Additional reporting by Catherine Tang

A Medway couple who set up a charity after their daughter was stillborn have received a royal thank you for their work supporting other families.

David and Jo Ward founded Abigail’s Footsteps in memory of their little girl and last year, opened a maternity bereavement suite at Medway Maritime Hospital.

Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, visited the suite yesterday and unveiled a plaque.

She said: “To give them that time to be with the child and to create such precious memories which are going to be the only memories that they have sadly, but to make that experience as good as you possibly can, takes a lot of your own love to create such a wonderful place.

“Sad, as you say, that it has to exist but it does and I thank you on behalf of those families for what you are giving them, which is a lifetime of memories in one small encapsulated moment.”

The Countess added: “Thank you for doing it, because this will be what they cherish forever.”

Watch: The Countess of Wessex visits Medway Maritime Hospital

Abigail’s Place is away from the maternity ward and is soundproof so parents can grieve on their own, without the sound of newborns and happy families nearby, something Mr and Mrs Ward found heartbreaking when they lost Abigail in 2009.

The suite was praised in Medway NHS Foundation Trust’s latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) report, as “the gold standard in the provision of care for parents and families who experience a stillbirth.”

Mr Ward said: “We are delighted and honoured that HRH the Countess of Wessex has visited Abigail’s Place.

“This is our first purpose-built bereavement suite where parents can spend precious time with their stillborn baby away from the cries of new-borns.

“It is now the template for maternity units across the country and we are already working with other trusts to help them to achieve the same high standards.”

Abigail’s Footsteps continues to campaign and fundraise nationally to help other NHS hospitals secure maternity bereavement suites.

Since it was set up in 2010, the charity has led the way in midwife bereavement training with the funding of an online course and the production of an award-winning film The Deafening Silence, based on the Wards’ own experience.

The charity has two other key aims – to provide vital equipment, such as cold cots, to enable bereaved parents to spend time with their baby and to ensure hospitals have a bereavement suite away from the main maternity ward.

Lesley Dwyer, Chief Executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust said: “Since opening in November, Abigail’s Place has given families the opportunity to grieve together and say goodbye in a quiet and comforting environment, with the knowledge that they have a dedicated bereavement midwife to speak with at all times.

“The facility took months of hard work and commitment to come to fruition, especially from David and Jo Ward - we deeply appreciate their contribution to the trust.

“We are also delighted to welcome The Countess of Wessex to mark this poignant achievement and recognise the importance of providing bereavement care to people who have tragically lost their baby.”