Great Harwood residents have commemorated lost babies with a memorial service and light display at the clock tower.

The annual event for Baby Loss Awareness Week sees the tower lit with blue and pink lights, and allows parents to get support from people who want to help and have been through the same experience.

Ribbons were placed on the railings and Father Eddie Carr joined parents in prayer before two minutes of quiet reflection.

Rebecca Louise Gerrard lost her baby after a premature birth at 20 weeks and started running the event as a way of dealing with her own grief.

Encouraging anyone connected to baby loss to the event, including family and friends, she put on the third event at the Great Harwood clock tower this year.

She said: “It is nice to come together with that shared grief that nobody wanted but many do, and it brought the community together because it is such a taboo subject even now.

“When it comes to things like baby loss you are expected to carry on and normal life goes on.

“We don’t need a day or a week to remember the babies we lost but it is nice to have that, and that although life does go on it is still quite raw.”

The Clayton-le-Moors resident, who used to live in Great Harwood, gave a speech last year but enjoyed this year having grief coach Jen Brighty talk as it gave her a moment to think about her lost baby rather than having to speak about it.

Rebecca, 31, added: "It is really important as it is such a taboo subject and you are expected to get on with things and move on, especially if you have subsequent children.

“I proudly say I am a mother of two, I have got a child in heaven and a living child. we must give people the opportunity to come forward and express their grief.”

Having been tagged in a Facebook post three years ago, Councillor Jodi Clements threw her support behind the campaign, having suffered the trauma of baby loss twice in 1996.

Cllr Clements said: “Even though it seems like a lifetime ago I still feel sadness for what could have been and the trauma I went through during that time.

“Families feel comfort knowing there is support in their community from people who want to help and have been through the same, even just a quiet gathering and lighting a candle in remembrance lets them know that their loss is important and they're not alone in what can feel like dark days.”

Baby Loss Awareness Week invites families to light a candle at 7pm local time and leave it burning for at least one hour to remember all the babies who have died too soon.

The charity focuses not just on bereavement but what can be done to better support families affected by the death of a baby.

Cllr Clements added: “It's good to talk and meet with people who have had similar experiences to ourselves.

“The loss of a child at any stage can be lonely and people struggle with what to say to you. Coming together as a group has empowered us to tell our stories.

“Raising awareness and public tributes help others to come to terms with their loss and allows us to join together not only in sadness but to remember our lost loved ones.”

For those unable to attend the event there are two drop-in sessions with Jen Brighty on Sunday, October 20, and Sunday 27.