TraffordCity’s Barton Square will host a special remembrance event on Friday 15th October at 7pm, for anyone affected by pregnancy issues and trauma, as part of national Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Barton Square’s iconic fountain will be steeped in coloured light, with candles lit in memory of babies who have been loved and lost – bringing bereaved parents, friends and family together in safe and supportive remembrance, contributing to a ‘Wave of Light’ with similar events across the UK.
Visitors will be able to buy candles of remembrance, kindly donated by Whax ltd, while a selection of unique bags featuring an iconic heart and baby footprint design will also be available to purchase. All funds raised from sales and donations at the event will go to support Tommy’s, the largest UK charity carrying out research into the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.
Friday’s event has been organised by the North West Tommy’s Board, a group of female business leaders whose lives have been directly affected by baby loss and premature birth, and want to work together to support the groundbreaking research being conducted at Tommy’s Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre, which is based at the University of Manchester.
Entrepreneur Jennie Johnson’s firm My First Years has funded the production of the unique bags which will be on sale at Friday’s event, while founder of Cole Beauty Tracy Mort used her in-house team to design, source and supply the bags. Kate Holland, of Barton Square’s owners Peel L&P, identified the venue space for Friday’s special remembrance event.
Kate Holland, Senior Marketing Manager at TraffordCity, said: “Having all experienced the trauma of baby loss or premature birth, we wanted to give the community an opportunity to come together in remembrance of lost loved ones, and provide mutual support in the most challenging of times.
“The groundbreaking research being done at Tommy’s Manchester research centre is shedding new light on the causes of still and premature birth, and helping spare so many parents from the loss of a child. It is a privilege to be raising funds for this vital work through a special remembrance event.”
Jennie Johnson, founder of My First Five Years, said: “We are working together to raise the profile of the incredible work being done by Tommy’s right here in Manchester. Supporting the charity in this practical way by sponsoring the fundraising shopping bags, has allowed me to give something back to a cause close to my heart, having been directly affected by baby loss myself.”
1 in 4 parents lose a baby during pregnancy or birth, and 60,000 babies are born prematurely in the UK each year. Tommy’s exists to help change these shocking statistics.
The Tommy’s Manchester research centre focuses on understanding the causes of stillbirth, developing treatments to prevent it, finding ways to identify which pregnancies are at risk, and working with the NHS to improve antenatal care to help reduce stillbirth rates in the UK.
Since launching in 2010, the pioneering Tommy’s Manchester research centre has reduced the stillbirth rate in the Greater Manchester area by 32%. Professor Alex Heazell, the centre’s Clinical Director, will be on hand at Friday’s event to discuss Tommy’s Manchester’s ongoing research.
All the money raised at Barton Square’s remembrance event will help Tommy’s to support families during pregnancy, baby loss and premature birth, while Tommy’s scientists continue their work to find out why pregnancy sometimes goes wrong and how it can be prevented.
The unique bags will be available at a stand at the event on Friday, and at Barton Square’s Customer Services desk thereafter. All funds raised at Friday’s event will be donated directly to Tommy’scharity. Anyone unable to attend Barton Square who wishes to make a donation should visit:
www.tommys.org/donate/blaw
