Charity do to be held in memory of 25-year-old whose ‘smile lit up every room’ and in aid of epilepsy

Lauren Brand was 27 weeks pregnant with her first child when she tragically passed away in October 2022, after suffering from SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy).

Her daughter, who also passed away, was named Harper as Lauren had spoken about how she loved that name for a baby girl.

Lauren’s mother Hayley Brand, with the help of her family and friends, has organised a charity do on what would have been her daughter’s 27th birthday.

On the evening of June 22, almost 200 people will gather to honour Lauren and Harper – and raise vital funds for The Daisy Garland epilepsy charity.

Lauren was described as “the life and soul of any social gathering”, and was always known to do speeches for her loved ones at their birthday parties. She would have loved that so many plan to gather and remember her and Harper.

Hayley said: “Lauren’s smile lit up every room and she had a contagious laugh. We all miss her so much, and all her family and friends are going to raise as much money as we can for The Daisy Garland.”

Many individuals, small and big businesses have generously donated prizes to be raffled and auctioned off, and Hayley wanted to issue her thanks for their continued support.

The Daisy Garland, a family-run children’s charity working exclusively for young people with epilepsy, recently took to social media to share the news of the charity do.

They said: “Sending lots of love and good luck to the wonderful Hayley Brand, who is holding a fundraising ball on June 22 in memory of her precious daughter Lauren and granddaughter Harper Shirley.

“We are overwhelmingly grateful to Hayley and all her family and friends who will be supporting her on the big day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Purple is associated with epilepsy awareness and attendees have been invited to wear something in that colour to show their support. A lot of epilepsy charities adopt the colour purple and The Daisy Garland is one of them.

The day after Hayley’s charity do, a brand new dance competition is also being hosted in memory of the first time mother-to-be.

Dare 2 Dance UK, taking place at The Old Savoy, home of The Deco on June 23, will give dance schools the chance to showcase their talent while supporting the same important cause.

Family friends Toni and Tayla Sherman are dedicating the first competition to Lauren and Harper.

Last year, on what would have been Lauren’s 26th birthday, nearly £5,000 was raised by a sponsored walk.

Six months on from the tragic loss, Hayley, Lauren’s brother Adam, and her workplace Barclays decided to do a 10 kilometre walk in the Cotswolds in their memory.

The money raised was donated to Northamptonshire Health Charity’s Daisy Suite Appeal and The Daisy Garland epilepsy charity.

Though there is no online fundraising page for the upcoming charity do, Hayley encourages anyone to donate directly to The Daisy Garland.

For more information and to make a donation, visit The Daisy Garland’s website here.