On Monday, 30th June our CHFT Charity will launch the Maternity Bereavement Appeal. This is their biggest ever appeal which aims to raise £500,000 for a new bereavement suite, and counselling room at CRH.
The funds raised will be used to create a comfortable, self-contained, home from home for families we care for who experience pregnancy loss, still birth or neonatal death.
One of the first ways our colleagues, families and friends can get involved is by joining us on our Annual Hospital Walk on Sunday 6th July. The 10km route is easily accessible, starting at HRI at 11am, finishing at CRH around 1.30pm. You can sign up for the walk on the CHFT Charity website - Big Hospital Walk - CHFT Charity – friends, family members and loved ones are also welcome. If you are walking on behalf of this appeal, use the discount code Appeal25, to enter for just £7.50. The money you help raise from the walk will go directly to the Maternity Bereavement Appeal.
Families have told us that our current bereavement suite, which is located on the busy labour ward at Calderdale Royal Hospital, needs urgent work. The space has no natural light and doesn’t feel like a homely or comforting environment for people to come together after a bereavement.
A refurbished bereavement suite and counselling room will give families a calm, private, and supportive space. The appeal will also provide a new, homely counselling room at the CRH Early Pregnancy Unit, to support families experiencing early miscarriage, which affects 1 in 4 expectant parents.
Losing a baby is a devastating experience. With a purpose-built area our Specialist Bereavement Midwives and labour ward team can provide the best possible care for families after a late miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.
Specialist Bereavement Midwife, Sarah Hall, said: “Each year we care for up to 70 families who suffer the heartbreak of losing their baby. This may happen during pregnancy, during or shortly after birth, or when the pregnancy ends in a compassionate induction. Every loss is an extremely upsetting and emotional time for families who may have come to hospital expecting the joy of childbirth – but leave with empty arms.
“While we work very closely and supportively with parents in this situation, we know our facilities don’t support them in the best way possible and we need to change that.”
Emma Kovaleski, Head of CHFT Charity and Volunteering Services, and her team have been working hard behind the scenes to launch the appeal. Emma said: “If we meet our target, the bereavement suite will make such a huge difference to the care we give to families at one of the most difficult times in their lives.
“This is our biggest ever appeal and we would love for everyone from #TeamCHFT to get behind it. Unfortunately, many of us have family, friends, and loved ones who may have experienced baby loss, or miscarriage, and it’s an appeal which will be close to many of our hearts.”
Find out more about how you can make a difference, big or small, on the CHFT Charity intranet pages: Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Charity - CHFT Intranet
The appeal will launch on Monday 30th June 2025, where more information about how to get involved, and donate, will be revealed on the CHFT Charity website.