FAMILIES in Burnham who have suffered the death of a baby have a new support group to help and support them.

Called Towards Tomorrow Together, the group was founded by Melanie Scott whose son, Finley, died during labour at full term.

It offers a range of services from specially created ‘Butterfly Boxes’ (see photo) to play sessions for families with young children.

Melanie said: “We have a number of parents who have contacted us from Burnham and I am sure there are others who are in a similar position.

“The grief following the loss of a precious baby can feel incredibly overwhelming and isolating but we want people in Burnham to know they are not alone.

“Sadly, 17 babies a day in the UK are stillborn or die shortly after birth and those statistics do not even begin to include the devastating loss of a baby before 24 weeks.”

The group provides Butterfly Boxes which are donated to hospitals around Somerset. They contain items such as a blanket for parents to wrap their baby in and a small card to keep locks of hair or items like nail clippings or hospital tags.

“The Butterfly Boxes, on the surface, may look like just a nice gift to bereaved parents; however a great deal of thought and experience has gone into their preparation,” added Melanie.

“We hope they really make a big difference to parents making these decisions, helping them to make precious memories with their babies in the short time they get to spend with them and in also giving them the knowledge that they are not alone.

Towards Tomorrow Together run peer support groups for families affected by the death of a baby in Bridgwater and Taunton.

In Bridgwater, these are held at the Sydenham Children’s Centre in Parkway on the first Monday of the month. For more details go to www.towardstomorrow.com or contact Melanie at mel@towardstomorrow.com