Alder Centre relaunch child death helpline
The service received a spike in calls following the tragedy in Southport
As people in Southport continue to recover from the tragedy that saw three little girls lose their lives, Alder Hey is urging anyone affected by the death of a child to call their helpline.
It's run by child-bereaved parents and anyone can call, no matter how long ago or recent the death was.
The helpline was previously a partnership between Great Ormond St Children's Hospital and Alder Hey, with Alder Hey becoming the sole trust responsible for the service in 2023.
It received a spike in calls following the stabbings in Southport in July.
Helpline coordinator Michelle Meredith said:
"Helplines are always really important and we do see an increase when there is a tragedy anywhere in the country.
"We deal with that, it's what we do every day. We're prepared for when incidents like that happen, so we're able to take those calls.
"It brings up lots of feelings for everybody in a community, but even wider. People might not be in that community, but it may bring up feelings from their past bereavements.
"The majority of people up and down the country have got empathy for anyone when there is a child loss and it's just having somewhere for people to go to to be able to speak to someone who gets it on the other end of the phone."
During the relaunch of the service, the helpline invited bereaved families and anyone affected by the death of a child to leave a voice message to their child or children.
They've been stored on a USB stick and buried within the grounds of The Alder Centre.
Diane Barrett, who lost her son Ryan in 2017, has volunteered at the centre every week for the last eight months and is now training to work on the helpline
She said:
"I was in a really bad place when I first came to The Alder Centre, but through counselling, various therapies and just being in a place where I could be normal and talk about anything, they have helped me get to where I am now.
"They have built my confidence and now I can help others going through the same thing, which I think is really special.
"I wanted to make Ryan proud and knew this is what he would have wanted me to do."
The helpline can be called on 0808 800 6019.