A WOMAN who lost her baby at just two days old has raised £1,400 in aid of the charity which supported her.

Jacqui Deacon, 43, of Kiln Road, Thundersley, contacted the Still Born and Neonatal Death charity after losing her son Laurence when he was born prematurely at only 24 weeks.

The charity provided one-to-one phone support for her and her husband, and a monthly support group in Billericay, which she attended for six months.

Ms Deacon, who has since given birth to another son, said: “I needed someone to talk to who had been through the same experience.

“A lot of my friends had told me time is a great healer and all that sort of thing, but I didn’t know anyone who had been through the same thing. They helped me immensely, and I like to think attending the support group sped up the grieving process.”

In an effort to give back to the charity, Ms Deacon hosted a charity dinner and auction, offering a selection of prizes donated by local businesses, with all proceeds going to the group.

Ms Deacon said: “It went well. I was surprised by the amount of money I was able to raise.”

The event was held at Wheeler’s Tandoori restaurant, in London Road, Benfleet, where staff put on a buffet and a selection of authentic Indian desserts which the company went to London to research.

Ms Deacon said: “They really bent over backwards to help me.

“It was so nice of them to let me host the event on a Saturday, something most restaurants would probably not have agreed to.

“The food was fantastic and catered well for the many vegetarians who attended.”

Ms Deacon, who also raised £300 for the charity by hosting a coffee morning at her home and in Thundersley Gospel Hall, in Kiln Road, has since gone on to have a son, Alex, who is now two-and-a-half.

She said: “Just because a baby dies, it does not meant you cannot go on to have a positive experience.”

The Still Born and Neonatal Death charity offers support to people who have lost a child, either through pregnancy or after the child is born, and promotes research into reducing the number of infant deaths.

For more information, go to www.uk-sands.org