Harrogate baby loss charity delighted by £12,000 donation from council staff

£12,000 charity boost - Commercial and community development manager Jon Clubb, Harrogate Borough Mayor Coun Victoria Oldham, chairperson of Our Angels Emma Lofthouse, arrogate Borough Deputy Mayor Coun Robert Windass and bereavement services manager Stephen Hemsworth.

A Harrogate charity formed when a group of bereaved parents joined together to support families through the loss of a baby has been given a £12,000 boost.

Since it was launched in 2009, Our Angels has gone from strength to strength as it continues to make sure nobody feels alone as they face the heartbreak of losing a baby.

This week has seen them receive a cheque for £12,000 from Harrogate Borough Council’s bereavement services department.

The money will go towards the charity’s support for bereaved parents, training and additional support to the midwives and other professionals caring for them, and work to raise awareness of the issues surrounding baby loss and bereavement.

Chairperson of Our Angels, Emma Lofthouse, said: "Losing a baby under any circumstance is one of the toughest things a family can face

"Without generous donations like this one from Harrogate Borough Council, Our Angels would not be able to provide its vital support services for bereaved parents.

"Every penny we receive goes into caring for families in their hardest moments, from the memory boxes, sibling support packs, miscarriage care packs, right through to the vital equipment we supply to the Harrogate Hospital Maternity ward.

Staff in the bereavement services team raise money for a different chosen charity twice a year by recycling metal recovered from cremations with the consent of bereaved families.

The recycled metals include those used in the construction of the coffins and in orthopaedic implants such as hip, knee and replacement joints.

Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, Coun Sam Gibbs, said: "I'd like to thank those families who, during a difficult time, have consented to us recycling metals recovered."

Over the years, Our Angels has invested heavily in bereavement training for the midwives in Harrogate, Bradford, and York.

In 2020 it donated £45,000 towards the refurbishment of the Ferndale suite Harrogate District Hospital, a self-contained room away from the main delivery suites where ladies will often give birth to a stillborn baby.

It’s often the only place the family gets to spend precious time with their baby.