Martial Arts for Mila: Bereaved Rugby couple raise thousands to help other heartbroken parents

A bereaved Rugby couple who lost their baby girl when she was just 23 weeks old, have raised more than £2,500 to help other heartbroken parents.

Martial arts teachers Kimberley and Jamie Seal are on a mission to bring comfort to families who have suffered the loss of a child.

They staged Martial Arts for Mila in memory of their daughter Mila Doreen Seal, who passed away on the 10/05/2022 at 8am weighing 1.5 pounds at 23 weeks.

Held at the Seal Martial Arts at Impact Dance Studios in Mill Road, Rugby, where the couple work, the Bank Holiday event included knife and axe throwing, Yawara, Ninjutsu and Jujutsu from some of the best names in the industry.

The money is being given to The Lily Mae Foundation, who donated a memory box to the couple to keep precious memories of their little girl.

Kimberley said: “It’s been a hard couple of days but we’re happy we’ve done something positive.

“We would like to give back and give other bereaved families the comfort we’ve had from this memory box.”

The Lily Mae Foundation works in several hospitals in the area including Walsgrave. The charity also offers counselling for mums and dads.

Jamie said: “I want to thank all of the instructors first and foremost as yesterday wouldn’t have happened without the support of the martial arts community. I also want to thank Hayley E James for letting us use Impact Dance Studios at no charge as it was for charity.

“I also want to thank Lucci Del-Gaudio for donating 10 tickets to the Kaizen adrenaline Martial Arts and fitness show. These are being distributed to the first 10 people who donated to the Lily Mae Foundation. I also want to thank David Hastings for taking photos throughout the day.

“It was an amazing day. We couldn’t have expected it to go better and I’m really proud that we could do this in Mila’s memory.”

To donate in memory of baby Mila, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sealmartialarts