Andrea McKernon
A remembrAnce ceremony was held yesterday for parents suffering the loss of a baby. Belfast's St Anne's cathedral hosted the service for bereaved familes who have endured the trauma of losing a baby in pregnancy, birth or infancy.
The service featured music, poetry and readings was open to anyone of any faith or no faith and provided an opportunity for parents and families to pay tribute and say goodbye.
It coincided with similar events in cathedrals across england, Scotland and Wales.
The Saying Goodbye services help families pay tribute to their lost babies and provide an opportunity for people to say goodbye, say organisers Zoe and Andy Clark-coates.
The Staffordshire couple have lost five children through miscarriage.
One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage while 4,000 babies are still born each year in northern Ireland and Britain. "We decided to take the pain of loss and create an organisation that could help others who have previously, or are currently going through the grief of losing a baby," mrs clark-coates said. "The Saying Goodbye services are there for parents, family and friends who have lost to pay tribute and remember their cherished child."