AN EVENT in Westbury-on-Severn on Sunday (April 16) raised £1,000 in memory of three-month-old Sydney-May Burge, which her mother, Jemma Roberts plans to use to save other babies’ lives.

The event, in aid of the Sydney-May Trust, which featured children’s characters such as Peppa Pig, Captain Jack Sparrow, the Star Wars storm troopers and Belle and the Beast, also included a number of stalls dedicated to fund-raising, a DJ and children’s entertainment.

Jemma said: “The car park was always rammed with people coming and going from the field all the time. I didn’t stay still for a second.

“I want to thank everyone who helped. I appreciate it so much. This wasn’t just about raising money, it’s about supporting my daughter and it was about being there for my girl.”

Candle melts made by Curtis Bastock and cakes baked by Rosanne Jackson, both specifically to raise money for the event, proved particularly popular.

“There are far too many people to name,” said Jemma, who lost her daughter in December last year to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, “but I’d especially like to thank Kirsty Jennings who organised the event. I didn’t know Kirsty before Sydney and I’ve been overwhelmed by her support. She runs a baby group in Westbury and she’s gone above and beyond for everything.”

Jemma says that, since the Review publicised the event and the Sydney May Trust last week, she has been inundated with messages and requests for information about the baby monitors that the trust is supplying, which alert parents if their baby stops breathing.

Jemma gave a moving tribute to Sydney-May on social media: “You will never be forgotten, you’ll never be uncared for. The amount of people’s hearts you have touched is amazing…I can’t even begin to try to put into words what this empty feeling is like…I’ll make sure you’ll never be that baby that died, you’ll always be Sydney May, my daughter.”

To request a baby monitor, visit Facebook and search for ‘Sydney-May for her…stop and think’. You can donate to the Sydney-May Trust via Paypal, using the email [email protected]

•See this week’s Review for more photographs.