Donation of special equipment to help families.

Three local families have donated special equipment to Wexham Park Hospital which will help parents come to terms with the stillbirth of their babies.

The ‘cuddle cots’, which cost £1,500 each, ensure that bereaved parents have time to spend with their babies before saying goodbye.

They were presented to the hospital in a special ceremony organised by Nicola Sharman, Wexham’s bereavement midwife. She said: “Having this facility in place for grieving parents is something I feel extremely passionate about. I want to thank these families for their incredible donation.”

Robert Drysdale and his partner Joanna Roche used a cuddle cot after their son, Cooper, was stillborn in July last year. Joanna, who lives in Windsor said: “Our whole world had been pulled to pieces so to have that time and support was invaluable. It gave us the opportunity to sit and fuss over him. We read him a story and that time was precious.”

After their experience, Robert and Joanna decided to donate a cuddle cot to the hospital and raised all the money needed just 24 hours after setting up their Just Giving page.

The other two cots were donated by Ruchi Ghosh and Marc Sabido from Gerrards Cross whose baby, August, was stillborn in 2014 and Jason and Juanita Tarn from Waltham St Lawrence whose baby, Sam, was stillborn in 2009.

Andrea Anderson, deputy head of midwifery at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, welcomed the families earlier this month to pay tribute to their bravery and generosity. She said: “When you’ve been through something so hard, it’s a powerful act of kindness to find time to raise money which goes towards helping others. It really makes a big difference.”

Cuddle cots, which cool the temperature of a moses basket and make very little noise, extend the amount of time parents can spend with their babies.