BEREAVED parents have tied ribbons to railings at Clacton’s Memorial Gardens to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.

Families were invited to tie a ribbon to raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss as part of the annual event to commemorate babies’ lives.

Clacton Town Hall was also it in blue and pink throughout the week to mark the initiative.

Maria Gormley, of Clacton, a supporter care co-ordinator from stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, was at the memorial gardens on Saturday and Sunday with ribbons for people to add.

She said: “I lost my daughter, Laura, 31 years ago to stillbirth.

“Laura was an unexplained stillbirth, but she was perfect in every way.

“I now work for Sands and decided to contact Tendring Council this year to ask for permission to hold the Baby Loss Awareness remembrance ribbon display at the memorial gardens.

“I made ribbons available at Clacton Library and at the town hall so that people could get their ribbon and write a name or message and attach it to the railings at the memorial garden.

“All of the little knitted ribbons have been kindly knitted by lots of people that wanted to help.”

Maria now hopes the ribbon tying will become an annual event at the memorial garden.

“The response to this year’s baby loss awareness week has been phenomenal,” she added.

“I have lost count of the ribbons added but believe there is at least 130 to 150 ribbons at the display.

“One family that came along on Saturday also wanted to leave teddies in memory of their little boy.

“It has been incredibly overwhelming and I do feel incredibly proud to have raised awareness of baby loss.

“I feel incredibly happy to have been able to share this event and to know that many have been able to add their ribbons and remember their little ones – that has been the most rewarding part of this.”