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19
Oct
Hampsthwaite church ‘heartbroken’ at vile messages left on baby memorial
A Hampsthwaite church was ‘heartbroken’ to discover its memorial to lost babies had been defaced with unkind messages.
The memorial, known as the Ring of Remembrance, was put up in St Thomas à Becket Church on October 10 as part of Baby Loss Awareness Week.
However, on October 12 the messages, including ones that said: “I am watching you”, “you’ve not been accepted by God” and “I know what you did. I know who you are” were discovered written on heart-shaped tags intended for people to use to write names and messages of remembrance.
The vicar of the church, Reverend Scott Gardiner, said:
While my wife and I sadly said goodbye to our son in 2012, this display was not created solely because of our own experience. There have been a number of families across the benefice who have experienced the loss of babies and children, and we wanted to provide a place where those gone too soon could be remembered with love and dignity. We plan to continue marking Baby Loss Awareness Week in a similar way each year.
The Ring of Remembrance.
A ‘Gone Too Soon’ service was also held on October 15, allowing people the chance to remember lost babies and children.
Rev Gardiner added that they don’t know who was responsible, but that a number of incidents of anti-social behaviour have happened in recent months, including pew runners being pulled down and scattered, books being thrown around the building, and rubbish being left behind.
If incidents like these continue, the church will look at getting CCTV installed, and would have to consider restricting access to the building, something it would “very much like to avoid”.
Rev Gardiner said:
The overwhelming response to both the display and the service has been positive. Many people appreciated having a dedicated opportunity to remember babies, children and loved ones who were gone too soon. While it was disappointing to discover the messages, we have been greatly encouraged by the kindness, support and compassion shown by the wider community.
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