As a specialist Newborn Photographer I was honoured to join Chesterfield SANDS at the Neverland baby memorial garden in Boythorpe Crematorium to photograph the unveiling of the new memorial & the presentation of a cheque from Sainsbury’s, who chose the charity as their local charity of the year.
It was a Beautiful services with speeches by the co founder of Chesterfield SANDS & The bereavement services staff from Boythorpe Crematorium.
The Ceremony was then followed by a ballon release in memory of all the babies taken too soon.
Chesterfield SANDS is part of the National Sands Charity (Stillbirth and neonatal death charity) and has been set up to offer support to anyone affected by the loss of a baby, at any stage of pregnancy, before, during or after birth.
Nicky Whelan, mum of 3, set up the Chesterfield branch for SANDS after the loss of her 2nd child, Lily, who was sadly born early with a condition that was not comparable with life. Nicky felt that there wasn’t any support in the area for bereaved parents so started on her mission to set one up. She contacted the Derby branch of SANDS and expressed her desire to open a Chesterfield branch.
The group finally launched in 2011 and since then they have gone from strength to strength. They have been able to provide the local hospital with a cold cot, built and launched the Never Land baby memorial garden and raised £30,000 for boythorpe baby garden, which was opened by the mayor in june 2015 and has just celebrated its first anniversary. This was marked with a teddy bears picnic.
The group is run by volunteers and support is given by bereaved parents, who have been befriender trained by the main Sands charity. All the volunteers are unpaid and give up their own time to help other families in their darkest hours. Without these wonderful families they would not be able to provide the community with the help and support they need.
Chesterfield SANDS is a charity I hold close to my heart as my own parents suffered the loss of their first child over 38 years ago, back then there was virtually no support. I have photographed many rainbow babies (babies that are born after the loss of a baby) I often get to here about the heartache the parent have suffered.
Another charity I fully support is Remember my baby. We are a group of volunteer photographer how photograph babies who pass away before, during or shortly after birth. You can read all about them in my next blog.
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