Perinatal Mental Health Team raises money for bereavement support charity
Natasha Horne, a Worcester-based perinatal community nursery nurse, organised a charity bake sale for her colleagues at work earlier this month.
With the help of her team, Natasha raised £145 for SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Children) UK – her chosen charity.
The bake sale was a joint effort from staff working at Studdert Kennedy House in Worcester, where they baked cakes and sweet treats for teams to enjoy, in return for a donation to the charity.
Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, or SUDC is the sudden and unexpected death of a child between 1 and 18 years of age, which remains unexplained after a thorough investigation is conducted. 
SUDC UK raises awareness and funds research into the sudden unexplained death of children and provides information and resources to families affected by this.
Natasha chose this charity due to her experience of working with mothers antenatally and postnatally, as part of her job as a perinatal nursery nurse.
Being a nursery nurse, Natasha works with women all over the county to promote the mother-infant relationship, working to build mothers’ confidence as a parent, their bond with their baby, and to ensure the emotional and physical needs of babies are met.
She works within the Perinatal Mental Health Team at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, which provides specialist services to women at risk of developing or experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties during pregnancy and during the year following childbirth.
Natasha said , “I am so pleased to have made a contribution to the charity, as this is such an important cause. In our line of work, we understand the toll the death of a child can have on a person. So, I wanted to do a little something to make sure we all do our part in raising awareness of SUDC. It was a fantastic team effort, with most of my team baking some lovely cakes as well as staff from other teams within the building. People were so generous and we as a team are really grateful.”
Lucy Gordon, Clinical Lead for the Perinatal Mental Health Team said , “It is heart-warming to see individual staff and teams taking initiative even at their own time to help support the care of people”.
“I am so proud of Natasha for organising such a successful event very close to the hearts of not only our team, but the parents we work with too. I know that the money raised will make a difference. Thanks also to my team and other colleagues based at Studdert Kennedy for supporting this cause!”
Read more about the Perinatal Mental Health Team and what they do on the Trust’s website.