A COUPLE from Warminster, Felicity and Julian Stafford-Wood, has been nominated to be a finalist for Local Hero of the Year, in the Wiltshire Life Awards 2022 for their outstanding bravery in the face of adversity.

The pair have worked admirably to make a positive impact since losing their daughter, and have set up their charity fund: ‘The Rosebud Foundation’ in loving memory of Isobel Rose Stafford-Wood.

They will be attending the black-tie ceremony on March 11 to find out who has won the award.

Since hearing the news, they are even more determined to hit their target of raising £10,000 for the N.E.S.T. team which specialises in transporting newborn babies for emergency treatment.

‘The Rosebud Foundation’ was set up in May last year after Isobel Rose tragically died in January.

Due to a spontaneous uterine rupture, Isobel Rose suffered catastrophic brain damage and lived for only nine days.

Her mother Felicity said: “Part of the reason why we started ‘The Rosebud Foundation’ was because we needed something to keep us going when life was very dark. We also wanted to thank the N.E.S.T. Team for their support.”

“Part of our grief is that we want the whole wide world to know that she existed. When we lost our daughter, it felt like a piece of us had gone. And there’s an emptiness. There was a terrible emptiness.”

Considering people’s taboo attitudes towards talking about death, Felicity expressed that experiencing the loss of a newborn child can be extremely isolating, as it is not something that others can easily relate to.

She said: “Most people would rather avoid talking about it. At our garden event last year, we met an elderly couple. They had lost their baby boy. The lady welled up and said that it just wasn’t in their culture.”

“When I said to her, ‘What was his name?’, there was joy in her voice when she replied, Christopher. When you meet someone like that you instantly feel a connection because they’ve been through the exact same thing.”

Following the success of last year’s fundraising garden event, Felicity and Julian have decided to open their garden once again on Saturday July 2, where plants, cakes, homemade produce and crafts will be on sale as well as refreshments and live music.