Shropshire Star

Shropshire mother's anguish after her baby's grave tributes are removed

A Shropshire mother today said the clearing of tributes from her baby's grave has reopened the hurt of losing her son.

Published

Barbara Woollacott says she is upset tributes and ornaments have been moved from the graves of babies at Shrewsbury Cemetery over health and safety concerns.

Mrs Woollacott, from Woodside, Telford, was forced to give birth to her son Tommy after just 16 weeks of pregnancy due to complications 11 years ago.

She visits Tommy's grave at the cemetery as often as possible.

She said: "This has been like rubbing salt in a wound we thought had healed over the last 11 years. It is just terrible this has happened for us and, I am sure, for a lot of other parents."

Stillbirth and neonatal death charity Shropshire Sands, which created the garden of remembrance, said it moved the trinkets after "numerous complaints" about "the health and safety implications of large and glass ornaments" at the Longden Road cemetery.

Hannah Ward, spokeswoman for Sands, said: "In October, Shropshire Sands group moved some ornaments left on graves at Longden cemetery to an area near the bench in the reflection area of the garden. This is because they understood from members of staff at the cemetery that the items needed to be moved so that maintenance could be carried out around the graves.

"Shropshire Sands did not notify parents that they were doing this and apologise sincerely for this error."

To contact the charity call 0207 4365881.

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