A Darwen charity which has helped to support those who suffer miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death has been praised by their local hospital trust.

'Friends of Serenity' has been fundraising for the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust with support dedicated to the Lancashire Womens and Newborn Centre at Burnley General Teaching Hospital.

The charity partners with ELHT&Me, the official charity of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Joanne and Mark Edwards, from Darwen, created the charity after losing their son, Luke, in March 2013 as a result of the rare chromosome disorder Trisomy 13; a genetic condition also known as Patau syndrome.

Over the last decade, the charity has organised dozens of events, raising over £250,000 to support a variety of projects.

Following the loss of Luke, the couple’s first mission was to provide a second facility for families experiencing a loss to be able to spend essential precious time with their baby in a quiet and calm environment.

The Butterfly Suite opened in 2015 and is a dedicated space for other families on a similar journey to Joanne and Mark.

The charity continued to provide enhancements to the Lancashire Womens and Newborn Centre through a variety of projects.

These included a heart rate monitor for the labour ward, distributing rainbow boxes for families who birthed following a loss, Mama Academy wallets to highlight key signs and guidelines to new families that will ensure even more babies arrive safely, a cold blanket for the childrens unit and a quiet room for the gynaecology ward and the list goes on.

They also donated a mobile telemetry monitor to Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre in 2021.

Lancashire Telegraph:

The Butterfly Suite was opened in 2015 by the Mayor of Burnley. Left to right: Cllr Liz Monk, Joanne and Mark

Joanne Edwards said: “After losing Luke we found channelling our grief into to supporting bereavement care as therapy, this became Luke’s legacy.

"We were determined to create a bereavement suite, something we unfortunately didn’t have access to. 

"Our ambitions spiralled to establishing and registering Friends of Serenity as a charity with the help from friends, family and trustee’s, especially Lil who has been a trustee from the very beginning. 

"The charity has exceeded all our expectations and we are incredibly proud of all our achievements over the decade. 

"The help, support and fundraising from the public and service users has been nothing short of inspirational and we cannot thank everyone enough. 

"We are very excited for our upcoming project which we hope will come to fruition in time for baby loss awareness week in October.”

Lancashire Telegraph:

To celebrate 10 years of prolific fundraising along with 75 years of our incredible NHS, the milestones will be marked with the development of a memorial project.

Denise Gee, Head of Charity at ELHT&Me, said: “It’s such a privilege for our team to work with this amazing charity. 

"The support has and continues to make a huge difference to the lives of families and individuals who are emotionally distressed and in need of meaningful support, helping to support bereaved families; leaving a legacy to create a positive impact.”