Bereaved parents create album to process their grief and raise money for children's hospice
Bereaved parents have created an album after being helped to process their grief through songwriting sessions, at Chorley children's hospice Derian House.
A total of 10 families took part in the Keepsake Circle project, run by Cabaret singer and bereaved mum Kiki Deville.
Kiki's baby son, Dexter, died at Derian House in 2007 aged one month and three days.
An album of the songs have been released for sale to raise money for the charity.
The project has even attracted the attention of celebrities, with one of the songs on the album performed by West End star Kerry Ellis.
Each of the ten families were interviewed by Kiki and her songwriting partner Gus about all their favourite memories, funny stories and family traditions.
The pair then took away the stories and crafted the precious memories to music with each family having their own individual song about the child they lost.
The hospice's family support team were on hand to help families deal with any issues the emotional meetings unearthed in follow-up counselling sessions.
Mother Adele Holland, whose son is remembered in Yaaseen's Song, said: "As we approach what would have been our son's 21st birthday we couldn't have been given a greater gift than to write a song...that encapsulates our son and how his life altered ours forever.
For Kiki helping to write the songs and being a patron of the hospice gives her a real sense that she is able to give back to others.
Kiki said: "This project is so special because when everything and everyone else has moved on, music is forever. "
The project has been so successful with families at Derian House that the charity plans to repeat it with another 10 families in 2022 and is even in talks to roll out the services to other hospices from across the UK.
The CD of 10 songs is now available to buy in the hospice charity shops and online.
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