Losing a child is something a parent should never have to go through. But for some, it is a heart-breaking reality.

Reporter Katie Davis spoke to Tom Richford who, after losing his son at just seven-days-old, has channelled his grief into a fundraising mission.

It was just one week after Tom Richford's son Harry was born that the decision to turn off his life support was made.

Born on November 2 last year at QEQM Hospital, the 29-year-old's son suffered from hypoxia and was put into intensive care.

"My wife fell pregnant and there were quite a lot of problems during labour and during delivery" Mr Richford said.

"Harry had some sort of brain damage and he went into intensive care.

"His life support was taken away on November 9, which was exactly a week after he was born."

Mr Richford, of Birchington, and his wife were helped by the charity Bliss, which supports babies born sick or premature, and their families.

Their work reaches out to aid parents while their child receives treatment.

"In that short time Bliss were really supportive," Mr Richford added.

"They really support the neo-natal and intensive care units at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, which is where he was for those seven days as he was born in Margate but transferred across."

Seven months on, Mr Richford has channelled his grief into an extraordinary fundraising challenge.

Alongside a colleague, the feat saw Mr Richford take on 24 different sports in 24 consecutive hours.

For a number of years, Mr Richford and his co-worker Clark Goodwin have undertaken a range of activities in a bid to raise money for charity.

This year, Mr Richford, who works at Chatham and Clarendon grammar school in Ramsgate, decided the chosen charity should be Bliss.

He said: "Me and a colleague have done a fundraiser every year for the last five or six years for lots of different causes.

"This year, it was my colleague's idea to do the 24 sports in 24 hours and it was my idea to do it for Bliss, which is a bit closer to home."

Remarkably, Mr Richford and Mr Goodwin battled on and completed the eclectic list of 24 sports in the given time - with everything from swimming and squash to dodgeball and basketball ticked off.

"We tried to keep going and going for as long as possible," he added.

"There were short breaks inbetween while setting up the equipment, but generally we carried on going for the whole thing.

"It was a tough challenge but it was really good - we had so much support from the whole school.

"Out of the 24 events, there was only one hour where me and my colleague were together - just us two.

"For every other hour there was at least one other member of staff, or students, around for support or to join in.

The hard work, however, has paid off with Mr Richford's £3,000 target smashed.

"My wife did another charity event herself at her school Herne Bay High, and they raised about £5,500 for Bliss as well," he said.

"So between us now we have raised just over £10,000 between us. We are trying to do our little bit."

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