Guildford Borough Council has been working in conjunction with Surrey Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity to help them with their project to create a memorial garden. The Council recently presented the charity with a cheque for £4,412 as seen pictured above.
Surrey Sands is a local group within the nationwide charity whose work is totally self-funded and supports anyone affected by the death of a baby. Volunteers run the group and are all bereaved parents themselves and so therefore have a great understanding of what other bereaved parents are going through.
Lorna Bland, Chairman of Surrey Sands has commented, “We are delighted to receive this cheque from Guildford Borough Council as it means the garden design can have more features. We already know that baby memorial gardens are hugely valuable for families to have a dedicated place to grieve for their baby, whether lost recently or long ago. They are particularly important for those who may have no ashes or from a generation where they didn’t know what happened to their baby after it died.
“We would like to thank the Council for supporting and enabling this project. We have already raised over £16,000 of our current £25,000 target and encourage local people to donate what they can, the more we raise, the more detailed the design can be for this permanent feature at the Crematorium.”
If you would like to support the project and help them reach their financial goal, please feel free to take a look at the Surrey Sands JustGiving page, where you can donate to this excellent cause.
The supporting funds that the Council has given the Surrey Sands project will help to build a dedicated, peaceful and secluded babies memorial garden at Guildford Crematorium, where bereaved families can remember their children in a tranquil environment.
The plans for the memorial garden are to extend the existing garden to include a section for memorials and the laying to rest of children’s ashes as well as adding in child friendly planting, seating and themed features.
Cllr Matt Furniss, Lead Councillor for Environment, said, “We hope this funding boost will assist the project in helping local bereaved families, the children’s garden will sit alongside the memorial trees, roses and colourful flower beds in our 11 acre garden of remembrance. We are delighted to be working with Surrey Sands on this important scheme.”
Elizabeth Cracknell