Durham University Hospital to move baby memorial garden

The baby memorial garden will be relocated

A hospital has said it will relocate a memorial garden set up for parents who lost their babies.

The County Durham and Darlington (CDDFT) NHS Trust said the Little Angels site at University Hospital of North Durham will move later this year.

It follows concerns raised by parents who have plaques bearing the names of their loved ones in the garden.

The trust said it had to make the "difficult decision" due to a planned expansion of the hospital.

Several meetings have taken place between family members, who previously said they had been left upset by the plans.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the proposal to relocate the garden, elsewhere on the grounds of the hospital, had proved controversial, prompting an apology from the trust.

However, the trust said it would be working with families on how the relocation could be managed in the most empathetic way.

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"We understand that moving the garden may be distressing for some families as we know it brings comfort to many of those who have experienced the devastation of losing a baby", said Jo Crawford, head of midwifery at the trust.

"We fully appreciate and recognise that this is a very sensitive project and are committed to working together with local families and our local communities".

The trust said the garden is on a space earmarked for development, which will eventually become part of the hospital's expanded emergency department.

A number of public events will be held over the coming weeks to share the proposed designs for the relocated gardens.

Families have been told they can remove their plaques on 3 and 4 April ahead of relocation, if they wish.