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Fundraiser festival in memory of 'joyful little girl'

Jody Peters Indie (left), Andy Inkpen (centre) and Jody Peters smiling and looking at the camera. They appear to be in the woods and Indie is in a carrier on Andy's back.Jody Peters
Andy Inkpen said fundraising has been helping him and Jody Peters "cope" with the loss of Indie

A fundraiser festival has taken place in a small back garden dedicated to a "joyful and intelligent little girl" who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

IndieFest was created by Andrew Inkpen and Jody Peters and took place in Bristol earlier this month as a tribute to their daughter, who died at 22 months old in November last year.

"Indie was a very healthy child, but unfortunately, we put her down for a nap, as we do most days, and went to wake her, but she was unresponsive. It's extremely difficult losing a child and not knowing why," Mr Inkpen said.

The couple have so far raised more than £16,000 for Bristol Children’s Hospital intensive care unit and South West Children’s Hospice.

Jody Peters Two young children with their backs to the camera wearing T-shirts branded with 'IndieFest'. They carry the hashtag know you are be lovedJody Peters
More than 100 people attended Indiefest, which had specially made wristbands and t-shirts, to see local artists

Mr Inkpen said they have been focusing on fundraising as a way to "cope" with the heartbreak of losing their daughter.

"It's unimaginable. You're doing everything you can to protect your child and keep them out of harm's way," Mr Inkpen said.

"We had to find a way of coping and dealing with the situation, one of those things was to fundraise."

SIDS is a rare category of death in children over the age of one, in which the cause remains unknown even after thorough investigation.

Jody Peters Andrew Inkpen wearing sunglasses holding Indie. They are both smiling at the camera.Jody Peters
Mr Inkpen said: "It's extremely difficult losing a child and not knowing why"

Indiefest saw more than 100 people visit their small back garden on 10 August, with specially made wristbands, to see local artists who had offered to perform for free.

"The idea was to sort of get a community of people together, anybody that had been touched by Indie in any way, shape or form, to raise money for the charities that had helped us," Mr Inkpen said.

Ms Peters said Indie brought "a lot of joy" to their lives.

"She was our amazing little girl, she was smart and intelligent," she said.

"We don't want this to happen to any other child. Raising money for charity gives us comfort and a focus."

Jody Peters Jody Peters with another woman wearing light blue IndieFest t-shirts while stood in a converted garden shed. Cups and bottles can be seen in the background.Jody Peters
Ms Peters said Indie brought "a lot of joy" into their lives

Ms Peters added that it was "bonkers" they had been able to raise so much money.

"We wouldn't have been able to do it without our strong support network of all our friends, our family and all our Facebook friends donating," she added.

"We would very much like to make Indiefest an annual thing."

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