Whittlesey’s Garden of Rest set to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week
Fenland town will host ‘special display to remember all the babies lost’
Families in Whittlesey and the surrounding area who have been forced to mourn the loss of a baby will get the opportunity to come together during Baby Loss Awareness Week (October 9-15).
Blue, pink and white ribbons displaying names of local babies being remembered will be tied to the railings of The Garden of Rest in Whittlesey from October 9, and and will remain in place until the 15th.
The display is being coordinated by local woman Adele Mann:
“During Baby Loss Awareness Week, I wanted to create a special display to remember all the babies lost, whether recently or long ago,” she said.
Adele is a dedicated supporter of Sands, the charity which, along with leading Baby Loss Awareness Week, works to save babies’ lives and support bereaved families.
“Sadly, pregnancy and baby loss affects families across the UK every day and they may feel they are alone in their grief,” Adele explained.
“I hope the display raises awareness and breaks the silence surrounding pregnancy and baby loss [as] it is impacting so many people in our local community.”
According to Sands, 13 families a day lose their baby before, during or shortly after birth in the UK. Estimates suggest at least 15 per cent of pregnancies end in miscarriage.
Sadly, Adele’s own experiences mirror these statistics:
“We, unfortunately, lost our little girl last year in August,” she said. “Lottie was born sleeping at 28 weeks and three days on August 23, 2023.”
As well as raising awareness, Adele is hoping the display will help raise funds for the charity:
“All money raised from the display will go to Sands, so they can continue to support families and reduce baby deaths,” she said.
Anyone who would like to get involved in the display is welcome to add their own ribbon, with their baby/ies name(s) and/or a short message. Alternatively, people can get Adele to add a ribbon on their behalf by contributing a small donation to the display’s JustGiving page.
More information can be found on the associated Facebook page at https://fb.me/e/7LR4ATtCx