On Thursday 11 October, North Oxfordshire MP Victoria Prentis, welcomed colleagues, parliamentary staff and members of local and national baby loss charities, to the annual service of remembrance in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. The service was one of many planned events in Westminster to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week 2018, including a back-bench business debate and Parliamentary reception. During the week, Victoria highlighted the progress made by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Baby Loss which resulted in the introduction of the National Bereavement Care Pathway, and focused on the need for mental health support for parents that lose a child. The week culminates in a ‘Wave of Light’, encouraging individuals and organisations to light a candle in memory of babies taken too soon. Local authorities and Cathedrals across the country have also been asked to light up their buildings in pink and blue or show their support for parents and families who have experienced the loss of a child.
After the service, Victoria said: “On Thursday I joined representatives from baby loss charities, colleagues and staff from across the Parliamentary estate for a service of remembrance in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week. It was an incredibly moving service which gave all those there the opportunity to reflect and remember. I was really pleased to be joined by my constituent, Karen, who I had invited to Westminster for the Parliamentary reception earlier that day given all the time she has dedicated to supporting Oxfordshire SANDs. This week is always very emotional but it is so important to show support to bereaved parents, raise awareness and build on the work of the APPG”.