07 Sep Remembrance ribbon display returns for a fourth year, marking Baby Loss Awareness Week in Clacton
Returning for its fourth year in the seaside town, a display of vibrant ribbons will be on show at Memorial Garden in Clacton-on-Sea throughout Baby Loss Awareness Week, which commences on Saturday 9th October. Maria Gormley, who has organised the display and driven the campaign in the previous three years, is once again working with the UK’s leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity, Sands, to raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss across Essex.
Memorial Garden on Clacton’s seafront will be adorned with pink, blue and white ribbons inscribed with baby names, as well as crocheted items, which will be tied to the railings in loving remembrance of all babies that have been lost too soon. Local residents, as well as other individuals across Essex and the country, support the event each year by donating knitted teddy bears and ribbons to be included in the display.
The display marks Baby Loss Awareness Week, which runs annually and is now in its 20th year. An opportunity for raising awareness of pregnancy and baby loss, which sadly affects thousands of people every year, and for driving improvements, the week provides a chance for bereaved parents, relatives and friends to commemorate the lives of their beloved babies. This year, Baby Loss Awareness Week will be exploring the theme of Stepping Stones, and how someone whose baby has died finds themselves on a new path they never expected to be on.
Maria’s JustGiving page has already raised an amazing £970 in donations as well as sponsorship from 57 businesses, all of whom will have their names featured alongside their teddy on the display.
Businesses who wish to support the project can sponsor, for a suggested donation of £5, a ribbon or knitted item, which will be included in the display with a small tag stating their sponsor name. This year, Maria has garnered additional local support from writer Donna Ashworth, local musicians Jennifer Owens and Daniel James, as well as writer, comedian and actor Griff Rhys Jones, all of whom will have a teddy added to the display on their behalf.
Maria Gormley said: “We are so pleased the display will be back in Clacton again this year as it provides a wonderful opportunity for local bereaved families to remember their precious babies that are gone too soon. We find it also sparks important conversations about the topic, which in turn helps to raise awareness of charities, like Sands, that work so hard to support those that need it.”
Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands and Chair of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance, said: “Following their loss, families find themselves on a new path they never expected to be on. This year, Baby Loss Awareness Week focuses on the steps along that journey and how they are different for everyone. Some steps along the journey can feel harder than others, but there is always a hand to support anyone when they feel unsteady.
“I hope that the Clacton Baby Loss Awareness Remembrance Ribbon Display 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 advice, support or simply someone to listen and walk by their side.”
If your business would like to support the display this year by sponsoring a teddy or adding a ribbon, please do get in touch with Maria on [email protected] or visit the JustGiving page to donate: www.justgiving.com/ribbon-display2022
