Since November 2017, Sands and The Lullaby Trust have been considering whether a merger to unite the two charities would be the best way to ensure the voice of bereaved parents is heard and delivers real change.

Both organisations undertook a full, transparent and open conversation with all stakeholders including staff, volunteers, members and key supporters.

Following Board meetings by both charities, Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, and The Lullaby Trust will not be proceeding to a merger.

Both charities will continue to work closely together to reduce infant mortality and ensure that families receive the best possible bereavement care and support in the future.

Angela McCafferty, Vice Chair of Sands, said: “Sands has achieved a great deal since it was formed forty years ago, in 1978, by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies and by the total lack of acknowledgement and understanding of the significance and impact of their loss. Although we have decided this isn’t the right time to join together with The Lullaby Trust we have been on a valuable journey and one that has allowed us to see there is potential for further partnership work in the future.”

Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, said: “Sands has worked closely with The Lullaby Trust on a number of projects and we felt that there were good reasons to have a discussion about becoming one organisation. We will take the learning, the insights and the ideas from this discussion and use them to make a real difference in achieving our vision of a world where fewer babies die and every bereaved family gets the care and support they need for as long as they need it.”

At Sands we are committed to achieving our vision for a world where fewer babies die and when a baby dies anyone affected by the death receives the best care and support for as long as they need. Read more about how we are doing this with our current three year strategy.