From Sunday 1 October 2017 Sands Memory Boxes will be available free of charge to healthcare professionals and healthcare providers.

Sands Memory Boxes provide a place for parents to keep memories of their precious baby and an opportunity for healthcare professionals working with them to offer practical and emotional support at an extremely difficult time.

Memory boxes are also a crucial first step in the support offered by Sands to bereaved parents by reaching out at the initial moments of devastation and grief.

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive at Sands, said: “When a baby dies the opportunity for parents to make and keep special memories can be a vital source of support and healing on their bereavement journey. It’s therefore extremely important that Sands Memory Boxes are available free of charge to all. The cost will no longer be a barrier to healthcare professionals when ordering the boxes in the future.”

As part of Sands’ commitment to ensuring the needs of bereaved parents are being met, Sands is currently conducting a short survey of the contents of the charity’s Memory Boxes. The charity is encouraging all healthcare professionals, bereaved parents and anyone else who has a connection to baby loss to take part.

Those wishing to take part should visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SandsMemoryBoxSurvey before midnight on the survey closing date on Tuesday 31 October 2017.

If you are a Health or Social Care Professional and want to order memory boxes for your place of work, visit the resources for professionals area.

If your baby has died and you have never received a Sands memory box, you can order one in the Sands shop.