Memorial for grieving parents unveiled at The Oaks Crematorium in Havant

Open to everyone, ‘no matter how much time has passed’, the baby and child memorial at The Oaks Havant Crematorium will give parents a tranquil place to reflect.

The stainless steel memorial installation, known as Little Oaks and Acorns, mimics the winding trunk of a tree and is covered with 300 bronze coloured acorn shaped leaves.

It is set in the grounds of the crematorium, which is part of the independent co-operative, Southern Co-op, and includes ancient semi-natural woodland and a wildflower meadow.

Sue Mawson, crematorium and natural burial ground team manager, said: ‘We have always been aware that the need for a place to remember is important. ‘To have a beautiful tree in such a tranquil location to offer to a family who needs a gentle arm of support is truly a privilege.’

While developing the memorial, the team were in regular contact with Portsmouth and Chichester Sands - a charity that works to support anyone affected by the death of a baby.

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Emma Hayward, co-chair and befriender of Portsmouth and Chichester Sands, hopes the memorial will give bereaved parents like her and her partner, a place to seek comfort.

Emma, from Gosport, lost her baby Annabel four months into her pregnancy.

She said: ‘We have a very small memorial near us and as soon as we found it, it gave us a huge amount of comfort.

‘My partner really needed to see our child's name somewhere. Even now, on a bad day, as soon as I go up there, I feel 100 times better.

‘You sadly have families who don't know where their babies went if they were stillborn. You may have just had them taken away. Others don't get the chance to have a funeral so they don't have anywhere to have a memorial made.

‘We get a lot of people who come to Sands that lost their baby 10, 20, 30 years ago. So a place like this is incredibly important.

‘The memorial means your child is recognised and there is quite a lot of comfort taken seeing other babies names as you see that you are not alone. A loss is a loss however far along the pregnancy you are.’