Repaying the place they’ll never forget
 Now, after a dream wedding in the Caribbean on June 11, the couple, who have just moved into their new home in Airth, near Falkirk, are finally looking forward to the future.
And, a week ago, Tracey and Gareth made their first trip back to Rachel House since their wedding. They were there to present a cheque for a staggering £3000 for our campaign in memory of their darling daughter Brionni.
She was born on January 13, 2000, at Falkirk Royal Infirmary and was a bright, bundle of joy. She seemed to be a perfectly healthy baby. But at three months she was diagnosed with the genetic condition, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Doctors broke the news to the devastated young couple that the baby they loved so dearly would be unlikely to make it to her first birthday.
And, just weeks before that birthday, little Brionni passed away.
However, while she was ill, Tracey and Gareth say the support from Rachel House was everything they could have asked for. Visiting Rachel House for the first time since their wedding, the couple admitted it was nice to be back.
Strange
Tracey reflected, “I know it sounds strange, and there’s no way I’d want to go through it all again, but I do miss the people here and the house. It made a bad thing as good as it could be.”
Tracey and Gareth keep in regular contact with staff at Rachel House, who they say really helped them come to terms with their loss.
“The staff here are great,” Tracey smiles. “It was actually the Reverend here, Kaye, who did our wedding blessing. She made it really personal — it was lovely.”
And raising funds for both CHAS and The Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy has also been a way for them to pay tribute to Brionni, with friends and family getting involved.
Tracey and her mum Mary Craig, sister Wendy McInally and friend Karen Horrocks make cards which they sell at craft fairs as a way of raising funds.
Memory
However the £3000 they raised came from a sponsored walk which has now become an annual event. Tracey explains, “We wanted to keep Brionni’s memory alive by raising funds. And so we have a walk every year in our area to raise money.
We didn’t actually have one this year because of the wedding, but this is all the money collected from last year’s walk. We split the total equally between CHAS and The Jennifer Trust.”
And they presented the massive cheque to Libby Gold at Rachel House. Libby said, “It’s nice they’ve kept in touch and good to hear how they’re doing. Brionni was a beautiful wee girl.”
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Gareth hands over £3000 to Lusia Thomson and her son Ross (who has type 2 SMA) of the Jennifer Trust, while Tracey presents £3000 to CHAS volunteer Libby Gold and Steven Grant (right) who was staying at Rachel House. 
