Croydon premature baby charity praised by MP

Croydon North MP Steve Reed has praised the work done by The Smallest Things, a charity set up by Croydon resident Catriona Ogilvy to raise awareness of premature birth.

During a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on Tuesday 24 November, Steve called on the Government to improve support for parents of babies born too soon.

The Smallest Things campaigns to extend maternity leave for mothers of premature babies, with a petition to the Government reaching over 10,000 signatures. Catriona set up the campaign in 2014 after her two sons were born prematurely.

Speaking in the debate, Steve Reed MP said: “This is a very important issue, but it does not get the attention that it deserves.

“I want to refer to a campaign that is based in Croydon North, the constituency that I represent, and that is calling for better support for the parents of premature babies. Called The Smallest Things, it was set up in 2014 by Catriona Ogilvy after her two gorgeous little boys, Samuel and Jack Smith, were born prematurely.

“She and her husband, Mike, were delighted to be parents. They were excited and full of joy as one would expect, but their lives were turned upside down because of the needs of their children and the fact that they did not feel that they were adequately prepared or supported to provide the care and love that their children needed.

“No parent should be put in that position when they have the stress of a little baby struggling for their life at the same time. As a society, we owe better care to parents in that situation.”

You can see Steve’s speech in full below, find out more about The Smallest Things here, and sign the petition here.