Grieving parents now have a place to go and remember their children, thanks to a local charity.

Making Miracles has created a haven for mums and dads who have lost a baby.

The charity supports families who have high-risk and life-threatening pregnancies and those who have lost a baby.

Kelly Wells set up Making Miracles after her own high-risk pregnancy. Her daughter, Summer, now aged three, was given a 15% chance of survival after she was diagnosed with a rare heart condition while in the womb.

The garden in Borstal Road, Rochester, includes a book of remembrance which is kept inside a small brick building and an area where parents can place pebbles engraved with their baby’s name and a date. There is also a children’s area, benches, flower-beds and pathways.

The garden was officially opened on Sunday after a service at Rochester Cathedral, conducted by the Dean of Rochester, Philip Hesketh.

Mrs Wells said: “It’s going to be haven for families who have lost babies at any stage, whether it be a miscarriage, a stillbirth, or after a birth. It’s a place for them to come and remember, reflect and have a trace of their baby.

“It’s important for everyone, but also for the ladies who lose a baby before 24 weeks because legally they don’t have to have a death certificate. They don’t have to have a burial or a cremation so the ladies feel their babies are sometimes forgotten.

“They can still come here and have something for them here.

“It’s part of the healing process and a good sense of closure.”

Mrs Wells added that the local community had rallied round to support the charity.

She said: “The reaction has been amazing. It’s overwhelming, seeing the parents going up and seeing their pebbles for the first time – it’s been really lovely to watch. It means so much to them, and to us to be able to offer that service to them.”

As well as raising money at a stall in Medway Maritime Hospital, Making Miracles has been given £10,000 from Aviva insurance and a grant from Dobbies Garden Centre to help with building costs. Co-operative Funeral Care in Walderslade also offered to pay for bricks.

The charity is now looking for volunteers to help water the plants, and for other light gardening duties.

For more information call 01622 735230.