Plans to develop a dedicated maternity bereavement suite at University Hospital of North Durham have received a significant boost, thanks to a donation of £100,000 from local charity, 4Louis.

Louise De Luen, matron for acute maternity services at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said, “Women and their families who are living with a pregnancy loss, whether it be miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a baby, experience a very unique form of grief. While our maternity teams are skilled in offering them the physical and psychological support they need, the new bereavement suite will provide a place of solace and comfort, set apart from the rest of the maternity unit, where families can be supported. We’re enormously grateful to 4Louis for their generosity.”

Bob McGurrell, Managing Director at 4Louis, said, ‘4Louis was founded in 2009 to offer support for families who experience a loss of this kind. One of the ways we do this is by helping to create dedicated bereavement rooms in hospitals, providing precious time and space for families to spend with their baby or child. With the generosity of our supporters and donors, our mission is to ensure every hospital can provide these dedicated bereavement facilities, enabling families to grieve and create lasting memories of their precious baby or child. We hope, after we complete this project, we can also help create this same comfortable environment at Darlington Memorial Hospital too.

Pat Chambers, Charity Development Manager at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, said, “This fantastic donation from 4Louis will go a long way towards helping create this dedicated haven for grieving families. The pandemic has put huge pressure on charities, making this support all the more generous – we’re enormously grateful. We’re discussing plans to create a similar space at Darlington Memorial Hospital, with costs estimated to be similar to those at University Hospital of North Durham, so would really appreciate any help to make both of these projects a reality, whether it be financial donations, skills or help with fundraising. Please contact us at: cddft.charity@nhs.net or call us on 01325 743781.

Photo: 4 Louis Team, Bob & Tracey McGurrell and Paula Parnaby.