A Harrogate charity has been described as “the club you never want to be a part of”.
Yet Our Angels offers vital support for many families across the district after the loss of a baby. It was set up by Emma Lofthouse in 2009, after she lost her son Charlie 35 weeks into her pregnancy the year before.
Losing Charlie came as a huge shock to Emma, who already had two children. She said she wanted something to put her energy into and a way to keep talking about her son.
Our Angels started as a support group for anyone affected by baby loss, whether that is an early miscarriage or a neonatal death.
Mrs Lofthouse said:
“I was astonished there was no support in Harrogate. I felt lost and alone.”
Every year the charity gets families together to send bubbles into the air in memory of their loss. Photograph: Our Angels
The charity now fundraises thousands of pounds for Harrogate District Hospital’s maternity ward and training for midwives across the county.
Mrs Lofthouse said she believes it’s important for midwives to be trained to support the family straight away, as the midwife is often the first person there when they lose their baby.
Along with the trustees, Mrs Lofthouse runs monthly meetings at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate where families can come to talk about their babies and get emotional support.
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Mrs Lofthouse said:
“We can’t stop this happening but we can offer support after it does.
“People don’t want to talk about baby loss because it is heart breaking, but it is also so much more common that people think. It shouldn’t be a taboo subject.”
In October 2020, work was completed on the newly renovated and renamed Bluebell Suite at Harrogate Hospital after the charity donated £45,000.
The suite is a place where parents go after losing their baby. The charity wanted to ensure parents had everything they needed as they spend precious time with their child.
The charity also provides memory boxes to the hospital which are given to every set of parents. The box was one of the first things Mrs Lofthouse began fundraising for.
She added:
“When I left hospital I had nothing tangible to hold in his memory. This was one of the first things I wanted to fundraise for.”
The memory box is a way for the charity to tell families they aren’t alone. Photograph: Our Angels
The box includes a blanket the family can wrap their baby in and then take photographs. This way they have as a keepsake when they leave hospital. It also contains a leaflet about the charity, giving parents and other family members the option to get in touch for extra support.
Mrs Lofthouse says she will always be grateful for Our Angels giving her the chance to keep talking about her son Charlie almost 12 years on. She says she is honoured to offer families support after losing someone so precious.
To learn more about Our Angels you can find their website here or get in touch with them on Facebook, just search ‘ Our Angels charity and support group’.
