A man from Bamber Bridge is running from coast to coast in the North of England to raise funds for a charity that helped his friend manage child loss.
Running in honour of his friend Jennifer and her child, Leo, who passed away, Steven Willetts will begin his run on 30 May 2026.
His run is set to raise funds for the baby loss charity ARC, as his friend Jennifer described how helpful their work had been.
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Jennifer Haffner, who lost Leo in December 2023, said: “It’s hard to put into words how much ARC saved me after losing my son, Leo.
“Due to losing Leo at Christmas time, I realised a lot of charities and support services were closed or only open for limited hours, and I so badly needed support.”
Steven was inspired by his friend’s story and decided to take on this run to support a charity that provides essential support to parents facing pregnancy loss and grief.
Documenting his love for running through the Brig Boys Podcast, Steven talks about the physical and mental endurance required for running.
Similar to what he speaks about on the podcast, he told Blog Preston that the run is about more than physical endurance, and it is about ensuring that parents who experience unimaginable loss are not left without support when they need it most.
Steven said: “No parent should ever have to lose a child.”
“ARC provides compassionate, often unseen support at the darkest moments, and I’m honoured to run in Leo’s memory to help ensure they can continue this vital work now and in the future.”
A spokesperson for ARC said: “All of us at Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) are so impressed that Steven is taking on the extraordinary challenge of running the Hadrian’s Wall route this May. We are very grateful to him for taking this on in memory of Leo Haffner, and want to thank Steven, as well as Leo’s family, for choosing to fundraise for ARC as we are a small charity. These donations will help us continue to be there for families facing the uncertainty and pain of unexpected news during pregnancy.”
He is fundraising for the cause of this run on Justgiving, and you can donate here. He hopes to raise £1,000.
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