Bereaved parents 'not alone' as remembrance weekend held at Torbay hospital
ITV News West Country's Marina Jenkins went along the the event.
A special event has been held in Torquay for bereaved parents to celebrate and remember the lives of their child.
Torbay Hospital put on a craft workshop on Saturday 30 November, a chance for families to connect with each other.
On Sunday 1 December, a service was held at All Saints Church in Babbacombe, where hospital staff and parents shared their experiences.
The event happens on the first weekend in December every year, and is open to anyone who has lost a child during pregnancy, birth or childhood.
Ceri Morris, a senior midwife at the hospital, said: "What we’ve found over the years is that when we bring people together to do crafting they talk better when they’re side by side.
"It’s really nice that people understand that our care that we give doesn’t just end when we discharge them. We’re still remembering you and your loss."
Quinn Irish was only 12-years-old when he died in December 2022. He suffered brain damage as a baby after contracting a common virus, leaving him with profound learning difficulties and complex medical needs.
David Irish, Quinn's father, said: "There's a certain amount of trauma that comes out, massive grief and questioning. But events like this help you to start to manage that.
"You don't deal with it but you learn to live with it. It's emotional but it's also Quinn still being with us."
Quinn's mother, Lydia, said: "However you celebrate Christmas, it's a time for family, so it's going to be a time when people we've lost, are remembered.
"So it feels really appropriate and poignant that there is a seasonal event where we can come together and meet other families."
Becky Jeffery suffered a miscarriage at 19 weeks and three days. She says the aftercare her family received from the midwives helped them process the loss of Oscar.
Becky said: "It was traumatic because I had to go through the labour. It was my first pregnancy, I didn't know what was going to happen. You know the inevitable is going to happen as well, so it's trying to manage so many feelings.
"We had a little funeral service for Oscar at the hospital and it really helped with the grieving afterwards.
"It's nice knowing you're not alone, socialising with other families and watching the kids have fun. Knowing you are helping each other."
The remembrance weekend takes place annually, with staff from Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s maternity unit, chaplaincy services and children’s community nursing team organising the events alongside local parents.
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