A COUPLE who lost their first child after it was stillborn are giving back to a charity which helped them.

Julian and Katie Randall-Stratton, of Wroughton, were preparing to welcome their son into the world in May, but when Katie was due to give birth the doctors could find no pulse.

The day after Zachary was born, the pair were introduced to the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death (Sands) charity through the Great Western Hospital, which provided them with a memory box including two teddies, a handprint of Zachary and a mould of his left foot.

Since then they have visited the Swindon branch, where they found support from parents who had gone through similar heartbreaking experiences, and raised £800 for the charity from a website set up in Zachary’s name.

Julian said: “Katie and I have been fantastically supported by Sands, especially Swindon’s own branch of the charity.

“We have been to two meetings that have helped us a great deal, speaking with others who have been affected in a similar way.

“As families who have been affected by losing a child we have all been brought together by our little ones and felt the unbelievable pain of losing a baby.

“Every family’s experience has been, and will be, different. But we all have things that have helped through those awful days and things that have perhaps made it even worse – if that’s possible.”

The GWH does not have a bereavement suite, but this could soon change because Swindon Sands is raising money to fund one in the delivery ward.

The hospital is working with the charity to convert two rooms to help families as much as possible in those early days.

The bereavement suite will be lovingly decorated, with a double bed and en-suite bathroom where the family would go through the delivery process.

There will also be a lounge with a kitchenette and sofa, and tea and coffee facilities to make the stay in hospital as comfortable as possible and allow time to make lots of memories.

Julian and Katie said the care they got from the GWH was outstanding, with Julian able to stay overnight and Katie put in a room away from other parents. But it could have been made even easier if there had been a specific room for them.

Katie said: “The level of care we got from the hospital was outstanding and we really appreciate everything they did for us.

“To have that suite, though, would have made such a difference and would have given us our own space with Zachary to come to terms with our loss.”

The majority of the £10,000 needed will be raised by Swindon Sands. It is holding a fundraising cake sale on Saturday starting at 10am at Emery Gate shopping centre in Chippenham.