Baby-loss charity Mariposa Trust to hold special remembrance service at St Andrew's Cathedral in Inverness on September 14
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A CHARITY is inviting people who suffered the loss of a baby to a service of remembrance in Inverness tomorrow.
The Saying Goodbye services, run by the Mariposa Trust, are thought for families, couples and individuals affected by the loss of a baby and are open to people of faith or no faith and for those who have lost a child recently or decades ago.
A service in Inverness will take place on Wednesday, September 14 at 7.30pm at St Andrew’s Cathedral
The charity’s CEO, Zoe Clark-Coates MBE, commented: "Our services are a wonderful opportunity for mothers, fathers, siblings and extended family to say goodbye to their babies and show they are truly loved and will always be missed. It’s our job at the Mariposa Trust to ensure every child is recognised, however fleeting their existence.”
The charity was founded by Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates, who sadly suffered the loss of five babies and saw an extreme lack of support for parents like them, and wanted to give families the space to grieve for their lost babies.
The trust provides free support to people affected by baby loss, pregnancy after baby loss, fertility, and adoption, ans sees over 50,000 people each week, accessing support.
In 2018, Mrs Clark-Coates was appointed by the Secretary of State for Health and 10 Downing Street to chair the National Pregnancy Loss Review, looking at all pre24-week baby loss support in the UK. In addition, Zoe was awarded an MBE for services to baby loss in the Queen’s honours in 2021.
She added: “We invite anyone who has gone through or been affected by baby loss, to join us for this special event.”
The event will feature music, poems, acts of remembrance and more, and allows people to stand with others who have experienced the similar trauma of baby loss, and collectively acknowledge and remember each life lost.
One parent who attended a service said, “The Saying Goodbye service gave me the time and space to formally recognise all of my babies and the experience of being with people who just knew how it felt was a real strength. As I stood with other parents and proudly rang the bell for my 14 babies, I felt unbearable sadness but also a great privilege in being able to properly celebrate their existence. For the first time ever I felt my tears of grief, loss and love were allowed, shared and understood.”
Baby loss affects around one in four pregnancies each year in the UK, with nearly 700 babies lost each day.
