Beautiful tribute to little Sam and Altnagelvin maternity staff

Killian Loughrey, Rob Simmonds and Paula Loughrey kindly donated £2,320.70 to the Lavender Suite, Ward 45, in memory of their son and grandson.

The family raised the money by holding a coffee morning, cake sale and raffle in order to show their appreciation to the maternity staff in the hospital.

They thanked all their family and friends for their support and donations.

The Lavender Suite, which opened last year, is the first bereavement suite in North. It was funded and opened by Sands (the Stillbirth and neonatal death charity).

In November Dr. Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands UK, described the facility as “fantastic.”

“The death of a baby is devastating and nothing, nothing can take away from that grief and that pain.

“But we know that good bereavement care can make it possible to manage that pain and that grief better and we know that poor bereavement care exacerbates it and makes it much, much worse.

“One of the cornerstones of bereavement care is providing that space for parents to have time to create those memories; time to say goodbye; time to just be with their baby," she said.

The generous donation will help this important work to continue.

Pictured (above) accepting the donation are Steven Guy, Network Cordinator for Sands, Northern Ireland; Sharon Woods Antenatal Ward Sister and Melissa Crockett, Childbirth and Pregnancy Loss Specialist Midwife.