Worksop hospital charity seeks support for baby loss awareness week

The awareness week, now in its 20th year, is an opportunity for everyone who has experienced such bereavement to come together to remember and commemorate much-loved and missed little ones.

The week also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss, the importance bereavement support plays and the vital work needed to improve pregnancy outcomes and save babies’ lives.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity, which also supports Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Mexborough’s Montagu Hospital launched a ‘Serenity Appeal’ in February, to make major enhancements and improvements to its bereavement services within maternity.

The hospitals trust is hoping to raise £150,000 to fund a mobile ultrasound scanner for the early pregnancy unit at Bassetlaw Hospital, a dedicated bereavement suite at DRI and refurbishments to two counselling rooms for services across both sites.

Throughout the week, the charity, alongside the trust bereavement midwives and the EPU team will be visiting locations across Bassetlaw, including Morrisons stores in Worksop and Retford, to provide support to families and raise awareness of the appeal.

The charity will run various events including a 12-hour walk followed by a lantern walk in partnership with Sands United South Yorkshire on October 8, and a charity concert organised by Thorne Rural Lions on October 9. The week will end with its second skydive on October 14.

The charity is also working with businesses and key landmarks across the community asking them to light pink and blue throughout the duration of the week alongside the hospitals, or alternatively, to illuminate on October 15, or just an hour that day, from 7-8pm, to join in with the global Wave of Light.

Rhian Morris, DBTH bereavement midwife, said: “I hope our awareness week activities will spark conversations about baby loss and give bereaved parents and families an opportunity to talk about their precious babies, while supporting The Serenity Appeal.

“To date, we’ve raised more than £80,000 towards the appeal, but still have a long way to go to help us reach our final target of £150,000 and we urge you to consider supporting DBTH Charity during this week to help us continue to raise funds towards the appeal.”

See dbthcharity.co.uk/serenity-appeal