A special service will be held in Blackpool for parents who have lost a child

Grieving families will be given decorations with a label attached for a personal message, and will be able to take them home or put them on a remembrance tree.

Megan Murray, a bereavement support nurse and organiser, said: “My tree has many mementoes from loved ones who have died. They are part of my family history.

“When I stand back and look at my tree, I do so with pride, some sadness and with great memories. I hope each year this service plays a small part in helping families cope with their loss and gives them space to remember in a safe and supportive environment.

“The society we live in today can be very uncomfortable at acknowledging a family’s grief for a baby that has died. At the service all the parents, those who lost babies recently or in the past, come together to remember in a supportive and beautiful service.”

The memorial service, organised by the NHS trust that runs Blackpool Victoria Hospital, will be held in the Baronial Hall at the Winter Gardens next Sunday, December 2. The doors open at 2.40pm, and the service starts at 3pm. There will be music from Eve Murray, singing a rendition of REM’s Everybody Hurts and Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours, while a number of charities will be there, including SANDS – the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity – and the Miscarriage Association.

Chairman at Blackpool and Preston SANDS, Claire Maxwell, went to her service in 2010 after losing her baby – and said it “helped so much”.