Parents to come together to remember stillborn babies
Manchester Cathedral is holding a special ceremony to pay tribute to babies who died during pregnancy or shortly after birth
Parents who have lost children during pregnancy or at birth are being urged to join together at a special service at Manchester Cathedral.
The event, organised by the national charity The Mariposa Trust, wants to unite people to help them celebrate the lives of children lost 'too young'.
The Saying Goodbye service is one of the first ceremonies for people who have lost a baby during pregnancy, at birth, or in infancy.
Established by Zoe & Andy Clark-Coates (who have personally suffered the loss of 5 babies,) the services aim to remember and acknowledge the lives lost or cut short in a moving and reflective service. Open to people of all faiths or no faith, the services are free to attend, and feature music, poetry, personal stories and more. Additionally, the organisation has 6 national support divisions, providing a wide range of support options.
Claire Maxwell, from Blackpool, lost her son Jackson in 2010:
"Reaching out for help saved my life really. To sit in a room with people who really understand what you're going to through, not to be counselled but to be listened to, takes a real weight off your shoulders.
"You go to very deep, dark places and it's very difficult to come out of it. When you do try to, you feel like you're losing your baby behind. Losing a baby is a different type to any other form of loss.
"I felt like I was completely losing the plot. If you haven't lost a baby, you don't really understand what it's like. The only people who really understand are people who've been through it.
"My nana had lost babies in the 40s and it wasn't until I lost Jackson that she started to talk about it, and she was in her 80s. I don't want people to be afraid to ask questions about the babies, people want to talk about their babies and they don't want them to be forgotten."
The service starts at 2:30pm at Manchester Cathedral.