From a grandmother's quest to world leadership in cot death research and infant care...

Over a third of a century ago - in 1971 - a meeting was convened in Cambridge as a result of one grandmother's search to find out why her baby grandson had died suddenly and inexplicably. This gathering led to the founding of the world's first organisation devoted to research, information and support in the field of infant deaths.

FSID has become one of the world's leading authorities on cot death, the UK's largest funder of medical research into sudden infant death, the main source of support for bereaved families and a major information provider.

Key moments:

• 1971 FSID established
• 1972 FSID published its first leaflet for bereaved parents - the first of a dozen different family support leaflets to be published over the coming years.
• 1975 FSID has now funded 16 research projects.
• 1976 FSID works with BBC television on documentary on cot death which greatly boosts public interest.
• 1978 FSID has now helped 1,000 bereaved families. Annual conferences for parents and professionals start. First FSID survey of cot death families' experiences.
• 1979 First leaflet giving general infant care advice published.
• 1980 Infant home care surveillance project starts - it will become the CONI (care of the next infant) scheme in 1988.
• 1984 Daily Mirror newspaper appeal raises nearly £100,000 and leads to the start of FSID's national fundraising programme.
• 1985 HRH The Duchess of Gloucester became the Royal Patron.
• 1987 FSID runs its first befriender training day. There are now over 100 parent groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• 1988 FSID's first National Cot Death Appeal Week marks the beginning of high-profile media role for the charity.
  FSID has now helped almost 6,000 bereaved families.
• 1989 FSID sets up the country's first university department in paediatric pathology.
  FSID organises the world's first SIDS International Conference.
  100 research projects have now been funded.
• 1990 Helpline is launched.
  Regional staff network is established.
• 1991 The Reduce the Risk campaign is launched - it is destined to cut cot deaths by half within one year, and by 75% within 10 y 
• 1992 21st Birthday Appeal raises £2.1m with help from captains of industry.
• 1993 First 1,000 babies go through the CONI programme.
  FSID establishes the country's second department in paediatric pathology.
• 1994 FSID produces new training video for professionals 'Words can't describe how you feel' which wins BMA silver award the following year.
• 1995 FSID sets up the country's first two multi-disciplinary university units devoted to the study of infant death, in Liverpool and Bristol.
  FSID has now funded over 200 research projects and is receiving 10,000 requests from the public.
• 1996 25th Anniversary year. FSID launches new broadened strategy to promote infant health.
  Information programme goes on-line on the internet.
  Reduce the risk advice is updated in partnership with the Department of Health.
• 1997 Launch of mobile information unit takes the reduce the risk message out into the community – targeting inner London boroughs.
  First in a series of baby badges go on sale, raising core funds for FSID.
• 1998 Helpline receives 100,000th call.
  Re-designed website launched.
  'When a baby dies', new booklet for bereaved families is produced.
  Babyzone campaign is launched 'to create the environment babies would ask for'.
• 1999 Special phonecards are issued so bereaved parents can call FSID's helpline free of charge.
  The Care of the Next Infant (CONI) scheme supports 5000 babies.
• 2000 Reduce the risk advice is updated with the Department of Health, incorporating findings from the CESDI study.
  'Responding when a baby dies' FSID's new campaign is launched, calling for more comprehensive and standardised enquiries into sudden infant deaths.
  A new booklet 'Care with confidence' is launched giving reduce the risk advice to babysitters, childminders and other carers. 
• 2001 FSID commemorates the babies who have died and celebrates its achievements in the charity's 30th anniversary year. In this special year FSID:
  produces a cartoon style cot sticker for midwives to use on hospital cots
  produces a collection of 30 parents experiences of when their baby died
  organises an adventure challenge to Kenya
  holds a national conference for professionals on responding when a baby dies.
  Supporters across the country took part in the Big Push to put an end to cot death, organised advent services and a lot more too.
• 2002 FSID funded two important new research projects looking into whether genes have a part to play in cot deaths and into whether high levels of alpho-feto protein in pregnancy are linked to sudden infant deaths.
  FSID adapted its Befriender Preparation Programme to meet new needs.
• 2003 FSID's guidelines on responding to sudden and unexpected infant deaths were accepted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
  We publicised findings of our secret shopper survey, reporting that shops' marketing practices were undermining the campaign to reduce the risk of cost death, eg by selling duvets without labelling them as unsafe for babies under one year.
  As part of Baby Safety Week, we launched the new BabyZone booklet to help parents protect their child against cot death, accidents and infections.
• 2004 FSID organised 99 meetings with, and talked to 2,994 professionals this year.
  FSID published two papers in leading medical journals dealing with problems in investigation of sudden infant deaths and encouraging professionals to adopt our guidelines.
  FSID launched Travelzone, a campaign to keep babies safe while away from home, and filled orders of over 100,000 Travelzone leaflets.
• 2005 FSID-funded researchers published 10 papers in peer-reviewed journals, spreading knowledge about infant death, including that 50% of deaths involve bedsharing.
  FSID launched a new health promotion campaign to alert parents to the potential dangers of bedsharing and the fact that babies are safest sleeping in a cot in the parent’s bedroom for the first six months, reaching 40 million people.
  FSID completed a three-year project, When a Baby Dies, funded by the Department of Health to encourage improved responses by coroners' officers and paediatricians, having trained 387 coroners' officers and 3,858 paediatricians.
  FSID produced a Welsh/English version of Babyzone.
• 2006 Baby Safety Week sees the launch of a new campaign "Sleep on the back, play on the front" with a new leaflet for parents.
  FSID launches new website.
  FSID's bedsharing advice campaign shortlisted for Third Sector magazine 'Excellence in Charities' award.
  FSID completed a three-year project with police in Lancashire to spread safe infant care information among high-risk populations; project shortlisted for a national police award.
  FSID campaign for improved investigation of deaths, launched in 2000, is taken up by government: as of 1 April 2008 improved investigations along the lines FSID campaigned for will become statutory.
  FSID is chosen to organise 10th SIDS international conference to be held 23-26 June 2008 in Portsmouth.
• 2007 FSID publishes updated Reduce the Risk of Cot Death leaflet with the Department of Health, based on new research.
  CONI supports its 10,000th baby.