Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is inviting people to attend its annual baby and child loss remembrance service in December.
The annual service, which is now in its 10th year, aims to provide an opportunity for anyone who has suffered a baby or child loss (recently or in the past) to come together to find support and to remember their baby.
It will be led by the Trust’s spiritual care and chaplaincy manager, Rev Martin Abrams, with contributions from other members of the spiritual care team, bereavement and rainbow midwives, and the Trust’s leadership team.
During the service, there will be poignant performances from the Salvation Army and local singer Wendy Chalke.
There will be opportunity for families to make personalised baubles at the service, and place messages and mementos inside them. These will be placed on the tree during the service and then taken to be displayed in the Evergreen Garden at Ormskirk Hospital, after the service.
You will also be able to take other hand made baubles home and place a bauble of love and remembrance on the tree in the Evergreen Garden anytime.
Those unable to attend the service, but who would like a Christmas bauble to be placed in their baby or child’s name, can contact the spiritual care and chaplaincy team by emailing soh-tr.chaplains@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk or calling 01704 704639 and they will arrange this on your behalf.
Spiritual Care Lead, Martin Abrams, said: “It has been a privilege to be part of planning and leading the service for the past 10 years.
“It is of course an occasion which focuses on sad events, but within that the common empathy and support is always valued by those attending. People have valued attending following a recent loss, or a loss a long time ago. The invitation to attend is to anyone who would find it helpful to them.’’
The service will take place on Wednesday, December 4th, at West Lancashire Crematorium in Burscough from 6pm where there will be a chance to make your own individual baubles and enjoy refreshments before the service starts at 6.30pm.
For more information, please contact Martin Abrams or Jan Fraser in the spiritual care and chaplaincy office, by emailing soh-tr.chaplains@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk or calling 01704 704639.
You can also contact Bereavement Midwife, Jo Unsworth, at joanne.unsworth2@merseywestlancs.nhs.uk or phone 07917 974034.