Families who have lost a child can now create a lifetime of memories after charity link-up in the West Midlands
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 09/10/2017
Central England Co-operative Funeralcare has joined forces with a charity to help families who have lost a child in the West Midlands create a lifetime of memories.
The team at Great Brook Street Funeral Home, in Birmingham, are working with child loss charity 4Louis to provide special memory boxes to help as part of the grieving process.
Funeral Administrator Shani Ruscoe started the partnership to ensure she could give families the chance to create memories with their child and the boxes are now available via Central England Co-operative funeral homes across the West Midlands.
The complimentary boxes are made up of an array of items including a clay impression kit, two teddy bears, a glass angel, a candle, a card, and a book.
She said: “I thought this would be a great thing that we could offer parents. The charity offers boxes for different aged children and also boxes for parents who have lost their child at a very early stage.”
The charity started out after a family from Tyne and Wear lost their son and decided they wanted to help others in their situation by putting together memory boxes.
Shani added: “This is a great charity and I am so proud that we can work with them to help our families in their time of need.”
4Louis trustee Bob McGurrell said: “The loss of a child is truly the hardest thing any parent should experience - 4Louis tries to soften the blow by providing a memory box.
“A memory box inspires families to create memories at a very difficult time in their lives when perhaps they are not thinking clearly. They are vital in helping the grieving process and showing the family that they are not alone.
“The memory boxes are hand assembled by bereaved parents at our offices in Washington Tyne and Wear and the charity offers the service free of charge to over 200 hospitals and hospices across the UK.
“We have also formed links with funeral directors and, in particular, with the Central England Co-op who have also found the value of the memory box in supporting the families.”
Our support for families who have lost a child forms part of The Rainbow Service, which offers a complimentary service for children up to and including 17 years of age.
This means that families do not have to pay for the funeral service but are also not restricted, as the service still offers the family choice and the ability to personalise for their child.
As part of the service, the Society can also offer parents the free use of a cuddle cot which provides a cooling pad in a Moses basket to give relatives more time to say goodbye after their child has passed away.
People can find out more about The Rainbow Service by visiting www.centralengland.coop/funeral-services or calling 0800 454 552.
More about 4Louis can be found at www.4louis.co.uk or by searching 4Louis on Facebook and Twitter @_4louis
Notes to editors
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with projected gross sales of £927million for 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. The company’s funeral business consists of over 120 funeral homes across 16 counties, 10 florists, masonry production and administration, Bretby Crematorium and Terry Smiths coffin factory.
Central England Co-operative has more than 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store and funeral home development programme for 2017.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, @mycooplife and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop