Footprints Baby Loss wins BBC Radio Oxford Make a Difference Award

Footprints Baby Loss Twin & Triplet Support wins BBC Radio Oxford Make a Difference Award

Footprints Baby Loss Twin & Triplet Support has been named the winner of the Community Group category at the BBC Radio Oxford Make a Difference Awards 2026.

It was a very special evening for Footprints Co-Founders Sharon Darke and Suzie Scofield, who attended the awards ceremony as finalists and were genuinely shocked when Footprints Baby Loss was announced as the winner.

The awards celebrate people and organisations across the local community who are making a difference to the lives of others.

With a room full of inspiring individuals and community groups, Sharon and Suzie had no idea that Footprints would be taking home the award.

“We were genuinely shocked,” said Sharon. “There were so many amazing people and organisations in the room doing incredible things in their communities. We really didn’t expect to hear Footprints called out as the winner.”

The award is a wonderful recognition of the work Footprints is doing to support bereaved parents following the death of a twin or triplet.

Founded in January 2024 by Sharon and Suzie, both bereaved twin parents, Footprints was created to provide specialist peer support for families experiencing twin and triplet loss.

The charity’s support is free and is centred around the voices and experiences of bereaved parents.

Since launching, Footprints has grown considerably, with a team of volunteers providing befriending and peer support alongside online support groups, resources and awareness work.

Although Sharon and Suzie accepted the award on behalf of Footprints, they are keen to emphasise that it belongs to the whole Footprints community.

Suzie Scofield “It is such an honour to win this award… especially back in the city of Oxford where my twins Rory and Daniel were born and died. Their legacy lives on helping many hundreds of other families through twin and triplet loss, as does Charlie and Joshua’s and all our Footprints babies. This award is for our whole and very special Footprints community.”

It is recognition for the volunteers who give their time and lived experience to support other families, the bereaved parents who trust Footprints, and the supporters, fundraisers and supporters who have helped the charity grow.

And, at the heart of everything Footprints does, are the babies whose lives are remembered and honoured through the work of the charity.

“This award means so much to us because of what it represents,” said Sharon. “Footprints exists because we wanted bereaved parents of twins and triplets to have access to specialist support from people who genuinely understand. To have that work recognised in this way is incredibly special.”

The team would like to thank BBC Radio Oxford and everyone involved in the Make a Difference Awards for recognising the importance of the work being done to support bereaved families.

A big thank you to Warren for nominating the charity and to Sam and Dominic for coming along on the night.

Watch the winner being announced!

As part of the Make a Difference Awards, a video was created to share more about Footprints, why the charity was founded and the difference our support makes to bereaved parents.

Read the BBC News coverage of the Make a Difference Awards: BBC News – Make a Difference Awards⁠