogs and by text, as well as by phone and email.

We have 30 five-foot high  posters at 14 railway stations:  Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Glasgow, Linlithgow, Liverpool, London (Blackfriars, Finsbury Park and City Thameslink, reading, St Albans, Newcastle and Monument.

And we’ve begun a stealth campaign, quietly leaving mysterious blue envelopes on benches, in cafes and on railway seats.

- all aiming to get people talking.

As ever, our warm thanks to:

• London marketing experts LIDA for their unrivalled design work for the campaign
• media and PR company Pumpkin for getting the messages out there
• all the people who have volunteered to talk openly to the media about their experiences of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.

Please help us keep the conversation going on Facebook and @MiscarriageA.