Couple's miscarriage guides baby memorial plan

Shaun Pickering said he was surprised a memorial space for grieving parents did not already exist in his area

A couple say they are creating a baby memorial garden after they suffered a miscarriage and found such a place did not exist for them to remember their loved one.

Shaun Pickering and his partner Katie Stuart lost their baby in September 2024.

Then, when they started going to coffee mornings run by a bereavement charity, Love from, George, Mr Pickering said they realised a dedicated space for them to reflect did not exist around Dawley Bank, Telford.

"It really stuck in my mind that there isn't something like that in place already," he said.

"Something which should be such a happy time and all of a sudden it turns out to be devastating and then you go through that loss, so I'm quite surprised there isn't something like this already.

"If this was already in place in September, myself and my partner would have definitely come here and used it."

With the approval of Dawley Town Council, the couple and other volunteers have begun work on the garden in Jubilee Woods, Dawley Bank.

One of the paths to the planned memorial is already partly finished

They plan to include a metal tree at the centre of the space where each leaf will be a plaque dedicated to a family that has lost a baby.

Mr Pickering and Ms Stuart are expecting again, with their baby due in a few weeks time, and Mr Pickering said doing this project had benefited them and others.

"It is something that has helped us - not just myself but the other couples as well who use the coffee mornings. It's given us something to focus on," he added.

Celebrating positivity

Mr Pickering is organising the creation of the garden with his family's charity, The Pickering Foundation, and said he wanted to create a space where parents could take their time to grieve.

"It's to give them a place to remember their loved ones," he said.

"Depending on what stage people have lost their baby, sometimes you can't have a normal place of remembrance so somewhere like this is for anyone that's suffered from pregnancy loss."

The garden itself is set to be finished by the end of the year but the foundation is still collecting donations and welcoming volunteers who can lend a hand.

Firms in the area have donated items which were raffled off to raise £2,600 for the project.

"There's a lot of negativity out there these days, it's just nice to see people coming together for such a fantastic cause and something that means so much to us," Mr Pickering said.