A friend of a family whose baby boy died after choking on food at nursery says she will do all she can to keep other children safe.

Billie Loveland from Sandwich is taking on the London Marathon on behalf of the Oliver Steeper Foundation.

Parents Lewis and Zoe Steeper set up the charity after their nine-month-old Oliver choked on cut-up pasta bolognese fed to him by staff at Jelly Beans Nursery in Ashford on September 23, 2021.

He tragically died six days later in hospital after suffering unrecoverable brain damage.

His mum and dad now aim to donate LifeVacs to all Ofsted-registered nurseries, pre-schools and childminders in the UK.

Mr and Mrs Steeper say the anti-choking devices can save lives. They have first-hand experience after using one on their 11-month-old when he started struggling for breath.

Already, the foundation has donated LifeVacs to more than 1,400 settings.

Ms Loveland credited Lewis for helping her find a nursery where her three-year-old son could be as safe as possible, and she has long wanted to offer meaningful support to the foundation.

The 37-year-old told KentOnline: “When I first read Oli’s story, I had not long become a mum to my first child, and my heart broke. No one should have to go through what Oli’s parents did.

“After my first was born, I completed a paediatric first aid course so I’d know what to do if the worst happened, but choking was always the fear that stayed with me - I bought two LifeVacs, one for home and the car.

“When the time came for my son to start nursery, it was hugely important to me the setting had a LifeVac.

“I reached out to Lewis for advice, and I was blown away by his kindness and willingness to support a complete stranger in finding a nursery where my child would be as safe as possible.

“Since, I’ve wanted to do something meaningful to support the foundation, and when they announced they had a charity place in the London Marathon, I knew this was my chance - even though I’d barely scraped a 5k before.”

As part of the fundraising efforts, an event - Oli’s Walk Under The Stars - took place at Betteshanger Country Park, near Deal, on Saturday.

It included glow sticks, face painting, temporary tattoos, games and mini golf as well as food and drink.

The evening culminated in a torch-lit two-mile walk alongside Oliver’s parents around the park with a trail hunt along the way.

So far Ms Loveland has raised £3,255 of her £4,000 goal for the foundation.

The mum of two said: “I’m incredibly nervous but at the same time extremely hopeful ahead of the marathon, and I’m deeply honoured to be running in Oliver’s memory.

“The support so far has been incredible, and each LifeVac costs around £80 to place in a setting, and with over 60,000 in the UK, there’s a lot of work to be done.

“Oli’s Walk Under the Stars was the most magical evening filled with so much light and laughter!

“All the children did a fantastic job on the trail hunt, and it was so lovely seeing them wearing their medals with pride and excited to dig into their goodie bags!

“Our sincere thanks to everyone who came and shared their evening with us to support The Oliver Steeper Foundation and to Betteshanger Park for allowing us to use their beautiful grounds.

“Thanks to all of our incredible volunteers who so selflessly gave up their time to enthusiastically help us set up the event and keep everyone safe on the trail.”

Lewis and Zoe Steeper added: “We are so proud of Billie’s fundraising and to be able to work with her on this event.”

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