Special memorial to be installed

*Discusses topics of pregnancy and baby loss which some may find upsetting.*

Swale Borough Council are working with the East Kent Baby Memorial Garden Charity to create a very special memorial in Sittingbourne.

The council will be installing a baby memorial board in King George's Playing Field, where residents touched by pregnancy and baby loss can have a place to remember them.

The board is being provided by the charity and will display personalised terracotta tiles, featuring a name and significant date, in a beautiful garden.

The charity, which hosts events, spreads awareness and offers support to families, currently have nearly 500 baby names recorded across their locations in Ashford, Faversham and Canterbury.

This announcement comes during Baby Loss Awareness Week (09 - 15 October), which aims to give families who have experienced baby loss a safe and supportive space to share their experiences and feel that they are not alone.

The council is also lighting the Sheerness Clock Tower in pink and blue as part of Baby Loss Awareness Week Alliance’s Turning Pink and Blue campaign which aims to “raise awareness one building at a time.”

Baby Loss Awareness Week ends with the global ‘Wave of Light’ on 15 October, where everyone is invited to light a candle at 7pm as a special mark of support and remembrance.

For more information, support, self-care advice and to find out ways you can get involved during the week, visit www.babyloss-awareness.org.

Cllr Sarah Stephen, Woodstock ward councillor, said:

“I was a midwife for 30 years, the last 10 of which I specialised in early pregnancy loss running one of the UK’s first Early Pregnancy Units, so this project is very close to my heart.

“I have seen the devastation and heartache that losing a baby causes, and how important it is for families to have somewhere to go where they can remember their little ones, and know they are not alone in their grief.

“Some people may have memorials at a cemetery or crematorium, but these are usually extremely expensive and often unaffordable for many bereaved families, so having this public space dedicated to their special babies can hopefully bring some solace to them.

“The fee helps the charity continue operating and enables the creation of more memorials like this one, but of course if you are struggling financially there are ways they can help you remember your special baby with a name tile.”

Cllr Richard Palmer, chair of the Community and Leisure Committee said:

“We are proud to be working with this charity as our new memorial is a small, but meaningful way for us to show support to people going through pregnancy and baby loss.

“We are also supporting Baby Loss Awareness Week by lighting the Sheerness Clock Tower pink and blue, I would like to encourage everyone to be kind and thoughtful this week, and beyond, as this topic can be very upsetting.

“If you are dealing with baby loss please reach out to friends, family and support, like this charity, you aren’t alone and there is help out there.”

Chris Twydell, Volunteer Treasurer for East Kent Baby Memorial Garden charity, said:

“It is wonderful that we are able to announce these meaningful plans during Baby Loss Awareness Week and we are grateful to Swale Council for helping to make it happen.

“Our charity aims to create a safe environment where people can talk to us about their own baby loss, over the years we have chatted to hundreds of bereaved parents, many of whom have rarely - or never - talked about their special babies.

“Through speaking with us these families realise they were not as alone as they thought, and that there is support available.”

The tiles for the new Sittingbourne memorial board can be ordered for £40, with payment plans available depending on people’s circumstances, from the charities’ website.

The money raised supports the charity to continue their work, and they hope to be able to have the first plaques in before Christmas.

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