Father and daughter from Whittlesey to take on London Marathon in aid of cot death charity

Andrew Flatters and daughter Katie will be running the 2024 London Marathon to raise money for cot death charity, The Lullaby Trust

A father and daughter from our region, Andrew and Katie Flatters, are finalising their training preparations to take on this year’s London Marathon.

The pair are running the marathon to help raise funds for The Lullaby Trust, a cot death charity which is very close to the family’s heart.

“Our son Jason died of cot death when he was just six weeks old,” Andrew explains.

Baby Jason Flatters was just six weeks old when he passed away (image provided with family's permission)

“You never forget - you can’t.”

According to the The Lullaby Trust, 182 babies and young children still die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) every year in the UK.

Andy recalls how the charity helped him when he needed it most.

“When we lost Jason, they sent people out to support me and [my wife] Elaine - they were really good to us.”

Andy says the charity was also quick to act when Elaine gave birth to Katie.

“When we had Katie – which was just over a year later – they provided monitoring gear and stuff like that; they always kept in touch with us,” he says.

“I think it’s only our duty that we should do our best to try and help other families and stop what’s been happening to babies.”

A veteran of two previous London Marathons, dad Andy is fully aware of the arduous challenge which awaits him and daughter Katie on Sunday, April 21.

“It’s a big thing to take on,” admits the 62-year-old, “and I am getting a bit old.”

The maintenance supervisor acknowledges the 16-week training plan he and Katie have been adhering to has been “hard work,” particularly for hairdresser Katie, 30, who has never run a marathon before.

“It’s been quite an eye-opener for Katie,” Andy says, “But training has gone really well.”

“She’s been that pushed and motivated to do it because she’s doing it for a great cause.”

Andy admits crossing the finish line with his daughter will very likely “bring a tear to the eye.”

“I know at the end I’ll be very proud of her,” he says: “it will be an emotional day.”

Anyone who would like to support Andy and Katie’s fundraising attempts can do so by visiting the pair’s dedicated JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/page/andrewflatters.