A couple who suffered the tragedy of stillbirth have delivered a new type of clever cot to a hospital which will help grant other families more precious time with their babies.

Abigail’s Footsteps co-founders David and Jo Ward, and Charity vice president Cheryl Baker, of Bucks Fizz fame, visited Medway Maritime Hospital on Tuesday (December 17) to officially handover a new version of the Abi Cooling Cot to the maternity bereavement team.

Named after the couple’s daughter Abigail, who died in 2009, the special cot keeps the baby at a cool temperature, allowing parents to be able to spend precious time with their baby.

As well as helping parents make memories during a particularly traumatic and difficult time it also helps them to start to deal with their grief by providing them with the chance to say goodbye in their own time.

Having worked closely with the manufacturers The Bond Group, which is based in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, the cot has been redesigned to create the Mark 4 version, the first of its kind to be donated to a hospital.

The new design includes a softer outer colour and insert, giving the cot a more sympathetic appearance for families.

It also features an integrated digital temperature display, making it both effective and user-friendly for maternity bereavement teams.

The plaque design has also been changed so parents can keep a piece of it in the shape of a heart, in a keepsake box.

It will be available for bereaved families to use in the two dedicated bereavement suites, Bluebell and Abigail’s Place.

The bereavement suites provide parents with a safe and comfortable space to spend time with their baby and receive visits from family and friends.

David Ward, co-founder and trustee of Abigail’s Footsteps, said: “Jo and I are proud to present the first new Mark 4 Abi Cooling Cot to Medway Maritime Hospital in Abigail’s memory.

“This cot will provide much-needed support to bereaved families during their time of need.

“When we launched the charity in 2010, one year after losing Abigail, we had no idea what we could achieve, but we were determined to make a difference.

This cot will provide much-needed support to bereaved families during their time of need

“At the time, we didn’t realise how much impact we would have; now, as we look back, we can see that it has been significant over the years.”

Ali Herron, director of midwifery at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, which operates Medway Maritime Hospital, said: “These cots offer grieving parents the opportunity to spend additional precious time with their baby before they have to say goodbye, something which would not have been possible without them.

“We are extremely grateful to Abigail’s Footsteps for ensuring we have this vital piece of equipment in our maternity bereavement suites.”

To find out more about the cold cots click here.

Abigail’s Footsteps has pledged to provide every hospital across the country with an Abi Cooling Cot.