MUM Teresa Steele is pushing ahead with her bid to raise money for a memorial to act as a focus for bereaved parents by staging a sponsored walk in Devizes.

Mrs Steele, who runs the Devizes branch of SANDS to help families who have suffered a still birth or neo-natal death, wants to put up a memorial in Hillworth Park, Devizes.

Now her group is supporting SANDS awareness week, which runs throughout June, by organising a Walk A Mile In My Shoes hike on June 26 that will start on the Green at 11.30am.

Mrs Steele, who suffered a still birth six years ago, said: "Devizes Sands will be taking part in this sponsored walk to raise money for our memorial in Hillworth Park. We have family and friends who will take part but we hope to get many more people to join us."

The walk will go around Devizes and then finish with a picnic in Hillworth Park.

Mrs Steele from Market Lavington lost her baby Monica after she suffered pre-eclampsia and she was supported by the Swindon branch of SANDS.

Last year Mrs Steele and her aunt Sue Nash set up a Devizes group which meets on the last Thursday of every month at St James Parish Rooms from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

She said: "The Swindon branch has put up a memorial and we thought it would be a good idea to have one in Devizes where people can go and get some comfort. We want it to be in a public place where whole families can go. Hillworth Park seemed like an ideal location and we have had a lot of support from the town council."

Mrs Steele, who has gone on to have a son and another daughter, lost her first baby when she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia at 29 weeks and her child died in her womb. She still had to go through the trauma of the birth at Great Western Hospital, Swindon and became aware of SANDS when the charity gave her a memory box to take home. She said: "It was a very difficult time. Other families have a baby to take home and if it wasn't for SANDS parents in my situation would have nothing at all.

"I got in touch with the Swindon group and found meeting other people in the same situation very helpful. Only people who have been through it can really understand what it is like. Others can sympathise but they don't understand."

The Devizes group now has a small regular group of members who meet for tea and coffee and to chat. New members are always welcome.

It is thought the statue or memorial stone will cost around £15,000.

The group has set up a fundraising account atwww.justgiving.com/fundraising/DevizesSands