Baton honour for fundraiser who lost two young daughters

Tony Frobisher said he wanted to thank Acorns Hospice for the support it had given his family

A man who has raised thousands of pounds for a children's hospice after losing two of his young daughters has been selected as a Commonwealth Games baton bearer.

Tony Frobisher's wife, Rini, gave birth to triplet daughters in 2006, but one died after just 17 days.

Another died later from sepsis, after being cared for by Acorns hospice.

The 53-year-old from Worcester said he had made a promise to raise money in their memory.

He was chosen from over 8,000 entries to be one of the West Midland baton carriers and will be among 2,000 inspirational people selected from around the UK to perform the role ahead of the games in Birmingham.

Mr Frobisher said being chosen had given him a "huge boost" and it had motivated him to want to do more.

Tony Frobisher said he made a fundraising promise to his daughter Milla before her death

His triplets, Jewel, Louisa and Milla were born 16 weeks premature and after Jewel's death, Milla and Louisa spent six months in hospital before coming home.

Within a year Milla was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, meaning she required 24-hour care, was unable to walk or talk and required a feeding tube into her stomach.

The family turned to Acorns for respite care, but Milla later died unexpectedly from a sepsis infection while abroad visiting family.

Since then Mr Frobisher has taken on a number of fundraising challenges, including the Acorns Triple Run in 2014, a 200-mile cycle in 2016 and a 12-hour sing and guitar-a-thon in 2020.

"I made a promise to Milla when she passed away that I would always fundraise and do what I could to keep her memory alive," he said.

"So, it's a really special way to remember both Milla and Jewel."

Tony will join other West Midlands runners for the 22 July leg of the relay.