Work has started today on a bereavement suite at Medway Maritime Hospital following a fundraising drive by parents who suffered a stillbirth on this day seven years ago.

Abigail’s Footsteps, a charity set up by Jo and David Ward after their daughter was stillborn, will be refurbishing three rooms at the hospital in Gillingham.

The suite is away from the maternity wards and will be soundproof so parents can grieve on their own, without the sound of newborns and happy families near by, something the Wards found heartbreaking when they lost their daughter Abigail in 2009.

Mr Ward said: “We believe that every maternity unit should have a purpose-built bereavement suite where parents can spend precious time with their stillborn baby away from the cries of newborns.

“It is particularly poignant that our first suite should be at the Medway Maritime Hospital as it was here that my wife Jo gave birth to Abigail Rose who was the inspiration for the charity.”

"It will give parents more time to get to grips with what has happened in private.

“It will be a mid-way point after being discharged and before going home where parents would have to face things like a decorated nursery, a cot and newborn baby clothes.”

It is hoped the suite, which is being created with the help of construction firm Cardy’s, will be in use by the end of the year.

Dot Smith, head of midwifery at the hospital, said: “Sadly, on the rare occasion a baby is stillborn or dies shortly after birth, our midwives are tasked with a very difficult care issue.

“A specialist bereavement unit will help them to give parents the space and time they need. We are very fortunate to be among the first hospitals to have such vital facilities.”

Funding has come from donations across Medway. Singer and presenter Cheryl Baker, who is the charity’s vice-president, raised more than £30,000 from appearances on stage and TV last year, including Celebrity Mr and Mrs and The National Lottery – Who Dares Wins.

She said: “I am passionate about the work that Abigail’s Footsteps does .
“One of my twin daughters was born with respiratory distress syndrome which meant that her lungs weren’t developed properly.

“I am so grateful to the medical team who saved her life but I am acutely aware that I could have lost her. I can’t imagine any greater grief than losing a child.”

Abigail’s Footsteps, the Medway Messenger’s charity of the year in 2015, has raised more than £100,000 to date.

The money has funded cold cots which allow parents to spend more time with their babies and bereavement training for midwives across the UK.