On Saturday 15 August, adopter Sarah Hopes from Staffordshire, made the trek up to Snowdon and back to raise funds for Manchester-based children’s charity Adoption Matters.
Completing the trek, together with her family and a group of friends and supporters, in just over 8 hours, Sarah has raised the phenomenal amount of £2,145 for the charity.
The trek was just one of many fundraising efforts in memory of her late son, Ethan.
Here, Sarah tells the story behind her fundraising:
“At 12 weeks gestation, our baby Ethan was diagnosed with Anencephaly, a foetal developmental abnormality. Medical staff deemed him ‘incompatible with life’ and recommended we terminate the pregnancy.
We knew that our baby already had life and purpose inside the womb, he was ours and so wanted. There was a possibility he could live through a full term pregnancy and that we would meet him alive once born, we hoped and prayed this would be.
We wanted to love and cherish our baby and allow his God given purpose on earth to be fully expressed. At 16 weeks we learnt he was a boy and we named him Ethan, meaning strong, steadfast, warrior.
Our beautiful Ethan was born at term on 2nd February 2016 at 6.40am. He came home with us to meet his big sister Annie and other family members and friends. He knew nothing but love during his 7 hour stay on Earth, once born, before peacefully returning home to heaven.
From his birth until summer 2023, we raised over £8,750 for the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice where we spent time as a family with Ethan after he passed. Unfortunately, The Donna Louise Trust, as a charity, then ceased to exist and so we have looked for another charity to support.
After Ethan left us, we went on to grow our family through adoption. We found out about Adoption Matters through a friend and made our first tentative steps along the road towards adopting our future children.
Thanks to our Adoption Matters social worker, we gained education, guidance, support and an encouraging hand to hold throughout the whole process. The agency’s service to our family has been, and continues to be, exemplary and with the support of Adoption Matters we have gone on to add 3 more beautiful little people to our family.
To us, our love and loss of precious Ethan was a signpost to start our journey of adoption and so it now seems fitting, from 2025, to fundraise for Adoption Matters in his memory, as a tribute to him and in support of the charity that has done so much for our whole family.
We have wonderful joyful memories of our beautiful Ethan and his life has blessed many hearts, including the precious children who have joined our family since he passed. As a family we want to keep celebrating him and continue a legacy for Ethan on this earth.
One of the ways we want to do this is by partaking in and organising fundraising events for Adoption Matters as they continue to help grow and support families like ours.
We hope that people will support “Ethan’s Hope” and give in memory of Ethan and in support of this wonderful adoption agency and charity. We aim for raise £1,000 between each of his birthdays.”
During Christmas 2025, Sarah organised a Christmas Wreath making event raising £1,030, before a further £300 was gifted by family in celebration of Ethan’s Birthday and Christmas time.
£487 from donations in lieu of gifts for Ethan’s Grandma’s 70th birthday in November 2025 was also raised.
Sarah’s latest Snowdon trek brings the total raised for Adoption Matters charity to £4,017.
Adoption Matters, Chief Executive Susy White, commented:
“Sarah is truly inspiring, and we are deeply touched that she has chosen to support our charity in honour of Ethan. We hope that Ethan’s Hope can continue to keep Ethan’s memory alive by bringing families together, creating special moments, and providing support when it is needed most.
Through Sarah’s incredible efforts, Ethan’s legacy will continue to make a meaningful difference to the lives of others, ensuring that his spirit of hope and love lives on for years to come.”
To donate to Ethan’s Hope, visit Sarah’s fundraising page at: https://www.justgiving.com/page/sarah-hopes-3
Contact Information
Daniel Hazell
daniel.hazell@adoptionmatters.org
Notes to editors
Adoption Matters is a children’s charity and one of the largest voluntary adoption agencies in the UK. They recruit, train and support individuals, couples and families looking to adopt and offer ongoing support and training. The charity also offers a support service for adopted adults and birth families, and a Therapy Service. www.adoptionmatters.org
There are currently over 3,000 children waiting for adoption in the UK right now. Some wait longer than others, we want to help change that.
The charity also operates a not‑for‑profit fostering agency, Foster Care Matters. As a non‑profit provider, it is committed to reinvesting resources to deliver high‑quality support and ongoing training for foster parents. www.fostercarematters.org.uk
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Sarah Hopes (far right) with her friends and family.-2
Sarah Hopes (far right) with her friends and family.-2
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The trek up snowdon was just one of many fundraising efforts in memory of Sarah’s late son, Ethan.
The trek up snowdon was just one of many fundraising efforts in memory of Sarah’s late son, Ethan.
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The family dog joined Sarah and her family and friends on the trek
The family dog joined Sarah and her family and friends on the trek
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Sarah’s family with a picturesque background
Sarah’s family with a picturesque background
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Sarah and her partner mid challenge
Sarah and her partner mid challenge
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Sarah’s family mid-walk taking on the challenge face on
Sarah’s family mid-walk taking on the challenge face on
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Sarah Hopes and her family took on the challenge in support of Adoption Matters
Sarah Hopes and her family took on the challenge in support of Adoption Matters
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Taking in the beautiful views
Taking in the beautiful views
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