Father's Spiderman climb to honour baby son

A father from Kent aims to climb Scafell Pike dressed as Spiderman in memory of his son who was born at just 27 weeks and four days.

Dan and Amy Pearce's son, Eddie, was born prematurely on 2 June at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

"Eddie came into some problems after birth and passed away," Dan said. "It broke us to bits.

"Because of a cold cot, we had two precious days to give him every cuddle, kiss and bit of love possible."

A cold cot is a refrigerated unit that maintains a low temperature and allows bereaved families to spend extended time with their infants.

The couple said they were thankful for the support at the Twinkling Stars bereavement suite at the hospital.

"The time we spent with Eddie was time we'll treasure forever," Dan said.

Dan, 37, said he would be climbing Scafell Pike in Cumbria, which stands at 978m (3,208ft), along with his brother and best friend.

Each of them will dress as a different Marvel Avenger during the feat.

Dan, who works as a health and safety inspector, said he had chosen to dress as Spiderman because the superhero was bought intending to be Eddie's first plush toy.

The couple said they aimed to raise at least £3,000 for East Kent Hospitals Charity, which supports the Twinkling Stars suite.

"This climb is for Eddie," Dan says. "If raising this money means another parent gets those extra days with their child, then it's worth every step up that mountain."

Amy, 35, told the BBC they had chosen to do the climb in the first week of September because Eddie was due to be born around that time.

"No parent should go through what we went through," she added.

"Everything happened so fast at the time Eddie was born at the reception of the hospital.

"We are extremely thankful to the charity that gave us the room and space to spend precious time with Eddie."

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