Earlston family’s fundraising appeal in memory of late son Joe passes £15,000 mark

Marie and Keith Briggs, both 36, are using that money – more than three times their original target of £5,000 – to fund Joe’s Toes, a memory-making project run together with Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (Chas) for parents grieving for stillborn children.

Marie said: “2019 has been a fantastic first year for Joe’s Toes, and we cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity.

“We are astounded by the support shown to us by our local community and further afield.

“Our loss of Joe has sparked a fire in everyone to help, and we have raised over £15,000.

“We hope everyone knows the difference this will make to bereaved and soon-to-be-bereaved parents in their darkest hours.

“Every donation makes all the difference in helping provide this service to a family in need.”

The Briggs’ fundraising appeal – marked at a celebratory event held by Chas at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh – is in memory of their late son Joe, stillborn in February 2018 as a result of twin-to-twin transfusion shortly before the arrival of his surviving brother Tommy.

Sarah Dannfald, a community fundraiser for Chas, added: “We are so thankful to the Briggs family for all their fundraising efforts for Chas to help us provide even more families with those precious memories that will stay with them forever.

“Marie and Keith have inspired so many of their friends, family and neighbours to join them and, to date, they have raised over £15,500 in memory of Joe.

“For that we are so grateful, and it will allow us to provide over 350 families with the opportunity to make 3D casts of their child’s hand or foot and display it beautifully.”

Further donations to enable the Joe’s Toes project to continue can be made online at give.everydayhero.com/uk/joe-s-toes