Bradford Teaching Hospitals’ colleagues are once again organising a poignant memorial service to bring comfort to families affected by the loss of a baby or child.
The ‘Shared Memories Service’ is aimed at helping bereaved parents overcome their grief and will take place at the Listening for Life Centre, Bradford Royal Infirmary, part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, on Saturday, 8 July at 11am.
Due to postponement during COVID this is the first service to be held since 2019.
This will be a simple event which will allow a quiet space to remember and reflect. It is open to all – those with belief and those with no belief – and as in previous years, it will be based around a children’s story, which deals with the concept of death and bereavement. This year the chosen book is ‘Gentle Willow’ by author, Joyce C. Mills. The service will also feature appropriate music and poems.
Reverend Stephen Lees, Church of England SPaRC Practitioner, said:
We know that the journey of grief can be slow and painful, and that the experience of loss can be wide – from early miscarriage to the death of a baby or a child. But we also think that it can be helpful and supportive to gather together and to remember with others, who have shared a similar heartache.
The memorial event gives families the opportunity to talk to each other before and after the service, and that support is as much a key part as the service itself. In our time together we will use a mixture of different things to remember and reflect: hearing a story, the simple making of tokens, music and space for quiet reflection. Through all these things we will remember those we have loved and lost.
We very much welcome individuals, couples or families. We especially cater for siblings and will have a separate children’s programme for children in an adjacent room. Their journey of grief also needs support.
The event will be run by a number of different staff from across the Trust’s Maternity, Paediatrics and SPaRC (Spiritual, Pastoral and Religious Care) teams. Members of staff who parents and families may have met during their visits to hospital will be on hand to offer support or to just simply say “hello”.
People are encouraged to bring along any photographs or mementos of their child which would be placed on a special memory table.
Parents who have attended previous services have commented on how helpful and caring it has been to see the familiar faces of staff who cared for them and their children.
Comments from parents have included:
Having this time and the opportunity to be with other parents who have been through the same was really important.
We did not know what to expect but this was excellent; very touching, very caring, very special, very thoughtful.
As well as parents, other family members and friends who are also grieving are welcome to attend.
The service gives parents and the wider family – siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, as well as close family friends – the chance to share feelings and grieve together as they remember their babies and children, in a supportive environment.
Families who have lost children or babies at the Trust’s hospitals in the past 24 months have been sent invitations to attend but anyone else who thinks they would benefit from the occasion is welcome to attend.
It would be helpful to know how many people will be attending. Please visit: https://forms.office.com/e/6ipZCjsWUr to complete the online form to register.
The event will last around 45 minutes plus time for refreshments. For further details, contact the SPaRC team on 01274 365819 or SPaRCteam@bthft.nhs.uk
Bradford Hospitals’ Charity is supporting the event by funding food, drink and refreshments and craft materials.
The Listening for Life Centre is situated off Smith Lane, Bradford, BD9 5HU. There is also an entrance through a side gate along Smith Lane. Please look out for the signs that will lead you to the Listening for Life Centre.