A MEMORIAL dedicated to children who have been lost early in life has been officially unveiled.

The angel memorial in the Willow Cemetery, Canvey, will serve as a place for families to remember children who were stillborn, miscarried or died neonatally.

Canvey-based support group From My Womb, To My Heart organised the memorial in conjunction with the Rev Faye Bailey and Cribbs Funeral Directors.

The page was set up last year and is run by six Canvey women who have all experienced the loss of a child.

The memorial has a statue of an angel with a large black granite base.

The names of babies have been engraved around the base.

A ceremony was held to bless and dedicate the memorial by The Rev Faye Bailey, who grew up on Canvey, and The Rev Canon David Tudor.

The Rev Bailey said: “There were about 40 to 45 people there on Saturday at the dedication.

“It was really well attended.

“The people who had asked for their baby’s names came with members of their family.

“We had a prayer and a hymn and a time for remembrance.

“People were very appreciative and it was something that the people needed.

“It gives them somewhere to go to remember their babies which has really helped them.

“There isn’t really anywhere else for them to go in the area as there is nowhere else like this.”

The memorial was donated for free by Cribbs Funeral Directors and people paid a small amount to have their child’s name around the edge.

The Rev Bailey added: “I think it will be very well-used by families.

“Some have already been there since Saturday.

“The memorial is going to fill a need.”

The unveiling coincided with national Baby Loss Awareness Week in the UK.

Posting on Facebook, the support group From My Womb, To My Heart posted: “The day was so very beautiful.

“We are thankful to Cribbs Funeral Directors who exceeded our expectations and provided a beautiful place to honour our angels and St Nicholas Church, Father David, Rev Faye and Rev Lesley for a beautiful service and helping us achieve one of our goals.

“We remember.”

For more information on the group, search on Facebook for ‘From My Womb, To My Heart. ESSEX Baby Loss Support Page’.