Hundreds of umbrellas have been hung from the ceiling of a church to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.

St Margaret’s in Rainham has turned its ancient roof space into a memorial ahead of a special concert with The Voice singer Jamie Johnson.

There are 400 pink and blue umbrellas hung from the 12th century beams in support of the baby loss charity Making Miracles. Some parents have hung a heart underneath the umbrellas to remember baby they have lost.

Vicar Nathan Ward said the charity’s work is incredibly important: "It’s estimated that one in four pregnancies will end in miscarriage with some experiencing consecutive miscarriages; the trauma and grief is more than often invisible and it can be incredibly difficult to come to terms with it.

"What’s worse is that for the most part this is something that families go through on their own.

"Lost babies are never forgotten, even decades later families still feel the pain. Some of the dates on the hearts in church go back to the 1950s. We hope people will be able to visit when the church is open."

The umbrellas were chosen to signify people "standing together in the rain to remember all babies gone too soon".

On Friday at 6.30pm the church will be holding a special service of remembrance as part of the national Wave of Light.

And on Wednesday at 7pm there will be concert under the umbrellas featuring Medway singer Jamie Johnson, who appeared on The Voice, and Josh Roots who is a pianist for Peter Andre. Tickets, raising funds for Making Miracles, are £10 and available on the door.

Making Miracles was set up by Medway mum Kelly Wells after her daughter was given just 15% chance of survival. She defied the odds and survived but Kelly wants to help others who have lost a baby.

She said: "We want to normalise it and for baby loss not to be a taboo subject.

"We are here every day in the church, we want to let people know we are here for them. It doesn't matter if you lost a baby last year or 30 years ago, it is not something you get over, you carry it with you.

"We want to bring the community together and raise awareness."

Making Miracles was recently awarded a community fund grant of £100,000 from the National Lottery so it can expand its services in Gravesend, Dartford and Ashford.

The funding means the charity can support families who have experienced the birth trauma and loss of a baby.

To find out more about the concert, click here. makingmiracles.org.uk/event/a-night-under-the-umberellas/

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