Places features

Jo Cameron, ex 'The Apprentice' contestant, businesswoman and media personality, will be continuing her campaign to run seventeen 10 kilometre runs around the country, when she runs the Walsall 10k Run on Sunday 28th September 2008, starting at the Walsall Arboretum.

Jo runs in memory of her daughter

The Walsall 10k run will be Jo Cameron’s fifth 10k run in a campaign of 17 runs she is embarking upon to raise awareness of the 17 babies who everyday are stillborn or die within the first days of life.

Jo will be building on her Weakest Link win of £11, 000 and is aiming to raise another £20, 000 over the next 17 months for Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, a charity of which she is Patron.

Why 17?

The 17 symbolises that 17 babies die each day in the UK and will form part of Sands ‘Why 17?’ campaign to raise awareness of this devastating loss and to raise £1.7 million towards research to better understand why so many babies are dying.

Remembering the 17 babies that die each day

In August 2006, Jo’s daughter Emmeline, was born prematurely after a prolonged spell in Walsall Hospital, and died shortly after birth. Since then she has learned about how many other families face the same tragedy and has vowed to do as much as she can to help others.

Running and walking have been massively helpful for Jo in recovering from the passing of her daughter and she hopes that the money she raises will help other babies from being stillborn, or dying shortly after birth.  The arboretum holds particularly poignant memories for Jo as this was the place that offered her peace and quiet in her recovery.

Victorian Britain

Recently made a patron of Sands, Jo says, "People are still afraid to talk about stillbirth and neonatal death and until we raise it in the public consciousness, change will be difficult to bring about. Every time I visit my daughter’s grave in Walsall it’s like a vision from Victorian Britain as the tiny baby graves are added slowly one by one.

"Birmingham and the Black Country have one of the highest rates of stillbirth and neonatal death in the country and I hope my run can raise more awareness of the issues that families face in this area.

Jo Cameron is the Patron of Sands

Taboo

"We need more research to find out why so many babies don’t live and this is why I am helping to raise vitally needed funds. Having had and lost Emmeline, I am determined that her life and that of so many babies just like her will not simply be brushed under the carpet or deemed a taboo that cannot be discussed.”

Jo receives many emails every week from other bereaved parents and their heartache is overwhelming.   As she says, "I believe our success lies in the voices of women who have lost their children and we need to be shouting loud and long that 17 babies dying every day is simply not acceptable."

Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society

Neil Long, Sands Director: "Sands is extremely grateful to Jo for taking this on. The campaign is in memory of her daughter Emmeline and all the other babies who don’t survive. It will also help raise awareness and funds for us here at Sands particularly in the arena of research so that we can better understand why babies are dying and what can be done to stop this happening."

People can sponsor Jo online at her JustGiving page: