Teacher undertakes final fundraising challenge in memory of late son

A teacher who tragically lost her son to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is raising money in his memory.

Maria Boscombe, who works at Belfield Community School is raising funds for The Lullaby Trust by completing 10 challenging activities in memory of her late son, Cole, who would have turned 10 next year.

Maria Boscombe aims to raise £3,000 to support the charity, which focuses on raising awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and providing emotional support for bereaved families.

So far, Maria has raised £1,682, with the support of 40 donors.
 

Read more: Mum takes on various fundraising challenges in memory of late sonPublished: 12 August 2024

The final event in her year-long series of challenges will be a 10-mile sponsored walk, set to take place on Sunday 27 October.

The walk will start at Belfield Community Primary and end at Abbott Primary in Collyhurst, where Maria previously worked. Reflecting on the significance of the route, she said: “Colleagues there helped support me through the loss of my son in 2014.”

Cole tragically passed away at almost six weeks old due to SIDS. “He was my first child, and his loss would have been unbearable without the help and support from The Lullaby Trust,” Maria explained. The charity also provided support during the birth of her second child through their Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme.

“The Lullaby Trust does incredible work supporting families like mine who have lost a child in this way, as well as promoting risk prevention and spreading the ‘safer sleep’ message,” Maria added.

The number 10 has been a recurring theme throughout Maria's fundraising efforts, honouring Cole's upcoming milestone birthday. Her challenges have included swimming 10 miles, singing 10 karaoke songs in public venues (including at half time during a Rochdale AFC match), participating in a 10-pub fancy dress crawl, completing a 10-hour danceathon with pupils at her school, and running a 10k race.

One of her most rewarding challenges involved random acts of kindness, such as buying lunch for a stranger, returning a missing bag, and leaving flowers for people to find. “The idea was to help in small ways without making myself known, and it was so lovely to do,” she said.

Maria noted that swimming 10 miles had been her toughest challenge so far, as she is not a strong swimmer and sustained an arm injury in August, which slowed her progress. “This has also halted my pull-up challenge, which I had to swap for a different one,” she explained.

Maria will complete the walk alongside a group of her teacher friends, with whom she shares a close bond. In memory of Cole and to raise further awareness for SIDS, she hopes to finish her final challenge strong.

She added: “The funds we are raising play such a vital role in helping The Lullaby Trust continue their crucial work.

“I am so grateful to everyone that has taken part or donated to my fundraising page. In completing these challenges I have been able to honour the memory of my son Cole whilst knowing that the funds raised will help many other families. Every donation will make such a difference.”

To donate, visit Maria's fundraising page.