St Stephens Church to open its doors for Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day

St Stephens Church is opening its doors on Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day to remember babies that have died and to reveal plans for new baby memorial garden.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day takes place on 15 October across the world.

St Stephens Church, in Crown Street, is joining together with the Liverpool group of Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, to provide an opportunity for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby to come together and take part in the global ‘Wave of Light’.

Those attending the church at 7pm on Saturday 15 October will be invited to light a candle and leave it burning for at least one hour to remember all the babies that have died during pregnancy, during or after birth.

Debbie Crawley, chair of Liverpool Sands, said: “It’s very sad, but virtually everyone knows somebody who has been touched by the death of a baby – either from miscarriage, stillbirth or a baby that has died shortly after birth.

“We hope the ‘Wave of Light’ will enable everyone – parents, family and friends - to come together for a time of reflection and as it is part of an international initiative, to remember all those babies across the world who are tragically no longer with us.”

Liverpool Sands is also working with St Stephen’s chaplain, Michael Fry, to develop plans for a new baby memorial garden to be created within the grounds of the church.

Debbie continued: “Michael is incredibly supportive of the work Sands undertakes to support parents who have suffered a stillbirth or whose baby has died shortly after birth and in his role as chaplain at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital helps many bereaved parents.

“From an initial chat about how lovely a new memorial garden would be, we are now in a position to invite parents to come along to the church at 5pm on 15 October, have a cup of coffee and appeal to them to get involved.

“We’re determined that the memorial garden should not simply be our vision, but we want everyone to join with us to create a space that honours our babies but which, in our busy lives, also provides a haven of peace and reflection, as well as a place for parents to come if their baby doesn’t have a grave.”

Incredibly 17 babies die every day in the UK – 11 are stillborn and 6 die within 28 days of birth, and ten times more babies are stillborn than die of cot death every year in the UK.

To find out more about plans for the garden or taking part in the ‘Wave of Light’ please contact Debbie Crawley on 07912 607276.

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