Rally call for help to create sanctuary at hospital
Baby loss charity Forever Stars has launched a £50,000 appeal to help support Nottingham families who have suffered miscarriages – and it needs your help.
Forever Stars has named its appeal Supporting 1 in 4 for 2024, as around one in four pregnancies ends with a miscarriage.
Its appeal will revamp Ward 23 at QMC, part of our Emergency Gynaecology and Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit, which gives specialist care and support to around 10 families experiencing baby loss every day. The charity also aims to transform an outside space into a sanctuary and remembrance garden for families.
“We are an area that sees a lot of sadness and we want to do what we can to make our ward a more positive place for our patients,” says A23 matron Lucy Groves. “There is no bereavement area or “serenity” suite - these women deliver in a clinical environment. Forever Stars has already funded the fixtures and fittings to change two delivery rooms into bereavement suites.”
“The garden is a sanctuary where families can retreat to try to deal with the weight of their loss,” says Forever Stars co-founder Richard Daniels. “It’s also a valuable waiting area for fathers, and somewhere siblings can get fresh air and be kept occupied and distracted playing with toys while the rest of the family receives treatment. But it needs a lot of attention.”
Lucy said: “The campaign will fund a garden with a remembrance area, where families can plant a flower in memory of their baby, and it will also be a place for reflection.”
Forever Stars was set up by Richard and his wife Michelle after the stillbirth of their daughter Emily on 19 December 2013.
“A23 has a fantastic team that supports families dealing with baby loss,” says Richard. “We really want to create a better environment for families at what is a very difficult and scary time.”
“We desperately need help – donations and resources from as many people and businesses as possible. As well as raising funds, we need people to donate their skills, time, materials, and talents.”
The charity is appealing to local artists to paint murals, and have a ‘want’ list:
- seating, heating and lighting
- audio systems
- artificial grass
- bedding plants
- children’s outdoor toys
“This is one of our biggest ever challenges, and something we know we can’t do alone. We need as many people as possible to help us to create a truly special environment for the families that need to use the ward. Support – big or small - can make a genuine difference to families who rely on A23 during their miscarriage journey,” says Richard.
To donate your time, expertise or materials, please email: enquiries@foreverstars.org.