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Emma, 33 from Bideford in Devon, is taking part in the 2018 London Marathon for Children's Hospice South West (CHSW) in memory of her eldest daughter, Imogen. Here, she says in her own words why taking part in the marathon and fundraising for CHSW is so important.

“Imogen was born on 12th July 2011 after a very worrying and anxious pregnancy. We were told that she would have a condition called microcephaly (which basically means she would have a small micro, head - cephaly) but other than this we were uncertain as to what future lay ahead for her.

She was our first child, a much longed for

Among those taking part in this weekend’s annual Santa Run in Exeter is a group of health workers who have been inspired to take part in memory of an 11-year-old girl who recently died.

Emily Crisp, from Bradninch, had a very rare condition called Bohring-Opitz syndrome that affects the development of many parts of the body.

She was diagnosed when she was three months old and at that time there were only 30 other known cases of it in the world.

A team of around 10 members of Virgin Care's multiple sensory impairment team in

The North Devon Gazette’s much-loved light Up a Life appeal was launched to an audience of thousands this year.

It was marked with the switch-on of a special illuminated star in Barnstaple Square during the town’s Christmas lights celebrations on Sunday.

Now in its 21st year, the appeal has become a Christmas tradition to enable people to remember a loved one and help raise money for North Devon Hospice and Children’s Hospice South West.

The charities host a series of services of remembrance across North Devon through December.

The star in the Square has been joined by stars at both hospices

The Light up a Life services give families an opportunity to celebrate and remember those who cannot be with us.

Emma and Mark Smale from Bideford lost their daughter Imogen in March aged just four-years-old.

They cannot ever thank the Children’s Hospice South West team at Little Bridge House enough for what they did for Imogen but also the whole family.

The little girl was their first child and a much-longed-for baby, but when she was born in July 2011 she had a condition called microcephaly (a head that was too small) and Emma and Mark were told she would have a ‘limited life expectancy’.

Em

"He's looked after by nurses and has all his very complex needs taken care of and is given all his fluids and medicines. You get a chance to recharge your batteries and get that breather you need to carry on. The hospice has been a massive support.

"Samantha and I tend to do a lot of visits to the hospice together and we can do normal mum things like have a glass of wine, chill out and chat – things we don't get much chance to do otherwise. We get to be mums. Without the hospice we wouldn't survive."

As well as the breaks the charity helps the families by signposting help provides end of life

A children’s hospice in Wraxall is hoping to entice former nurses back into the field by offering to pay for a return to work course.

Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) is offering the incentive to tackle the nationwide shortage of nurses in children’s palliative care.

The lack of staff has been affecting the care available to children with life limiting conditions, but CHSW wants to show how rewarding the role can be.

Mandy Robbins, director of care at CHSW, said: “Children’s palliative care requires dedication and enthusiasm and we would like to invite nurses who may have left the

There are more than 50,000 children and young people in the UK who are expected to have short lives and the number is rising. These children have complex and unpredictable health conditions and rely on qualified children’s nurses with the right skills to provide palliative care and symptom management. Yet there is currently a shortage of children’s palliative care nurses and this is already having a negative impact on the care provided to children and families.

Two thirds of voluntary services surveyed by UK charity Together for Short Lives reported that a shortage in nurses is resulting in a

To be forced to watch one child slowly die is an unbearable pain no parent should ever have to experience. But to have two daughters diagnosed with a terminal condition seems an incredibly cruel twist of fate.

Amazingly Abida Ahmed, from Lockleaze, is battling through the horrific trauma; yet she manages to care for herself, her three other children, and even cooks for her friends and neighbours on a regular basis.

When her daughter Hadiya was six months old she was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called GA-1, which affected proteins in her body.

The devastating illness caused her motor