Photography News Issue 66

Photography News | Issue 66 | photographynews.co.uk

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RememberMyBaby Charitablework Bereavement charity Remember My Baby was launched in August 2014 and now has over 330 volunteers. By this spring, 3000 families had used its free services

Words by Nicky Heppenstall

The long-awaited arrival of a new baby is cause for celebration, and pictures are at the heart of how people share their news of a safe arrival. But when a pregnancy ends unexpectedly and in sadness, photographs are most likely the last thing on the minds of the family. The volunteer photographers of Remember My Baby are there to be called upon at short notice and fill a need that newly bereaved parents don’t always initially know they have – for enduring images of their baby. Remember My Baby has evolved and grown since its launch in August 2014. Now in its fifth year, with over 330 volunteer photographers participating, an average of three remembrance photography sessions are carried out every day across the UK. Often in shock and unsure of what to do, parents are guided by bereavement midwives in starting to think about memory making: handprints, footprints, a lock of hair, and photographs. Health professionals in labour wards and neonatal units will contact Remember My Baby to request a visit. The photographer then captures images for a family facing a future devoid of further opportunities to do so. Hospice and funeral home staff also call the charity to request on behalf of a family. The 1000th family to access RMB’s service was in the London area, and volunteer photographerMirandaRoos visited themat St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey. The 2000th family was in Wales, and volunteer photographer Gemma Edwards visited them at the Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydvil, South Wales. The 3000th family was met in April, when Cheryl Johnson was called to the Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital in London. Cheryl is RMB’s most prolific volunteer photographer with the largest regional team of volunteers who, between them, cover the densest area for sessionrequests–Londonand the home counties. Cheryl has been actively involved in providing remembrance sessions since long before Remember My Baby’s inception, inspired by a single Polaroid image of a beloved lost baby seen years previously in a friend’s home, alongside photographs of the family’s surviving children. Named in the New Year’s Honours list at the turn of the year, Cheryl has been

honoured with the British Empire Medal as a result of her years of dedication to providing remembrance photography, not least through the co-founding and running of Remember My Baby. Cheryl will be formally awarded her medal this May, and will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in July. As well as photographers, a dedicated team of digital retouchers provides specialist editing for some families who have never seen their babies without the medical paraphernalia essential for their care during their short lives in neonatal units. The retouchers also edit a small number of images taken by parents who were not able to access RMB’s service. Reading through reviews and recommendations on Remember My Baby’s Facebook page brings a lump to the throat. “A beautiful way to remember our little one. Fantastic photos and Adele was so caring and respectful. Fantastic charity that makes the hardest moments in life a little easier to deal with. Thank you xx”, Stefan. “Thank you so much to Remember My Baby and the lovely Emma who came to visit

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