On Thursday 11 September, we were thrilled to be back at BGC Partners’ London HQ for their annual Charity Day.
Every year, global brokerage company BGC donate 100% of the day’s trading revenue to charities, in memory of the colleagues and friends they lost in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre.
We were joined by our wonderful Patron Holly Willoughby, who headed to the trading floor and helped raise money for our Butterfly Fund which provides vital support to families when their child dies.
Holly was joined by mum Sophie, who sadly lost her daughter Violet when she was just 11 days old.
Remembering Violet
During a 20-week scan, a problem was detected with Violet’s heart, but no-one could predict her life expectancy. Baby Violet died at 11 days old, at home in Mum Sophie’s arms.
Shortly before Violet died, her eyes had changed from baby blue to brown: “She died with my eyes,” said Sophie. “She just fell asleep in my arms, without any pain.”
Following Violet’s death, Sophie’s world suddenly became very quiet: “I found that I had a lot of support throughout my pregnancy, before she was born, during labour and when she came home. There were so many appointments. But as soon as she died that stopped. It fell silent.”
Until one day she received a call from Together for Short Lives, to let her know she would soon receive a £300 grant from The Butterfly Fund. “When we had the call about the Butterfly Fund, the lady was on the phone for a while – it was so nice to know that there was somebody there, that the outside world was ticking along,” said Sophie.
Sophie used the money to buy Violet a special casket for her funeral and a wooden plaque for Violet that’s in a shelter overlooking a beautiful meadow. “We can go and visit, walk and remember her. It’s not a sad place. It’s beautiful.”
Because of the pandemic, we couldn’t have the funeral we would have wanted for Violet, with all of our friends and family, and so we wanted to make it as special as we could for her. We wanted a particular casket for Violet, and the Butterfly Fund grant enabled us to get it. It was a great support, knowing we could get everything we wanted for her funeral.
Sophie
Financial support for bereaved families
No family should ever have to worry about money when their child dies, and the funds raised by BGC Partners in memory of the lives lost during 9/11 will make sure they don’t have to.
Watch the highlights from BGC Charity Day 2025 in our video below…
