A TIVYSIDE charity has been set up to help grieving parents cope with the loss of a baby.

Cariad Angel Gowns (for stillborn and neonatal loss) is based in Beulah and is the idea of founder Pauline Harris.

“The founders of the charity are only too aware of the heartache of losing a child having suffered between them miscarriages, ectopic pregnancy, still birth and a neonatal death,” said Pauline.

“Such traumatic events can have a huge impact on families and we hope that in some way we will be able to help.”

The charity is aiming to provide ‘Cuddle Cots’ to hospitals and funeral homes so that all bereaved

parents of babies have the opportunity to use one, and to also provide bespoke burial clothing for the baby and memory packs.

A cuddle cot is a refrigerated unit used along with a Moses Basket and gives grieving parents valuable time to spend with their baby, sometimes in their own home. A first cuddle cot has been given to a funeral directors in Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire, in memory of a little boy stillborn to local parents

“Our aim is to provide one cuddle cot to each area within Wales,” said Pauline. “Those we donate to funeral directors will be floating units – so that other funeral directors in the area can offer the

use of one to bereaved parents, and this we hope will mean that the ones based in hospitals will be more readily available for use.

“These precious hours allow parents and their family time to bathe and dress their child if they wish. Time to take photographs, make hand and footprint impressions and lasting memories before they have to arrange a funeral and say final goodbyes. A cuddle cot is a vital piece of equipment at this most difficult of times.

“It is all very much a personal choice but it makes stillbirth and neo-natal loss less of a taboo subject.”

Each cuddle cot costs £1,600 and parents of stillborn babies often help to raise funds and when they do, that cuddle cot is donated with a name plate in memory of their child.

Cariad Angel Gowns is currently participating in the Tesco ‘ Bags of help’ scheme in Cardigan until the end of August.

“Should we win the voting we will be able to provide two further cuddle cots – one of which will

be staying with a funeral director in Cardigan and used as a floating unit so that other directors can also make it available,” said Pauline.

Cariad Angel Gowns will initially work in South West Wales, but hopes to eventually cover the whole of Wales and then the UK.

To date, it has already sent out more than 50 memory packs in 15 weeks from requests alone. Donated wedding dresses are turned into outfits for still born babies and given free of charge to hospitals, funeral directors and newly-bereaved parents of still born babies.

The charity currently has 32 volunteers, six from the Cardigan area, 21 throughout South and West Wales and five from around England. Six of the volunteers are ladies who sew but there is a desperate need for more as they currently have in excess of 50 wedding gowns in stock to turn into Angel outfits and memory packs.

“All our packs are created by a small army of volunteers, many of who have suffered the loss of a child and understand the difficulty of finding something nice and appropriately sized to fit their baby,” said Pauline

Each pack contains not only the outfit, but also a knitted blanket, bonnet, bootees, a nappy cover and a small teddy.

Keepsake memory items of a small handcrafted angel baby figure, and matching key-ring and bag charm are also included, and in memory pocket packs for babies too small to dress and those under 24 weeks gestation, there is a certificate of life.

A fund-raising evening is being held on October 28 with entertainment, a disco, raffle, buffet and auction at The New Cross Hands working men’s club and institute from 7.30pm and tickets are £10.

For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/Cariadangelgowns/