I set up a parent bereavement charity in memory of my son - now we're in line for a national award

This year marks 15 years since Kirsty Knight and her family set up the 4Louis charity after she had to go through the trauma of giving birth to Louis stillborn, just 12 days before his due date.

Louis’ parents and their families managed to have some precious time with their baby boy, with Kirsty’s dad, Bob, even taking him to the Stadium of Light, as he had always planned to do.

And in the difficult months that followed, they decided to honour his name by delivering 10 memory boxes to Sunderland Royal in the hopes of bringing some tangible comfort to other parents suffering the same trauma.

Little did they realise that this gesture would snowball into national charity 4Louis.

So far, the charity, which is based in Pallion, has delivered 250,000 memory boxes to hospitals and units across the country, supporting countless families, helping to change the national conversation around stillbirth grief, working with soap operas including Emmerdale and Coronation Street on their storylines involving child loss and racking up dozens of awards, from those given by local newspapers to Prime Ministers.

Now, the charity has made the shortlist for this year’s Charity Awards, the longest-running and most prestigious awards scheme in the charity sector.

4Louis has been shortlisted in the Health and Wellbeing category for what’s been described as “transformative bereavement support services.”

The Charity Awards is the sector’s most highly-regarded excellence recognition scheme and is this year celebrating its 25th anniversary.

All 30 shortlisted charities this year have been judged by an independent panel of sector leaders as having demonstrated best practice in leadership and management, from which other organisations can learn.

The 10 category winners, plus the recipients of the Overall Award for Excellence and the Daniel Phelan Award for Outstanding Achievement, will be announced at a black-tie dinner on Thursday, July 3, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

Bob McGurrell, CEO of 4Louis, said: “To be shortlisted for the Charity Awards during our 15th anniversary year is a truly special honour.

“This recognition is not just for our team, but for every bereaved family we’ve supported, every healthcare professional who delivers our boxes with care, and every volunteer who gives their time with compassion.

“Reaching 250,000 memory boxes is a deeply emotional milestone — and a reminder of both the scale of loss and the importance of memory. At 4Louis, we believe no family should face the heartbreak of baby or child loss alone. This nomination reaffirms our commitment to walking beside them, one memory at a time.”

Matthew Nolan, chief executive of Civil Society Media which organises the Charity Awards, congratulated 4Louis on making the highly-coveted shortlist.

He said: “For a quarter of a century now, the Charity Awards has been showcasing and celebrating the terrific work of UK charities large and small.

“At a time when the sector is struggling with higher costs, shrinking donations and ever-increasing demand for its work, it is reassuring and inspiring to see the extent and quality of charitable activity that is still going on across the country.

“We offer our heartfelt congratulations to all the charities on this year’s shortlist; we know that times are tough and you should all be very proud of getting this far. We wish 4Louis the best of luck on the night.”

The Shortlist 2025:

Animals & the environment

The Mayhew Home

StreetVet

Trees for Cities

Arts, culture & heritage

Kilmartin Museum

Scene & Heard

Services For Education

Campaigning & advocacy

Ashden Climate Solutions

The Donkey Sanctuary

National AIDS Trust

Children & youth

Delight Charity

MYTIME Young Carers

Spark Inside

Disability

The Brain Charity

icandance

National Autistic Society

Education & training

Get Further

Holocaust Education Trust

St John’s Hospice North Lancashire and South Lakes

Grantmaking & funding

Cumbria Community Foundation

Project Giving Back

Steve Morgan Foundation

Healthcare & medical research

4Louis

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital

Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA)

International aid & development

Alfanar Venture Philanthropy

Oxfam

Windle Trust International

Social care, advice & support

Advance Advocacy and Non Violence Community Education

Street Talk

Turning Tides Homelessness