Past Events
Network Day 15th May 2010
We hosted the annual Network Day on 15th May at East End Park in Dunfermline. It was well attended by people from Dumfries to Aberdeen and everywhere in between. After initial housekeeping we started off with a short poem while we lit the candle of remembrance which stayed lit throughout the day. Jenny then took us through her experience of losing Ryan and Adam – it was very emotional, as any parent's story is, and we thank Jenny for her courage and strength in reliving everything once more. Jenny was followed by Christine who spoke of her experiences as a midwife and why she decided to train as a bereavement counsellor. She went on to talk about the pilot project we are working on to provide a bereavement support midwife and a Pregnancy after Loss Clinic within the hospital.
Sue Hale, Group Development Officer from National spoke of developments within the organisation and plans for the future. We then had a long break for coffee while everyone had a chance to network and see what other groups had brought along to display. I think from feedback that everyone was really taken with some of the memory boxes on display there and this is something we will be taking back to Forth Park.
Following a presentation from Daksha Patel, Frae Fife, on Diversity, Clare led an interactive session on Sharing Best Practice, giving groups to discuss with others what they felt they did well. After a buffet lunch, Debbie did a presentation on the loss of a Twin, Twins or more, drawing a lot from her own experience. Debbie suggested useful things to check hospitals offered and explained the complex grief issues when grieving for a baby while celebrating the birth of their sibling.
Mark Evans did a very highly rated presentation on “Caring for the Spirit”. Our last speaker of the day was John Heggie from CHAS who gave us an insight into the work the fundraisers do for the organisation. Again, this seemed to go down well, with the groups full of new ideas on how to raise their profiles as well as funds. After a short coffee break, there was a question and answer session. Finally, using our copper tree as a centrepiece, we invited everyone to write a message and/or their baby's name on the wings of an origami crane, a symbol of peace. While Clare's Aunty Monica sang “Because I Knew You” from the stage musical Wicked, the cranes were exchanged for a token from the tree, a small glass tile with a red star or heart in the centre – a wee reminder of the day. Thank you to all the committee who worked so hard to put together such a successful day.
