New Wakefield and District Sands group opens to support bereaved parents

Bereaved mums and dads in Wakefield, Dewsbury and Pontefract are inviting local people who have also been affected by the death of a baby, to come along to the launch of a new Sands (Stillbirth & neonatal death charity) support group.

The group will support parents whose baby has died before, during or shortly after birth. It will be launched on Saturday 4 February at 10am at The Therapy Rooms, 23 Cheapside, Wakefield WF1 2TF.

After the launch, regular support meetings will take place on the first Saturday of the month from 10am-12noon at The Therapy Rooms, and bereaved parents are more than welcome to drop in for a cup of tea and a chat.

Rachel Keaveney, Chair of the Wakefield and District Sands group, said: “When I lost our son James in 2014 we received amazing support from Huddersfield Sands. We were lucky enough to be able to travel and have support available. .”

Sands groups are run on a voluntary basis by people who have themselves experienced the death of a baby.

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, said: “We hope the new Wakefield and District Sands group will help and support bereaved parents and their families at a devastating time for them. Many bereaved parents tell us that other parents who have experienced the death of a baby are able to offer real understanding and empathy.

“I would urge anyone in the local area who is bereaved to come along to the launch of the Wakefield and District group, or attend a group meeting in the future. We are dedicated to providing emotional support and information right from the early hours after a baby's death, through to the weeks, months and years ahead.”

For further information call Ashleigh Corker, North East Network Coordinator at Sands on 07514 741349 or email wakefieldsands@gmail.com The group can also be contacted via its Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/wakefieldanddistrictsands Follow Sands on Twitter at @SandsUK

Notes to editors

For further information, please contact Lee Armitt, Press and PR Officer in the Sands press office on 0203 598 1959/07587 925411 or media@uk-sands.org

About Sands

Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. They work nationally to reduce baby deaths through promoting better maternity care and funding research. They have a programme of training and a wide range of resources designed to support professionals to improve the bereavement care they provide following the death of a baby, and they provide a comprehensive bereavement support service both nationally through their helpline and locally through around 100 regional support groups based across the UK. Further information can be found at www.uk-sands.org.