Bereaved families in Torbay and South Devon who have lost babies, however long ago, are being invited to remember them in a very special way this Christmas.
Torbay Hospital’s annual baby remembrance weekend is being held this year on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th December to provide all who have experienced the loss of a baby with a way to remember their loved ones.
The remembrance weekend is arranged each year by staff from Torbay Hospital’s maternity unit, Emergency Department and chaplaincy service along with local parents and the Totnes branch of SANDS (Still Birth and Neonatal Death Society), ‘Little Footprints’.
The theme this year is ‘love in every tear’. Events taking place over the remembrance weekend are:
Saturday 5 December (2pm – 4pm) Bayview Restaurant, Torbay Hospital
Family Craft Day – families with children of all ages can use creative crafts to build memories supported by the hospital’s chaplaincy, nursing and midwifery staff and other families. There will be opportunities to make teardrop themed Christmas decorations to remember loved little ones and other craft activities particularly suited to the younger age group.
Sunday 6 December
The annual Baby Remembrance Service will be held in the Hospital’s Chapel (3pm – 4pm) with the Hospital’s Staff Choir. This year, families are invited to place a glass teardrop into a collecting bowl to represent the love in every tear. There will then be the chance to light a candle and write a message on a star to hang on a remembrance tree in the chapel.
Following the service, refreshments will be served in Bayview Restaurant with the opportunity to meet with staff as well as other families with similar experiences.
There is no need to book a place; people can simply turn up to either event.
Rev. Martin Manley of Torbay Hospital Chaplaincy said: “Christmas is often a time of mixed emotions for families who have experienced the loss of a baby and we know that over the years this event has helped to bring some comfort.
“Losing a baby, whether in pregnancy or in the early days or months of life, can affect everyone in the family; parents, grandparents, siblings and the wider extended family. The remembrance weekend aims to provide all who have experienced the loss of a baby with a way to remember their loved ones no matter how long ago they experienced their loss. We would be delighted to meet you.”
For further information about the baby remembrance weekend, or for extra support, contact the hospital’s Chaplaincy on 01803 654186.
