Baby Loss Awareness Week is an opportunity for everyone to remember much-loved and much-missed babies while raising awareness and breaking taboos surrounding conversations about baby loss.
The week culminates with the global ‘Wave of Light’ – a moment for bereaved parents, families and friends to commemorate all the babies who sadly died too soon, by lighting a candle.
In powerful videos to mark this year’s candle release, Elle and friends write the names of their babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy or neonatal death, including Elle’s son Teddy who was born at 39 weeks and died at just 3 days old. Through individual films and a moving compilation they explain the significance of Baby Loss Awareness Week and of lighting a candle in memory.
This year’s special candle is available to buy from Plum & Ashby from Sunday 25 September with 100% of sale profits going toward supporting our work.
In just two years, our partnership with Plum & Ashby and best-selling author Elle has raised almost £100,000 to support research to save babies’ lives and provide support for families throughout their pregnancy journeys.
This total could support three full-time research midwives at a Tommy’s clinic or four Tommy’s-funded PhD students for a year. Or it could keep our midwife-led PregnancyHub running for 4 months, providing vital information and support for thousands of expectant and new parents.
Each Plum & Ashby candle is packaged in a bespoke box with iridescent stars, symbolising babies who left us too early. Every candle is also sent with a special card which signposts to the help that you can receive from Tommy’s if you or a loved one needs support.
The limited-edition candle has been created with the carefully chosen scent of fresh fig and jasmine. A soothing, airy, and clean scent filled with lush green fig blends, jasmine and lily of the valley provide balance and peace, while in the heart of the fragrance, ozonic notes found naturally in orange blossom offer calming, soothing and stress-relieving elements.
British artist Chiara Perano has created this year’s label and box artwork, using hand-painted midnight blue brush strokes and gold foiled stars.
Vicky White, co-founder of Plum & Ashby said:
“Baby loss and the work that Tommy’s do to save babies’ lives is incredibly close to our hearts here at Plum & Ashby, so we wanted to create something to help other parents who have experienced loss. We are so proud to be able to support the work Tommy’s does by donating 100% of our profits from this candle to the charity.”
Elle Wright, Author of Ask Me His Name, A Bump in the Road and Feathering the Empty Nest said:
“Working with one of my favourite brands to create something so special for the Wave of Light has been such an incredible opportunity to not only raise awareness for Baby Loss Awareness Week - but also to raise much needed funds for Tommy’s, a cause incredibly close to my heart, who support thousands of parents through loss and fertility every year.”
Jacqui Clinton, Fundraising Director for Tommy’s said:
“While 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in loss, this heartbreak is endured frequently but often silently because of a taboo about talking publicly, which can keep grieving parents from getting the support they need.
“Baby Loss Awareness Week is an important moment for us all to come together in remembrance, and this year we’re focusing on how best to look after anyone affected. Breaking the silence is a vital step in supporting families while our researchers keep working tirelessly to find ways of sparing others this pain; we’re extremely grateful to have this beautiful candle raising both funds and awareness to save babies’ lives.”
The Wave of Light candle is available to buy from Sunday 25 September at www.plumandashby.co.uk. Retailing for £30, 100% of profits go to Tommy’s.
To honour and remember every little life lost, we stand together with hundreds of thousands of people around the world to light a candle at 7pm on Saturday 15 October. Sign up for a Wave of Light reminder.
