After enduring the unimaginable agony of having a stillborn baby, Nicole Addy and her partner Steven Chidgey were determined to help others.
Together, they won the Closer Star Fundraiser Award at the Tommy's Awards two weeks ago, sponsored by Closer. This is their amazing story...
When Nicole Addy was 28 weeks pregnant, she went through the devastation of losing her baby daughter, Avery.
But she and her partner Steven Chidgey found the strength to help others in the same situation, raising £20,000 for Tommy's - a charity which funds research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth - and a further £5,000 for the bereavement rooms at the hospital where Avery was born.
Nicole, 27, who works in PR and lives with Steven, 28 a personal trainer, near Manchester, selflessly raised the money after Tommy's helped them when they were crushed by grief.
Two weeks ago, she was awarded the Closer Star Fundraiser Award by Tommy's for her dedication and support.
Nicole says: "I was in a very dark place after Avery died. I felt very alone and that I was being punished. Tommy's told me the only way to get through it was to not put any pressure on myself to recover."
Nicole went to hospital in October 2016 after she hadn't felt her baby move for the whole day. She says: "She'd always been really active. I tried the usual things that always got her moving, like drinking ice cold water, but nothing worked.
"We went to hospital and they couldn't find the heartbeat, they reassured me saying that sometimes it doesn't get picked up - but I knew. And it was confirmed by a scan."
The next hours were a blur for Nicole. She was sent home with a pill to take to ready her for going into labour.
The next day, she was induced and gave birth to Avery 24 hours later.
She says: "At first, I didn't think I could bear to see her. I was frightened that if I saw her I'd never be able to leave her. But I'm so glad I did meet her. She was absolutely beautiful and we ended up spending a day and a half with her, saying our goodbyes. We dressed her in a pink baby grow and a knitted hat that I've still got."
Nicole stayed with her mother after she left hospital as she couldn't face seeing all of Avery's things at home.
She says: "The pain of losing your baby is indescribable. I didn't know where to turn. I'd heard about Tommy's and one day, I called the helpline and ended up speaking for three hours to a parent who'd also lost their child. It helped so much, especially as they'd gone on to have another baby."
Gradually Nicole and Steven found their way through the pain and started making memories of Avery.
"My most treasured possession is a toy sheep," says Nicole. "We'd had a 4D scan the day before Avery died and I'd made a recording of the heartbeat, so we put the recording device into the sheep. For those first few months I carried it with me everywhere, now we cuddle it every night."
In January last year, they decided to channel their grief into something positive by fundraising for Tommy's. Steven set himself a physical challenge a month for a year, including a 24-hour bike ride and a marathon while pushing a car. Meanwhile, Nicole raised money through events at work, such as super hero day.
She says: "Nine babies a day are stillborn in the UK. There needs to be more research and also help for grieving parents. I've also raised awareness through my blog about our loss."
Last year Nicole fell pregnant again and in February she gave birth to Hudson.
She says: "We lost Avery when my placenta failed because I had a condition causing my blood to be sticky. So I took medicine for it this time around and the relief of holding our gorgeous boy was immense.
"We love him so much, but we still miss Avery every day."
WATCH: Tommy's Awards Closer Star Fundraiser - Nicole and Steven Chidgey
*Tommy's funds research and advice on safer pregnancy. Find out more at: *www.tommys.org.
**If you're looking for advice from Tommy's midwives, call the pregnancy line on 0800 014 7800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), or email **midwife@tommys.org.
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