A BABY memorial service will take place in Clacton to help families who have suffered the loss of a baby.

The service of remembrance is for families who lost a baby at any time during pregnancy or around the time of birth.

It will be held at St James Parish Church, Beatrice Road, Clacton, on Tuesday, ***May 16 beginning at 7.30pm.

The service is being organised by the chaplaincy team at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, which provides maternity services throughout north east Essex, including at the community hospitals in Clacton and Harwich.

It will include hymns, prayers and music, and an opportunity for parents to take part in a candle-lighting ceremony in memory of their baby.

Afterwards, parents will have a chance to talk informally with each other over tea, coffee and biscuits and with members of the trust’s chaplaincy and maternity teams.

They will include Sue Armstrong, who last year was appointed to the new post of bereavement midwife to support couples and families who have experienced the loss of their baby.

The Rev Hilary Platts, one of the trust’s chaplains, said: “The service is for parents who have lost a child as a result of a miscarriage, stillbirth or shortly after the birth of their baby, whether that loss was recent or many years – or even decades – ago.

“Families can join together so their baby can be remembered and we can support each other in the journey of loss.”

Although the service is aimed primarily at parents, it is open to anyone who has been affected by the loss of a baby, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, she added.

The trust’s chaplaincy team has held an annual service in Clacton since 1999 and one in Colchester since 1994.

Parents wanting more information about the service should contact the chaplaincy team at Colchester Hospital on 01206 742014.