Families invited to special remembrance service commemorating Rochdale babies

Families invited to special remembrance service commemorating Rochdale babies

Families who have faced either stillbirth or losing their babies shortly after birth are being invited to a special service of remembrance at Rochdale Infirmary’s Wolstenholme Intermediate Care Unit.

The service is now in its twelfth year and will be taking place at 7pm on Thursday 2 March. It will include prayers, poems, hymns and the lighting of candles in remembrance, with a chance to remember all the babies by name that have died.

Chaplain Rev Bernice Woodhead has been involved with the service since its inception. She said: “Within society today, stillbirth and neo-natal deaths are certainly still very much sensitive subjects. The remembrance service will offer Rochdale families a chance to come together and remember their babies in a sympathetic and understanding environment. Everyone is welcome to attend and people can light a candle in remembrance of the baby they have lost.”

The Pennine Acute Hospital Trust’s chaplaincy co-ordinator, Rev Ian Inglis, said: “This occasion continues to offer a valuable place for people to gather who have been through the loss of a baby and to have a dedicated time to remember that loss. We are very grateful to Bernice for continuing to facilitate this service with members of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spiritual care team.”
Refreshments will be available after the service.

The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SANDS) offers support for families who have faced stillbirth or neo-natal deaths. They can be contacted on 020 7436 5881 or online at www.uk-sands.org

For further information about the service, contact Rev Bernice Woodhead on 01706 379517.