The Maternity Bereavement Team at Medway NHS Foundation Trust will host its first in person memorial service for Baby Loss Awareness Week (Sunday 9 to Saturday 15 October 2022) since the pandemic.
Open to the public, the Annual Service of Remembrance and Hope will feature a special performance by Our Sam charity’s Our Stars Choir when it is held at St Augustine’s Church, Rock Avenue, Gillingham, on Saturday 15 October 2022 from 3pm to 5pm.
Set up in November 2020, the choir, which is for parents affected by baby loss, aims to bring parents together to do something positive, reduce isolation, and also allow people to boost their confidence through new and positive challenges with music.

Following the memorial service, Lead Specialist Bereavement Midwife Yvonne Morrison and Bereavement Support Midwife Danielle Burnett, who work for the Trust, will host a live session on the Medway Maternity Facebook group, during which they will join the global wave of light by lighting at candle at 7pm on the same day (Saturday 15 October 2022) in memory of every baby who has died. As well as being a moment for people to reflect and remember they can also posts comments and questions for Yvonne and Danielle to answer during the Facebook live session.
A number of other events have also been arranged by the team to help raise awareness of the event. Medway Maritime Hospital’s clock tower will be illuminated in pink and blue throughout the week. And on Tuesday 11 October 2022, from 9am to 3pm, there will be stands in the main entrance of the hospital where patients, visitors and staff can pick up information leaflets about baby loss and speak to the Maternity Bereavement Team and representatives from the charity Cherished Whispers.
Yvonne said: “Baby Loss Awareness Week is an opportunity for bereaved parents, families and their friends, to commemorate babies’ lives, raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss, and to drive forward improvements in both care and support for those affected and to save babies’ lives in the future.
“One in four people in the UK experience pregnancy or baby loss. However, stigma and silence can often mean families feel isolated in their grief.”
Danielle said: “We hope that all the events we have planned, especially the clock tower being lit in pink and blue, will help start more conversations about pregnancy and baby loss, and by doing so help bereaved parents and families feel more able to talk about their babies and find ways to look after themselves and others.
”Whether you’re a bereaved parent, grandparent, sibling, a healthcare professional, or are supporting someone through the loss of their own child, please remember, you are not alone and that help and support is available through charities such as Abigail’s Footsteps, Cherished Whispers, Making Miracles, 4Louis, and Sands.”
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