Family and Friends of Air India Crash Victims Sunny & Monali Patel Raise Over £8,000 for IVF Charity in Their Memory

Turning heartbreak into hope” — The Fertility Foundation launches the Sunny & Mini Little Miracle Grant to support aspiring parents facing infertility

The Fertility Foundation has announced the creation of the Sunny & Mini Little Miracle Grant following an extraordinary fundraising effort by the family and friends of Sunny and Monali (“Mini”) Patel, the London couple who tragically lost their lives in the Air India Flight AI171 crash in June 2025.

The emotional fundraising walk, organised in honour of the couple, has already raised more than £8,000 for the UK fertility charity, helping fund IVF treatment grants for people struggling to afford fertility care.

Sunny Patel, 39, and Monali Patel, 38, from South Norwood, London, were among more than 240 people killed when Air India Flight AI171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025. The couple had been returning to London Gatwick after visiting family in Gujarat following a holiday in Thailand.

Known affectionately by loved ones as “Sunny and Mini,” the couple were remembered as “a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love” whose warmth, kindness and devotion deeply impacted everyone around them.

Their loved ones chose to honour their memory by supporting a cause that was deeply personal to the couple — fertility treatment and IVF support.

The newly established Sunny & Mini Little Miracle Grant will support individuals and couples pursuing IVF treatment through The Fertility Foundation’s national grant programme, continuing the legacy the couple’s family says they would have wanted.

In a statement shared with The Fertility Foundation, the family said:

“This walk is more than just steps for us – it’s a promise. A promise to carry their memory forward, to turn heartbreak into hope, and to share their story so that others feel less alone.

Every donation, no matter how small, helps keep Mini and Sunny’s light shining – and helps create the little miracles they dreamed of.”

The Fertility Foundation, a UK-registered charity providing IVF grants and fertility support to people unable to afford treatment, said the fundraiser would directly change lives.

Tone Jarvis-Mack, co-founder of The Fertility Foundation, said:

“Reading the family’s heartfelt words, it’s clear how deeply Sunny and Mini were loved and how beautifully their legacy is being carried forward.

Raising over £8,000 is an extraordinary achievement, and we are truly humbled by the kindness and commitment shown in their memory.

These funds will go directly towards helping individuals and couples access IVF treatment and experience the hope of becoming parents — the very dream Sunny and Mini held so closely in their hearts.”

The special grant has now officially opened through The Fertility Foundation and will support eligible applicants beginning in 2026.

The Fertility Foundation has awarded fertility grants across the UK since 2017, supporting low-income individuals and couples with IVF funding, emotional support and guidance throughout their fertility journey. The charity has helped fund fertility treatment for families across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For more information about the Sunny & Mini Little Miracle Grant, visit:

Sunny & Mini Little Miracle Grant

For media enquiries, interviews or images, contact:

The Fertility Foundation Media Contact