A BABY loss support charity has been handed funds to help families in their hour of need.
The Lily Mae Foundation was presented with a cheque for £1,500 from Barratt Homes as part of the Barratt Foundation which is designed to support charities to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.
The donation will be dedicated to the charity’s Memory Box Programme.
This is a keepsake box personally packed by volunteers which includes clay, ink and jewellery print kits for parents to keep hold of their baby’s handprints and footprints for a lifetime.
Ryan Jackson, managing director at The Lily Mae Foundation, said: “Although we can never ease the pain a parent feels when they lose their baby, our memory boxes create tangible memories they can share with others who will never be able to meet their baby.
“It helps with the grieving process, supporting mental health not just at the time their baby dies, but for many years after too, as the memory box can be opened at any time.”
Also in the charity’s memory box, bereaved parents will find a small keepsake box for a lock of hair or hospital band, a storybook parents can read to their baby, a memory card for pictures taken in the hospital and two teddy bears are also included; one for the parents and one for their baby, which are then swapped before the parents say goodbye.
The Lily Mae Foundation supports around 2,600 grieving parents and family members per year through its Memory Box Programme, which is distributed to 14 hospitals in the West Midlands, including University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Adrian Evans, managing director of Barratt Homes West Midlands, said: “We are very proud to support the charity’s immense work and encourage others to offer their support in any way they can.”
