Parents of a Hull boy who would have turned five years old this year are holding a special birthday party in his memory.

Kev, 37, and Nikki Cooper, 38, from east Hull are having a Family Fun Day in memory of their baby boy Stanley Cooper at the Ship Inn in Church Street, Sutton, Hull. Stanley died in his father’s arms at five-and-a-half-weeks-old on February 23, 2020.

The event on Saturday, May 31, will have children’s funfair rides, a rodeo bull, a bouncy castle, a cake stand, a tombola, a raffle, a 24-hour dart-a-thon, a face-painter, glitter tattoos, and children’s entertainers.

It is all for a good cause, with money raised going to Andy’s Man Club, which provides peer-to-peer mental health support for men. Kev and Nikki have previously raised money for baby loss charities, but noticed there is little support out there for bereaved dads.

“You think you’ve found the light at the end of the tunnel, and then it is torn away from you. The hardest thing is it was just put down to SIDS – there was no cause of death, really.

“As parents, we said we would keep his memory alive. One way of doing that is to celebrate his life and try and raise money for different charities.”

Kev said: “We have found there is loads of support for women out there going through this horrible time, but not much support for men. Although we’ve not used Andy’s Man Club, we certainly believe in what they are all about and their morals.

“As a man of the house, you feel like you have got to hold it together for everyone. We’ve spoken to Andy’s Man Club and they are fully behind what we are doing.”

A year after Stanley’s tragic loss, Kevin and Nikki welcomed baby girl Erin who is now four years old. Other charities Kev and Nikki have fundraised for over the years include Sheffield NICU, the Hull-based Abbie’s Fund, and the Lullaby Trust which is a nationwide charity for sudden infant death syndrome.

Kev and Nikki have put lots of work in to fundraise for the Family Fun-Day on May 31 and hope to get as big a turnout as possible to raise money for Andy’s Man Club.