Co-op launches scheme for grieving parents and vows to raise £1.5m for disabled children

Central England Co-operative has launched a project for families to spend precious final hours with their stillborn babies and pledged to raise a total of £1.5m to support a...

Central England Co-operative has launched a project for families to spend precious final hours with their stillborn babies and pledged to raise a total of £1.5m to support a charity for disabled children.

The society’s Funeralcare division has purchased 10 cuddle cots that offer a cooling pad in a Moses basket to keep a baby’s body cool and give relatives more time to say goodbye.

The scheme ­– one of the first of its kind in the funeral business – will form part of the Rainbow Service, which offers a complimentary funeral service for children up to and including 16.

Families are not restricted by choosing this option as the service offers personalisation for their child.

Helen Lee, from Central England Co-operative Funeralcare, said: “We need to remember the journey our families have already been through before we meet them.

“By purchasing cuddle cots, we are able to offer parents more time to sit with their child, to take them home for some time before the funeral and, most importantly, to be able to cuddle their baby.

“Providing families with the choice of a cuddle cot is very important. So many of the decisions we make as a Funeralcare provider are with the families in mind and what we believe is the right thing to do.

“Parents are able to focus their mind on their child and creating memories instead of having to worry about finances.”

The cuddle cots, already in use at some NHS trusts, will be based out of the co-op’s 10 primary locations, including its two Birmingham stores, Derby, Heanor, Corby, Leicester, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, Lowestoft, and Burton.

The Society is also supporting children through work with the Newlife Foundation.

Over the last four years, it has raised a total of £1.2m for the local charity, which is the country’s largest non-statutory provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illnesses.

“Our partnership with Newlife has been extremely successful,” said Martyn Cheatle, Central England Co-operative chief executive.

“As a community retailer and responsible business, it has been great to know that every penny raised as part of this charity campaign has gone to improve the lives of families in our trading area.”

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