Warrington Sands, , is hosting its official  fundraising launch event on Saturday 28 February at 10.30am, at The Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH. Warrington Sands is a local branch of Sands the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, that supports anyone affected by the death of a baby.

Families can also make a donation to the charity in memory of their baby here:  www.justgiving.com/Warrington-Sands/. Personalised message tags will be attached to balloons being released.

Refreshments will be available at Bold Street Methodist church after the release.

The event will be attended by Warrington’s Mayor, Cllr Ted Finnegan, and his Mayoress, fundraisers, Warrington Sands volunteers, and bereaved parents.

‘I’m honoured that Warrington Sands has asked me to be a guest at this event. In only a short space of time the group, run entirely by volunteers, has already done such a great job supporting and caring for parents at such a distressing time,’ says Cllr Ted Finnegan, Mayor and first citizen of Warrington.

Bereaved grandparents Mike Constantinou and his wife Jane launched Warrington Sands in 2013 and provide support via group meetings, 1:1 support, telephone and email to local families whose baby has died before, during or shortly after birth.

Mike Constantinou, Chair of Warrington Sands said:

“As a family left devastated by the loss of a much wanted baby, we understand the need for a safe place for these families to go to, where they can be with other people who understand the pain  and heartbreak they are going through. 

“Any member of the family is welcome to attend our meetings, as we know how a loss affects everyone.  The meetings are open to anyone, regardless of when they suffered their loss, be it 20 years ago, or weeks/months ago.

“We decided to launch our fundraising for the year with a balloon release as a lot of our bereaved families feel that releasing a balloon is a comfort and a way of sending a loving message to their child,”.

For further details see:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Warrington-SANDS-Group/308959082541052

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Notes to editor

An image will be available after the event, upon request.

For more information, please contact Rachel Farrington-Allen on 07984 305566  or rfarringtonallen@icloud.com