A GRIEVING Aberystwyth woman who suffered the tragedy of delivering a stillborn son has raised enough money for a special cot to help other bereaved parents, and almost enough for a second.

Following an appeal in the Cambrian News in March, Louise Evans, a funeral director from Penparcau, has raised £2,832. Each cot costs £1,800, so Louise hopes to raise more money for another ‘cuddle cot’, which can be used to give grieving parents extra time to say goodbye.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to use one when I lost my son,” Louise said, “so I thought it would be nice to help someone else.”

Louise, 35, and her partner, Gareth Jenkins, lost their son George in 2005.

“It was a full-term stillbirth,” Louise explained.

“My waters broke but doctors told me my baby had died. They said I should get someone to bring a camera to the hospital to take pictures of my baby, but I said I didn’t want to see or hold him when he was born, let alone take photographs.

“But once he was here everything changed and we wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.”

Unfortunately that was only two hours, and they were spent at Bronglais Hospital where George was born.

A cuddle cot – a refrigerated unit in a Moses basket – can be used anywhere, so Louise and Gareth could have taken their baby home for a while before laying him to rest.

If anyone would like to donate money for a second cot, or would like to find out more about using the cot, contact Louise Evans, 01970 624667 or 07971 547344 or email [email protected]

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