A CATHEDRAL has offered one of its chapels as a reflective space for people who have lost a baby.
As part of Baby Loss Awareness Week (BLAW), from October 9 to 15, Chichester Cathedral will offer St Clement Chapel throughout the day for people to use for remembrance.
The cathedral is working with Sussex charity Pregnancy Options Centre, which provides free, non-judgemental help and support to anyone struggling after a termination or pregnancy loss.
The charity has invited visitors to the chapel to remember and mark their loss experience with pink, blue and neutral coloured ribbons, messages, prayers, and tealights to take home for the wave of light ceremony on October 15 at 7pm.
Baby Loss Awareness Week, now in its 20th year, provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss, the importance that bereavement support plays in the ongoing bereavement journey, and of the work to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Anna Madge from Pregnancy Options Centre said: “We hope that this event will spark conversations about pregnancy and baby loss and give those affected the opportunity to talk about their experiences. At Options, we recognise that every loss is individual, which is why we offer a range of support services to those who have experienced a pregnancy loss, including a termination.
“I hope that this opportunity will help reassure anyone who finds themselves on this journey, whether recently bereaved or longer ago, that there is a community that exists to help with whatever is needed, whether that is support or simply someone to listen and walk by their side.”
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