A public memorial service for families affected by pregnancy or baby loss will take place at Holy Trinity Church in Darlington on Sunday 11 October at 4pm. The service is open to everyone, regardless of faith, background, when a loss happened or the circumstances around it.
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust announced the gathering as part of Baby Loss Awareness Week, which runs nationally from 9 to 15 October. The week brings together more than 100 charities to remember babies, make support easier to find and press for better bereavement care.
Support centred on each family
The Trust says its maternity, chaplaincy and photography teams work together to provide individual support. Families can receive care at Darlington Memorial Hospital or the University Hospital of North Durham, with a dedicated bereavement midwife offering specialist guidance.
At Darlington Memorial Hospital, the bereavement room has recently been improved with NHS England funding. The work has added a television, microwave, kettle, fridge and sofa bed, along with new doors and fresh paintwork. Artwork and softer furnishings are also due to be added, with the aim of giving families greater privacy and a calmer, more comfortable place to spend time together.
Julie Gilbert, Matron for Acute Maternity Services at Darlington Memorial Hospital, said the Trust wanted families to have “privacy, time and a comfortable space” alongside support shaped around their individual needs.
Practical care and lasting memories
Clinical photography staff can provide professional photographs, which are placed in a memory book with keepsakes. Some items are donated by the baby-loss charity 4Louis. Families can also use a digital camera to take their own photographs in hospital or at home if they wish.
Cuddle cots are available to give families additional time with their baby. Privacy prams allow babies to be moved discreetly around the hospital, while the Chaplaincy Team offers pastoral and spiritual care. The Trust says this support is available to people of all faiths and none.
A place to remember in Darlington
The Darlington memorial service is at Holy Trinity, Woodland Road, on Sunday 11 October at 4pm. A second service will be held at St Cuthbert’s Church in Durham on Wednesday 14 October at 7.15pm. Both are intended as quiet opportunities for families to remember their babies and reflect alongside other people with similar experiences.
The national awareness week ends on 15 October with the Global Wave of Light, when people are invited to light a candle at 7pm in memory of babies who have died. It is one of the ways the campaign recognises that grief and the support people need can look different from one family to another.
How to find out more
The Trust has not stated that advance booking is required for the Darlington service. Anyone who wants to check arrangements, discuss accessibility or ask about bereavement support can contact the Chaplaincy Team on 0191 333 2183. Families can also speak to their healthcare professional, whether their loss was recent or happened many years ago.