Virtual Events

Raise money and help save lives from the comfort of your own home.

Whether you sign up to one of our activities or do your own thing, you’ll be joining our community and helping to ensure we can continue to provide support and information to families affected by group B Strep.

Virtual Steps against Strep

If you are you looking for a way to keep active and stay motivated while being stuck indoors, then why not take on our virtual Steps against Strep challenge. Taking part is simple. On your own or with your family complete the distance of a 5k, 10k, half marathon or marathon in your time and in your way.

Sarah writes “Me and my daughters, Hannah and Holly, really enjoyed completing a virtual challenge for GBSS. We did walks, scooter and bike rides around our garden and local estate to complete the 26.2 miles during April and are pleased to have reached our fundraising target of £100. “

Jemma takes Steps against Strep

Jemma walked an incredible 20,000 steps a day during March as part of her Steps against Strep challenge for baby Miley.

Jemma discovered she was carrying group B Strep when her midwife called to tell her, after having carried out a swab test to check for other bacteria. Learning about group B Strep has made a big impact on Jemma and she feels strongly about making people aware of the infections it can lead to in newborn babies. 20,000 steps a day in March!

She decided to challenge herself, and baby Miley in her buggy, to walk twice the recommended target steps per day for a healthy adult.

Hold a dinner party or afternoon tea

You don’t have to be face to face to raise money and make a difference.

Dining out may not be possible right now but why not ask friends and family to donate what they would usually spend on going out to eat and host a virtual dinner party with your loved ones? Prepare your meal, agree a time to log on and you have a great dinner party without the piles of washing up to do after!

Baby Heidi’s story

Aoibheann writes “It was in March 2018 in the middle of a long period of snow in Ireland that I discovered my 8 week old daughter Heidi had a temperature.”

Heidi hadn’t wanted to feed properly that night. The next morning, Mum Aoibheann noticed Heidi was warm, so took her temperature. It was 38.6! Heidi looked pale, her skin had started to mottle, and she was floppy and groaning a lot. After digging through the snow, they reached the ambulance halfway up the road.

Heidi had developed group B Strep septicaemia. “She had a battery of tests,” says mum, “I never even thought of GBS. I knew before getting pregnant with my first daughter that I colonised it, but had had no problems with my 1st delivery and had antibiotics. Thankfully she came through it with no deficiencies and is a happy, healthy, crazy 2 year old.”

Your donation is helping to save babies’ lives

£100 Could help us reach expectant parents by providing 25 antenatal clinics with posters to highlight the importance of knowing about group B Strep.

£200 Could provide 4,000 families with a high-quality information booklet, giving them the vital knowledge they need to make an informed choice during pregnancy.

£500 Could pay for a seminar for MPs on national policy and research initiatives to reduce group B Strep infection and support those affected.

£1000 Allows us to responded to 55 hours of helpline enquiries from new and expectant parents and their families, providing information and support.

To donate or set up regular giving, please visit: gbss.org.uk/donate

Mum Stacey’s story

Stacey’s little girl was born 3 weeks early as she had stopped growing. Shortly after birth, she struggled to breathe and her lung collapsed. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis.

She was transferred to a specialist baby unit and put on antibiotics. “I was told 5 days after giving birth that I had group B Strep,” mum Stacey writes, “Thankfully she has made a full recovery.”

She spent 3 weeks on a ventilator while her body recovered. She also received medication for her liver as she was jaundiced. “I am a biomedical scientist, so I am very much aware what this means to unborn babies. I never thought this would happen as I already have a little boy who is now 4 and never had any issues at birth…I know not everyone is that lucky and I honestly cannot believe this is not routinely screened for.”

Leave a Gift in Your Will

For many people, leaving a gift in their will is a natural way of continuing their support for a cause they have held dear during their lifetime. By leaving a gift to us, you can help to make sure that we can keep informing new and expectant parents about group B Strep, so babies don’t suffer avoidable group B Strep infections.

There are different ways you can gift money to us. After you have provided for your loved ones, you can leave:

A residuary gift, which is a share of what remains after provisions have been made. A residuary legacy has the added benefit of keeping pace with inflation.

A fixed sum gift. This is when you leave an exact sum of money to us. It’s also known as a ‘pecuniary gift’.

A specific gift. This could be anything, ranging from jewellery to shares.

We recommend using a solicitor to draw up your Will.

For more information on ways you can support us, please email info@gbss.org.uk or call us on 0330 120 0795.

JULY IS Strep B Awareness Month