Amelia's Story
Love, Amelia was established in 2018, before becoming officially recognised as a charity in 2019. The initiative serves as a remarkable example of how an idea and compassionate vision, can transform into an invaluable community asset, providing essential support and becoming a lifeline for thousands of children living across Tyne & Wear and County Durham.
Love, Amelia was founded by Steph Capewell and is named in memory of her first born child and daughter, Amelia. Steph and her husband Phill were tragically faced with the trauma of losing Amelia who sadly passed away 12 minutes after her birth at Sunderland Maternity Unit January 2018. Making the most of the precious time she could spend with Amelia, Steph visited her in the hospital in the days following her birth, reading her stories, singing songs and cherishing the special memories which could be made.
During one of the visits to Amelia, Steph met a young mother who had delivered a baby, not knowing she was pregnant and therefore had no belongings for her new arrival. Steph enquired of the support that would be available in this situation however the midwife advised they have no provision – at best they had a cupboard with a few spare baby-grows and nappies in, but no such service existed to offer practical support of clothing and equipment to families who were without. Steph therefore donated some of Amelia’s belongings to the young family, to assist them in their first days as a family.
In the months following Amelia’s birth, numerous fundraisers were held to raise money for child bereavement charities which supported after her loss, as well fundraisers for Sunderland Hospital. Steph created twelve boxes of essential items which were donated to the hospital, one for each minute of Amelia’s short life. These boxes were filled with newborn essentials and donated as a gift from Amelia. Each box included a letter to the new family, signed ‘Love, Amelia’, thus creating the name of our charity.
The boxes were quickly distributed and after creating more for the maternity unit and community midwives, Steph started collecting donations of pre-loved items and equipment to gift to families in need. Demand continued to grow in the year following Amelia’s birth and in February 2019, Love, Amelia became a registered charity and her legacy continued.
In December 2019, we obtained a small office to store donations which we outgrew in a matter of months. We now occupy a warehouse unit in Hendon where we can collect and distribute donations of equipment, clothes, toys and other items for babies, children, teenagers, and distribute them to families who would otherwise be without. We believe that every child deserves the best start and that by reusing the items children have outgrown, we can support families in greatest need in a meaningful way.
A Little About Us
Love, Amelia is a children’s charity offering support to families experiencing poverty and hardship across Tyne & Wear and County Durham We accept donations of great condition, pre-loved baby items and gift them to families who need them most. The items we pass on are given with great care and love and since launching in 2019, over 13,000 bundles have been distributed to families in our community. We support children from birth to 16years old to ensure no child goes without.
Amelia is the inspiration behind our charity which has been set up in her memory. Amelia was born in Sunderland in January 2018 and tragically passed away 12 minutes after her birth. Her Mother Steph founded Love, Amelia in her honour with the aim of supporting other children in her community. They want all children to be given the best start in life and to be safe, happy and have the opportunity to thrive.
Responding to the needs of our community is at the heart of what we do. Everything we do at Love, Amelia is designed to support families and ensure children have the essential items needed to be safe, happy and to thrive.
“Love, Amelia has been set up to help other families in Sunderland who are experiencing hardship for one reason or another. Losing Amelia was the most devastating experience but to be able to help other families in her name makes our charity very personal and close to our heart. We want all children to be happy and safe which will help them thrive. Being a Social Worker has helped me to understand the difficulties families can face and the barriers to accessing support. We want to make everyone accessing our service feel comfortable and receive the support they need.”
