On Sunday 11th September we went down to Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham to take part in the 'Comfort Event Day' organised and hosted by Penny and Richard from Comfort and a Hand of Friendship for those affected by Stillbirth.

Penny and Richard had experienced the loss of their little girl Lily Eloise born sleeping on 4th September 2014. 

There were other charities and keepsake stalls there, many which we follow on Facebook and Twitter. 
It was great to be able to put a face to the people we have chatted to and followed as they develop and grow.

Throughout the day there was plenty of time to just talk to other families that have been through the loss of a baby or child. This support, without worrying that you may upset someone by talking about your child, was really wonderful.

Penny and Richard had asked four of the charities attending to deliver a talk to the attendees during the afternoon.
Each one gave an account of why they set up their charity and what they have achieved so far. It was both emotional and inspiring to hear their stories.

There were different activities put on for people to honour their baby/child. 
From writing down your favourite saying, decorating a butterfly to commemorate their lives, sharing a poem you have found comforting or even a poem you had written about your experience.

Following a lovely lunch put on by the hotel there was an opportunity to go out into the gardens to have a Bubble Release for our angels. This was a really lovely thing to do and gave people another chance to talk and give each other support.

Towards the end of the day everyone came together to listen to some poems and for Penny and Richard to thank everyone for attending and making it such a successful day.
To finish the event there was the opportunity to light a candle in memory of your child and to have a couple of minutes for silent reflection.

We are so glad that we attended the event and really hope that they put on another one next year. 
There needs to be more opportunities like this for bereaved families to come together for support and friendship and for charities to come together to share what they do and see if there are other charities they could refer families onto. 

The more support that is out there for bereaved families the less difficult it is for them to work through their grief. No one should have to face it alone and by networking on the day we are now more aware of other services there are for us to recommend to clients.

Thank you to Penny and Richard for the massive task of organising the event and thank you to everyone we got to talk with on the day.