In September 2021, a tragedy unfolded at the Jelly Beans Day Nursery in Ashford, Kent, that would reverberate through the UK’s childcare sector and prompt sweeping reforms. Nine-month-old Oliver Steeper, known affectionately as Oli, choked on chopped pasta bolognese while in the care of nursery staff. Despite being rushed to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and later transferred to Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Oli suffered a catastrophic brain injury due to oxygen deprivation and died six days later. His parents, Lewis and Zoe Steeper, had not yet begun to wean him onto solid food, believing he was not ready for such meals.
For the Steeper family, the loss was incalculable. As Zoe Steeper later reflected, “It really touches at your heartstrings when you see that practitioners are taking on board what has been said and they are actively working towards making their settings as safe as they can be. The fact that underpinning all of that is Oli, it’s amazing, it’s really incredible.”
The aftermath of Oliver’s death was marked by grief, frustration, and a determined quest for accountability. An inquest into the incident found that the level of first aid provided by nursery staff was “overall of a poor standard,” as reported by BBC and The Independent. Guidelines were not properly followed, and an expert in resuscitation testified that the first aid delivered at the nursery was inadequate. Coroner Katrina Hepburn, who presided over the inquest, sent a prevention of future deaths report to the Department for Education. She warned that the general standard at the time—requiring only one first-aider per nursery—could “pose a risk to future life.”
For the Steepers, the legal process was arduous. They eventually reached a six-figure financial settlement with the former Jelly Beans Day Nursery, which closed soon after Oli’s death. Importantly, the settlement was made without any admission of liability from the nursery. The family’s solicitor, representing them through the law firm Leigh Day, confirmed the agreement but emphasized that for Lewis and Zoe, the battle had always been “about accountability” rather than compensation.
“No amount of financial compensation can ever equate to the loss of our child,” Lewis Steeper said, as quoted by BBC, “but this resolution allows us to focus our energies on ensuring that no other family endures the same devastation that we have suffered whilst ensuring Oliver’s brother Jake has the best of futures ahead.”
The Steepers’ experience galvanized them into action. Since Oli’s death, they have campaigned relentlessly for better safety measures around weaning babies onto solid food and for improved emergency first aid provision in nurseries. Their advocacy, echoed in media coverage by BBC and The Independent, was instrumental in spurring government reforms. New safer-eating guidelines for childcare providers came into force in September 2025, requiring staff to consult with parents about a child’s weaning stage, prepare food in ways that minimize choking risk, and—crucially—ensure that a staff member with a valid paediatric first-aid certificate is always present while children are eating.
“It was surreal and bittersweet to see these reforms, because Oli had to die,” Zoe Steeper told the PA news agency, as reported by The Independent. “I feel like if it hadn’t been Oli, it would have been another child. We hear stories about children who are still dying from choking in childcare settings so I still think there is a long way to go but whenever we hear it, it is comforting to know that underneath it all is Oli.”
The reforms also stipulate that children must always be within sight and hearing of a staff member while eating, and that food must be prepared in a way that prevents choking. These changes, welcomed by the Steepers, represent a significant step forward in safeguarding young children in nurseries across the UK. As Zoe Steeper noted, “We can put that chapter of Oli’s life behind us and remember him positively.”
Beyond campaigning, the Steepers established the Oliver Steeper Foundation in their son’s memory. The charity’s mission is to supply anti-choking devices, specifically the LifeVac, to every registered childcare and early years setting across the UK. The LifeVac works like a plunger, creating suction to remove obstructions from a person’s airway. To date, the foundation has distributed more than 1,450 of these devices nationwide. The initiative has already made a tangible difference: the Steepers themselves used a LifeVac on their second child after he began choking on Calpol, a widely used children’s medicine.
“It’s very humbling when people come up to you at a summer fete and you might get a little kid that puts a pound in the bucket and the next thing someone gives you a £20 note. It’s mind-blowing,” Zoe Steeper shared with The Independent. “Generally, we have been overawed by how many people have come out and supported us, especially with the way things are with the cost of living. That’s the biggest thing that has come out of all of this, the whole process has changed us as people.”
The couple’s advocacy has not only changed regulations but also touched countless lives. Remarkably, following Oliver’s death, the Steepers agreed to donate his organs—a decision that led to his kidneys being transplanted into a 60-year-old man, freeing him from dialysis. “What an amazing thing that is, to know he’s gotten someone off dialysis and given someone a life,” Lewis Steeper said, as reported by The Times and The Independent.
The site of the former Jelly Beans Day Nursery has since been repurposed and now serves as a school for children with special educational needs, a poignant transformation that hints at healing and new beginnings. Yet, for the Steepers, the pain of loss remains, even as they channel their grief into constructive action. “We didn’t even get a decision to make, because the damage was so bad, because of the time he was without oxygen,” Lewis Steeper recalled of the fateful day, his words echoing the profound heartbreak of parents who lost a child too soon.
As the UK’s childcare sector adapts to new safety standards and the Oliver Steeper Foundation continues its work, the legacy of one little boy endures—not just in law, but in the lives saved and the families spared similar grief. For Lewis and Zoe Steeper, the journey through unimaginable pain has become a mission to ensure that no other family suffers as they have. Their story is a testament to resilience, love, and the enduring hope that even the darkest moments can lead to lasting change.
