Grants help parents at time of great loss

National baby loss charity 4Louis has donated a cuddle cot and a cuddle blanket to Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s urgent and emergency care centre (UECC).

The resources will be used to keep a child cool, either in a Moses basket or with a special blanket, allowing the family to spend time together to make memories and say goodbye.

The donation was possible thanks to two families who fundraised for 4Louis in memory of their own children.

Harry and Katie Smith’s baby Freddie was stillborn at Rotherham Hospital last September.

Harry’s brother-in-law Matt Taylor (38), of Gloucester, spearheaded the fundraising with a sponsored beard shave, raising £3,200.

Katie (25), of Brecks, said: “Until you’ve experienced the loss of a baby or child, you don’t know equipment like this exists but we are grateful that it does.

“It gave us precious time with Freddie to hold him, to make memories, take photos, introduce him to our families and to feel like his parents.

“Without the cuddle cot, he would have been taken away after just a few hours.”

Gavin and Amber Langley, from Sunderland, were devastated when their 23-month-old son Travis died unexpectedly in August 2021.

The couple raised £7,000 in his memory by selling candles and have become volunteers for 4Louis.

Amber (30), said: “We donated a cuddle cot to our local hospital in Sunderland but when it came to deciding where to donate the cuddle blanket we asked 4Louis which hospital had been waiting the longest.

“Rotherham Hospital was top of the list, which felt perfect for us as we have family living in the town.”

Bob McGurrell 4Louis chief executive and grandfather to baby Louis Knight, who inspired his family to set up the charity after he was stillborn at in 2009 said the donation would be “a real asset to Rotherham Hospital, which is a place close to our hearts, too”.