Bears in Belfast

14/03/2023

Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Michelle Kelly has joined us in inviting the local community and business leaders to an awareness event at Belfast City Hall on Friday 14th April between 11am and 2pm. It will be an opportunity for local families to meet our founder, Leanne and local volunteers Laura and Ellie. Business leaders are invited to come along and learn about the charity’s work in raising awareness of the impact of pregnancy and baby loss in the workplace.

Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Michelle Kelly said: “Aching Arms do great work in providing comfort for families experiencing the pain of baby loss, as well as raising awareness of the impact of pregnancy loss in the workplace. I’ve been proud to work with them as one of my nominated charities. Having experienced three miscarriages myself, I am passionate about raising awareness of baby loss as it is something that will happen in at least one in four pregnancies - yet there is still a stigma around it. I’m also very pleased that my proposal to introduce paid leave for miscarriage has been adopted by Council.”

Aching Arms brings comfort to families across Northern Ireland now that every health trust in the province has signed up to work with us, but it is volunteer Laura Kelly who has led the way in getting our bears into hospitals in Northern Ireland. The 35-year-old got involved following the loss of her baby son Cormac, who passed away in May 2017.

Laura, who lives in Belfast with her partner Paul and their daughter Eimear (four), said: “We lost our son Cormac who was born at 23 weeks and 2 days on 14th May 2017. He fought in the NICU for one week before he passed away in my arms on 21st May. I stumbled across Aching Arms through a group on Facebook, I ordered my bear (Florence Rose Welch) and when it came, I don’t think I put it down for months.”

Laura added: “I initially wanted to gift a box of bears to the Royal maternity hospital in Belfast but as there were no volunteers in NI, I ended up volunteering, although I did not take much persuading. The very first bear given out in NI had Cormac’s name on it, by pure chance. The bereavement midwife in Belfast, Barbara, randomly pulled his bear from the bag and gave him to a now close friend of mine.”

A total of 450 bears have now been delivered to NI hospitals by Laura and two other Aching Arms volunteers Ellie Goan and Lisa Simpson. At the event, we would love to meet Belfast families who have received at bear, as well as local businesses and health professionals so we can make sure that families are getting as much support as possible in Northern Ireland.

If you are interested in attending Bears in Belfast, please contact info@achingarms.co.uk

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