BY Ryan McDougall | September 21 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS     print icon print

Saying-Goodbye3

Service offers a special chance to say goodbye

A Special remembrance service is to be held in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, for families who are grieving the loss of a child, and for those who are unable to have children for any reason.

A SPECIAL remembrance service is to be held in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Glasgow, for families who are grieving the loss of a child, and for those who are unable to have children for any reason.

Saying Goodbye, a charity which help tens of thousands of people through their various services, is a division of a larger charity, the Mariposa Trust, and will host the service at the cathedral on Saturday September 22 at 11am.

They have invited all family members to attend, whether their loss was recent or many years ago, or if they have never have been able to have children.

The cathedral has extended the invitation to people of all faiths and none in order to reach out to as many grieving families as possible.

Andy and Zoe Clark-Coats set up the charity following their own personal losses. After battling bereavement for several years, they felt there was little support for families who had endured the pain of losing a child.

“Many people who miscarry, especially those who do so before 24 weeks’ gestation, have no opportunity for a proper remembrance service,” Mr Clark-Coats explained.

“When we set up the charity, we wanted to create something for people that gives them the chance to do that.

“So for thousands of people across the UK, this is their first chance to come along and remember their baby.”

The service at the cathedral will include the charity’s own unique, optional act of remembrance, in which hand-bells are passed to the families who ring a bell for each loss of a child.

“It’s probably the most poignant moment of the service,” Mr Clark-Coats said.

“For most people there, they’ll have never heard a laugh or a cry from their child so to associate a noise with their child can be very moving for them. Some will ring the bell once or twice, but there have been others who have done so several times. Nobody has to do so if they don’t want to, of course, it’s entirely up to them.”

The charity team will also to hand out flyers, CDs and other resources to help families.

There will also be a group of musicians who will perform ambient songs at the service.

“We have an amazing team of singers who travel with us, who perform not just old traditional church music, but modern songs, too, that are relevant to everyone,” Mr Clark Coats said.

“We see these services as a huge part of the healing process for people, and often we have whole families who come along to be a part of the service; this isn’t a thing where people have to be isolated, they can bring as many people along as they’d like.

“But some people would rather come along alone and want to stay anonymous, and that’s fine, too, of course.

“Everyone’s story of loss is unique and personal to them and their experiences, so whatever people feel comfortable with is what we want for them.”

Some of the Mariposa Trust’s other charitable endeavours include Growing You, which offers support to pregnant women who have previously suffered the loss of a child, and So Cherished, which supports families who have received a terminal or life altering diagnosis for their child.

Mr Clark Coats said that, while their services are always busy, they never count how many people are in attendance.

“Whether we can reach a thousand people or just one person, it’s all the same to us. As long as we’re able to help someone, that is what truly matters,” he said.

 

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