Special service at Chichester Cathedral for lost children

One of the national Saying Goodbye services will take place on Saturday (June 8) at 5.30pm.

This is one of over 20 such services in 2013 being held in cathedrals and minsters for anyone who has lost babies at any stage of pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.

The project sees a number of services taking place throughout the country this year, of which Chichester is the sixth.

It will feature music, poetry and readings, mixed with acts of remembrance and time for reflection.

It is completely free to attend and is open to anyone of any faith or no faith.

The services were established by Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates, from Staffordshire, who lost five children through miscarriages.

They decided to create an organisation called the Mariposa Trust that would try to help others who have lost a baby.

Professor Lord Robert Winston, one of Saying Goodbye’s ambassadors, said: “Miscarriage is often something that’s not acknowledged or talked about in the UK and people certainly do not appreciate how utterly distressing it is for women, and indeed their extended families. It’s a loss of a precious life and whether the loss happens in early or late pregnancy, it’s traumatic and a natural grief process must be allowed to happen.

“I hope that these services will be a turning point in the nation, and through this new organisation miscarriage will become more widely understood and families will know that their pain and loss has been heard and recognised.”

The Mariposa Trust works in three areas: the Saying Goodbye services; an international support service; and working with government and key organisations to improve the standard of support for anyone who loses a child.

For more details, visit www.sayinggoodbye.org