Zephyr’s Nottingham Appeal

Zephyr’s is a truly amazing centre for bereaved families, offering loving care and support following pregnancy loss or the death of a baby or child. Based within the grounds of Nottingham City Hospital Zephyr’s was set up by Carly Williams and Martin Sommerville following the stillbirth of their first son Zephyr in 2013.

With love at its heart, Zephyr’s provides an important addition to the clinical support already available for parents and families at our hospitals. This includes: professional bereavement counselling; therapeutic writing and art workshops; specialist counselling for siblings affected by the death of a brother or sister; friendship and supportive conversation for anyone affected.

Importantly, Zephyr’s is a quiet, peaceful place for parents to meet hospital bereavement staff away from the clinical areas such as maternity units with all the difficult memories they may hold. And beyond our hospital staff, it is also open to GPs and other community health professionals who can use the centre as a meeting venue with bereaved parents.

Our Zephyr’s fund is helping fund a peaceful haven for these bereaved families in a warm and welcoming place.

Download our Zephyr’s Appeal Leaflet

Building a Bespoke Unit

As Carly explains, ‘the care from midwives and hospital staff when we lost Zephyr was fantastic and full of compassion to help ease our pain. But the surroundings weren’t right. How could we cope with our loss whilst other parents in the maternity ward were expressing their joy of a new child? Bereavement counselling is often provided on the wards with other expectant mothers but for us it felt wrong and we’ve since met other parents who felt the same.’

Carly and Martin began to dream of a custom-built centre where bereaved parents could come to terms with their loss, where heart-broken parents could drop-in to share experiences and comfort others, where practical support was available.

The dream of building a bespoke unit is the eventual goal but an interim solution has now become a reality. A unit in the City Hospital’s Derwent flats has been refurbished thanks to the unstinting efforts of volunteers and funding by Nottingham Hospitals Charity.

Supporting Community Projects

Staff from locally based Carillion and Experian are allowed several days each year to support community projects and the response to Zephyr’s appeal has been remarkable. Staff benefit from team-building, take a welcome opportunity to undertake practical activities and, most importantly, experience a ‘feel-good’ factor with lasting benefits.

The unit was painted and re-equipped and now has a drop-in facility, counselling services, activities for children and alternative therapies including reflexology and massage.

Over £20,000 has been raised by Carly and Martin with friends and families via innovative fundraising ideas and Zephyr’s legacy is assured. Nottingham Hospitals Charity continues to support this appeal and our Chief Executive expressed the thoughts of all involved, ‘Zephyr’s promises to be a place of compassion where families can receive much-needed support to help them recover from their loss.’

What finer legacy can there be?

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