Sarra Hoy becomes premature birth charity ambassador

Lady Sarra Hoy is becoming the official ambassador of Bliss Scotland, a charity for babies born premature or sick.

She believes the post will be a chance for her to “give something back” after coming through the “dark days” in neonatal intensive care with newborn son Callum.

Lady Hoy, a lawyer by profession and the wife of Olympic hero Sir Chris, became unwell at 27 weeks while pregnant with Callum, who had to be delivered 11 weeks early.

Lady Sarra Hoy is to become the official Bliss Scotland ambassador.

He weighed just 2lbs 2oz when he was born in October 2014 and spent 60 days in neonatal care.

Callum is now a thriving toddler aged almost two-and-a-half but Lady Hoy remembers the fears she had following his early arrival into the world.

“He looked like a frail little bird that had fallen from its nest,” she recalled.

“From nowhere, I was signed up and given lifelong membership to a club I never wanted to join, nor even imagined existed.

“I was utterly terrified by what I saw and was scared at what the future held for us  all.”

She explained how missing out on the third trimester of her pregnancy launched her into an experience she was not ready for.

She said: “We hadn’t bought a thing, we hadn’t read anything, all these preparations were gone, and from that you’re suddenly spending every day travelling to hospital to watch a baby that you know is yours but you have to ask to touch him and hold him.

“It’s a very disjointed way of coming into parenthood. However it happens, I do think it’s a huge shock.”

Lady Hoy, 36, who lives in England but still maintains strong connections to her home city of Edinburgh, says she feels privileged to be a voice for the 5,800 babies born each year in Scotland who need lifesaving neonatal care.

The role will see her raising awareness of the support Bliss can offer as well as encouraging people to back the cause by volunteering and fundraising.