Libbys Brother raises £3760 in memory of his Sister & Uncle Vish

On the day we marked the NHS’s fallen, 5-year-old Riley Sharratt has paid his own tribute to one very special NHS hero, who sadly lost his life to COVID-19 last week and his sister Libby Mae, by donating the proceeds of his fundraising efforts to charity, Libby Mae’s Little Angels.

Libby Mae’s Little Angels was formed in 2013 by Riley’s parents,Richard and Charlotte Sharratt, who tragically lost their daughter, Libby Mae, at just two weeks old. Since then Charlotte and Richard, together with their team of volunteers and patrons, have worked tirelessly to fundraise for and provide the necessary medical equipment needed to look after babies on neonatal units across the Midlands.

As the family were unable to celebrate Libby’s birthday in their usual manner, Riley decided to mark the date by raising funds in his sister’s name. The five-year-old decided to do 26 laps around his cul-de-sac in Bromsgrove and asked people to sponsor him via a JustGiving page, with all funds raised going to the charity, which works to help save babies lives and improve neonatal care.

Charlotte Sharratt, mother of Riley and Co-Founder of Libby Mae’s Little Angels commented, “Our little man has done us so proud and has raised an amazing £3715.00. He wanted to do 26 laps because his sister’s birthday is on the 26th April, which also marked this year’s 2.6 Challenge, hosted by London Marathon, to help save the UK’s charities during this difficult time.”

In the week leading up to Libby’s 7th birthday celebrations, the charity sadly lost their dear friend, Consultant Neonatologist Dr Vishna Rasiah, to COVID-19, who was also an Ambassador and Advisor to the charity and an NHS hero. One of Riley’s largest donations came from SLE Ltd – a company that provides ventilators to neonatal units.  They made the donation in memory of Dr Vish Rasiah. 

Richard Sharratt, father to Riley and Co-Founder of Libby Mae’s Little Angels commented, “Dr Vishna Rasiah, or ‘Vish’ as we called him, was a huge part of our charity and our lives. He cared for our daughter and gave us the strength we needed when we lost her.”

Five-year-old Riley added, “I did my walk for all of the poorly babies and my sister, but I also did it for Uncle Vish too.”

Riley started his walk at 11am on 26th April and was cheered on by family, friends and neighbours, all adhering to social distancing restriction and has raised an astonishing £3760. 00. Riley was even presented with a medal by one neighbour when he had completed his walk.