A mother-of-three has started a petition to have the father of her twin daughters put on their birth certificate after he was hit by a train and killed when she was five months pregnant.
Grace Lewis, 26, from Romford, Havering, expressed her sadness after her late partner Billy Townsend, 24, never got to meet their daughters Billie-Rose and Bella-Rae Townsend, 18 months.
Billy was struck by a fast-moving train at Goodmayes Station in Ilford on the morning of July 31 2018 when, fearing he would be late, the duct worker crossed the tracks to a different platform.
He sadly died at The Royal London Hospital on 3rd August after he was taken off his life support machine.
Grace Lewis, 26, (pictured with her son Mason from a previous relationship) from Romford, Havering, expressed her sadness after her late partner Billie Townsend (pictured), 24, never got to meet their daughters Billy-Rose and Bella-Rae Townsend, 18 months
Tragically the incident occurred just three days after a family garden party where the unmarried couple announced the gender of their twins. Billy was reportedly in ‘high spirits’ at the prospect of their future together.
Grace, who gave birth to the twins in November 2018 and is also mother to four-year-old Mason from a previous relationship, has started a petition to have Billy put on their birth certificates.
The former accounts assistant revealed how, shortly after his funeral, she started looking into having him put on their daughters’ birth certificates, having been warned it could be a lengthy process.
She visited a citizen’s advice service in September 2018, where she was informed that because the twins were non-identical, they could have different fathers, which could add another complication.
Grace, who gave birth to the twins in November 2018 and is also mother to four-year-old Mason (pictured) from a previous relationship, has started a petition to have Billy put on their birth certificates. Pictured: Bella-Rae (left) and Billie-Rose (right)
Grace was told a DNA test would need to be completed on each child which would then be referred to the East London Family Court for a judge to approve Billy’s name being put on the certificates.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Grace, who has been campaigning for the certificates for nearly two years, said: ‘I understand the measures that the government needs to take, but as a grieving partner, and as someone who is grieving for her unborn children, it seems a bit drastic.
‘It could take years just to get his name put on the birth certificate. Billy would have been such an amazing dad – he already has another daughter, Maisie, who is seven.
Grace revealed how shortly after the twins were born she spoke to the registrar who confirmed two individual DNA tests and a court order would be needed to amend the certificates to feature Billy’s name
‘To have to go to such extreme lengths just to have his name, and rightly so, put under the father category on the birth certificate just seems so unfair.’
Grace revealed how shortly after the twins were born she spoke to the registrar who confirmed two individual DNA tests and a court order would be needed to amend the certificates.
She added: ‘I need a declaration of parentage first, where you have to send a birth certificate. But even on that form there is no where to state that the parent is deceased.
‘The lengths that I am having to go to just to put his name on is just extreme.’
Grace, who started the petition at the weekend, revealed how she was amazed by the support in just 48 hours. It has already amassed 2,659 signatures
Grace revealed how Billy’s brother Matt Townsend would be the closest DNA match in helping the girls have their father on their certificates, and told how his family is supporting her.
She added: ‘The whole family are all striving to achieve it because Billy was such a proud person.
‘He donated five of his organs and if he was willing to go to such great lengths to help people, then I will do what I can to help other women that I dread to think have a similar situation to me.
Grace added how she is hoping someone can point her in the right direction regarding the documents that need to be sent and in what order after revealing how ‘confusing’ the process is. Pictured with Billy
Grace continued: ‘Even if they relax it just a little bit and make it a bit easier, that is just what I am striving to reach. It is the prolonging, the extremity of it and having to go to court.’
Speaking about the emotional strain of losing a partner as a new mother while juggling this battle, Grace said: ‘I feel now I am at a place to do it, whereas before I wasn’t mentally prepared to fight for it.
‘My children have the right for it and I want to do it for them because at some point when they are older I will have to go through what happened with them.
‘We are constantly talking about their dad and looking at pictures and they have his memory. But when it comes to the point of telling them, I would like to show them what we had done for them.
‘Just for them to know what a good person he was, and what we were willing to do to have him put on there for him.’
She added: ‘What frustrates me as well is that anyone could walk into a registry office with someone, to be put on the birth certificate without proof they are the father.
‘I don’t see why there is such a big fuss when it is so easy to get any random name put on it – yet I can’t get a deceased person put on it. To me, it seems completely wrong.’
The mother added how she is hoping someone can point her in the right direction regarding the documents that need to be sent and in what order after revealing how ‘confusing’ the process is.
‘My girls will never have that chance to hear Billy’s voice, although we have videos. To physically see him or hear him and he never got the chance to see them walk or laugh,’ she said.
‘It just feels like he has been taken the chance to see them grow so why can’t he just have that one small right to be on their birth certificate?
‘That is all he is left with in rights. It’s like they have made it so hard on purpose and I will fight tooth and nail for it as much as I can.’
Speaking about life as a single-parent during lockdown, Grace said it has been ‘hard’ especially as Billy-Rose has trouble with walking and is awaiting a referral.
Yet, she added: ‘It is more memories I am making with my children.’
Grace, who started the petition at the weekend, said she was amazed by the support in just 48 hours, which has already amassed 2,659 signatures.
‘It’s amazing, I am really shocked. It does show that when people pull together things can be achieved,’ she said.