In brief: Jersey fertility charity Tiny Seeds is hosting its biggest fundraising dinner to date, marking five years of supporting islanders through fertility struggles. The sell-out event is accompanied by an online auction offering lots including tickets to the Bergerac season three premiere, artwork, hotel stays and pottery lessons.
Five Years of Filling a Gap
Fertility struggles affect an estimated one in six people in Jersey, yet for many the journey can feel profoundly isolating. Tiny Seeds was founded by Chloé Fosse, who drew directly on her own experience. “After navigating multiple cycles of treatment over many years, I experienced first-hand how isolating the journey can be, alongside the practical and financial hurdles of accessing more higher-level fertility treatment off island,” she told Bailiwick Express. “I felt that something needed to change.”
That determination has grown into a charity offering monthly support meetings, sessions focused on specific areas of infertility, one-to-one counselling and a private online support group. For islanders who do not qualify for government-funded IVF, Tiny Seeds also provides £400 grants towards the travel and accommodation costs of going off-island for treatment. More than 160 such grants have been awarded since the programme began in 2023, according to Bailiwick Express.
The Biggest Fundraiser Yet
This week coincides with National Fertility Awareness Week, which aims to challenge myths and taboos around fertility, improve understanding of infertility, signpost support and raise funds for those affected. Tiny Seeds has timed its flagship event accordingly, and the charity hopes the dinner combined with its online auction will “raise more money from a single fundraiser than ever before.”
The dinner itself is sold out, but the online auction, which launched at the start of the week, remains open until 10.45pm tonight. Lots include tickets to the Bergerac season three premiere, a commissioned piece of artwork, overnight hotel stays and pottery lessons. Not a bad spread, it has to be said.
Headline sponsor Dr Jessica Langtree-Marsh of Fertility Health Hub Jersey spoke warmly of the charity’s contribution to clinical care. “The support provided by Tiny Seeds is invaluable during what is often one of the most difficult periods of their lives,” she said. “Despite being a relatively small organisation, they provide unwavering compassion, practical support, and a sense of community for those who can otherwise feel very isolated. The work they do complements clinical care enormously.”
Why It Matters for Jersey
Jersey’s small, close-knit community can be a source of great strength, but it can also amplify the sense of exposure that comes with navigating a deeply personal medical journey. The island’s geography adds a further layer of difficulty: higher-level fertility treatments are simply not available locally, meaning couples face the financial and logistical burden of travelling to the UK or elsewhere, on top of the emotional weight they are already carrying.
The £400 travel grants are a modest but meaningful contribution to easing that burden, and the fact that more than 160 have been awarded in just over two years speaks to genuine demand. Charities like Tiny Seeds fill spaces that neither the health service nor the government can easily reach, providing the kind of peer support and community that clinical settings, however excellent, are not designed to offer.
Source: Bailiwick Express
