Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

We are raising money for Southend Hospital's Maternity Bereavement Butterfly Suite.

On Sunday 17th March 2019 we welcomed our beautiful baby boy Charlie Joseph into the world. Charlie was Stillborn at 39 weeks. We had been told that his heart had stopped beating. We still do not have a reason why this has happened and it doesn't get any easier writing this than saying it or thinking about it. Due to our circumstance we were offered the use of the Butterfly Suite on the maternity ward at Southend Hospital.

The Butterfly Suite provides a vital facility for families impacted by the death of their baby. The room is more like an apartment, not a typical hospital room and includes a small kitchen, double bed, sofa and armchairs and en-suite shower room. It offers families a safe and comfortable space to spend time with their baby and receive open visiting from family and friends.

The suite also offers a specialised cot which gives parents the opportunity to spend precious time with their baby.

We stayed in the Butterfly Suite for 4 days. Having that space to ourselves, coupled with the kindness and compassion shown by the midwife team there, gave us a place that felt really safe and quiet. This didn't make the horrendous situation any easier and didn't take away any of the pain, however, it did give us some comfort and peace, away from the rest of the world.

The upkeep of the Butterfly Suite is funded purely by donations. These donations also contribute to some lovely keepsakes such as hand/foot prints, professional photos and special memory boxes. In the future the hospital also hope to be able to provide a specialist counselling service for bereaved parents using these funds. We were looked after so well during our stay by an incredible team of midwives and hospital staff that we wanted to do something to help them continue to do what they already do so well.

Having thought long and hard about the funeral arrangements, we decided that rather than flower tributes for Charlie we would prefer donations to the Butterfly Suite, fundraising and donations have followed which is always warmly received and goes a long way to helping the facilities at the Butterfly Suite.

Sadly, we know only too well that there will be others in a similar situation to us in the future. We are asking you to support us and donate so that this facility can continue to provide parents with sanctuary at a time when it is most dearly needed.

Thank you, Colin and Ellie xx

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.