Party with the Pride fundraiser in memory of little Leo is back for a fourth year to raise cash for Highland bereaved parents through Held In Our Hearts charity
Highland fundraisers inspired by the memory of a little boy who lost his life to a rare form of muscular dystrophy are set to host a fourth annual fundraiser for bereaved families.
Leo’s Pride, founded in 2018 for Louise and Mitchell Flett’s son Leo, will hold Party with the Pride at the Kingsmills Hotel on September 21.
Leo lived with Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Type 1C but lost his courageous fight against the condition at the age of four in July 2019.
Working with Muscular Dystrophy UK, Leo’s Pride has done much to raise awareness and funded research into the condition.
After Leo’s death, the family were determined to keep fundraising in his memory and did so with Muscular Dystrophy UK, then MFR Cash for Kids.
This year, knowledge of the limited support in place for families in the Highlands experiencing child loss, moved Louise and Mitchell to refocus the work of Leo’s Pride to help provide support locally.
To address this need, they teamed up with Held in our Hearts, an Edinburgh-based charity dedicated to supporting bereaved parents that is now introducing their services to the Highlands.
This year, all money raised through Leo’s Pride throughout 2024 will be used by Held in our Hearts exclusively in the Highland region.
The Party with the Pride will include an evening with live music and entertainment, an auction, and a three-course meal.
A number of sponsors are already in place, including Tulloch Homes, Caley Timber and Building Supplies, Macleod & MacCallum and Global Highland.
Mum Louise said: “When Leo died, there were no charities in the Highlands supporting parents of child loss meaning Mitchell and I had to navigate our way through finding our own support to help us with the immense grief of losing Leo.
“I am delighted we have partnered Held In Our Hearts in supporting bereaved parents of baby and child loss.
“Had Held In Our Hearts been in the Highlands at the time, they would have been invaluable to us.
“Party with the Pride has been hugely successful and popular in the past and, with Tulloch Homes’ donation of a table, we are excited to host Held in our Hearts at the event in Leo’s memory.”
Tulloch Homes managing director Keiran Graham, said: “Louise and Mitchell, in the midst of their grief, have introduced a much-needed source of support for families in the Highlands.
“We are pleased to support Leo’s Pride with a VIP table donation at their Party with the Pride event which we have gifted to the charity to invite their workers to.”
More about Leo’s Pride and Party with the Pride can be found here.
