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Annual Review 2025

Abigail's Footsteps supports bereaved families following baby loss through cooling cots, specialist counselling and professional training. In 2025, 84 Abi cooling cots were delivered to hospitals across the UK and Australia; 1,289 healthcare professionals received bereavement training including 150+ student midwives; over 1,000 hours of specialist baby loss counselling were delivered across five Kent locations; and co-founder David Ward was awarded an MBE. The charity won Kent Counsellor of the Year and Kent Fundraiser of the Year.

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About

Abi cooling cots (enabling families to spend time with baby); specialist baby loss counselling (PEACE SESSIONS for expectant parents, rainbow pregnancy support); Abigail's Angels bereavement training for healthcare professionals; bereavement suites; bereavement garden; podcasts; Wave of Light service; baby loss conference for student midwives Custom geography from upload: Kent / UK-wide

Key Metrics

Key Metric 1 84 Abi cooling cots delivered to hospitals, hospices and funeral directors across the UK and Australia in 2025
Key Metric 2 1,289 healthcare professionals trained in bereavement care including 150+ student midwives at national conference; 6,000+ trained since 2020
Key Metric 3 1,000+ hours of specialist baby loss counselling delivered across 5 Kent locations; PEACE SESSIONS launched for expectant parents; new dedicated counselling room opened in Medway

Key Outcomes

  • Won Kent Counsellor of the Year and Kent Fundraiser of the Year at Kent Mental Health & Wellbeing Awards; PEACE SESSIONS also recognised at same awards; co-founder David Ward received MBE for services to bereaved parents
  • Over £30,000 raised at Annual Gala; 53 runners raised nearly £30,000 at London Landmarks Half Marathon; Blossom Room at Darent Valley Hospital refurbished and opened; new office and counselling room opened by HM Lord-Lieutenant of Kent
  • 15th anniversary year; 5 Abi cots delivered internationally to Nepean Public Hospital Sydney; charity moved to new offices at Medway City Estate; baby loss art exhibition 'We Remember' held at Arts Café Gravesend; new ambassador and fundraising co-ordinator appointed

Geography

Other

Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
Total income £18,180,000 and total expenditure £18,560,000 (year ended 31 December 2024, charity no. 1084958 England/Wales and SC039654 Scotland); in 2024 spent £3.8m on...
Key Metric 2
700+ members supported through in-person visits and support calls in 2025; 697 support grants allocated in 2025 for essential items including specialist clothing, cooling...
Key Metric 3
Largest global investment in EB research to date: multi-million-pound drug repurposing trial provisionally agreed with LifeArc partner at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation...
£34,000 raised in 2025 winter appeal supporting families like Darcie's with specialist items, emotional support and research; 697 support grants delivered in 2025; first Members Connect event in Northern Ireland; EB Priorities Setting Partnership study completed providing global research roadmap
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
22,507 households helped through RBL casework and specialist support services across 66 countries
Key Metric 2
22,600 grants given to those in need, totalling £11.8 million
Key Metric 3
733 beneficiaries represented at tribunals, resulting in £24.5 million in War Pensions awards
1,548 new families living with dementia supported by RBL Admiral Nurses service
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
3,600 blind veterans received support across the UK; 447 new blind veterans started receiving support in 2024/25
Key Metric 2
1,598 referrals to rehabilitation services completed; 313 veterans received assistive technology training
Key Metric 3
997 volunteers donated 26,824 hours of support; befriending service awarded Quality in Befriending Excellence — one of only 11 organisations in the UK to...
1,831 National Creative Wellbeing Project packs issued to help veterans reconnect with creativity and independence
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
349,000+ people completed the Know Your Risk tool to assess their risk of type 2 diabetes in 2024
Key Metric 2
£4 million invested in 17 new research projects; total active grants portfolio worth over £45 million
Key Metric 3
32% of people completing NHS England's Path to Remission programme — which Diabetes UK campaigned for — put their type 2 diabetes into remission
Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge invested over £23 million in 19 projects across 161 experts from 47 institutions in 8 countries since 2022