Ribbons in their hundreds fill Redditch park for 'powerful' display in memory of people's babies
Around 600 have been placed in Redditch's Arrow Valley Country Park for the display which was first created by Lauren Hincks in 2022
Hundreds of ribbons of colours pink, yellow and blue have formed a display in a Worcestershire park to create a place where people who've experienced baby loss can remember their babies.
Nearly 600 were put up in Arrow Valley Country Park on a fence overlooking the lake in it ahead of Baby Loss Awareness Week, which started on the 9 October and finishes on the 15 October.
Each one is in memory of an individual baby, with their names written on them, with people able to add their own ones to it all-year round.
Lauren Hincks, who's from Redditch originally, initially started it back in 2022 after she lost her son Rupert in 2021.
She said it originally only had about 70 ribbons the first time she did it but it has developed a lot since then.
"It's grown into something much bigger than I ever imagined but the reason behind it has always stayed the same, that every baby deserves to be remembered and every family deserves to know they're not alone no matter when they lost their baby," she said.
"I think the display is incredibly powerful, not just for the bereaved families but for anyone walking around the lake, when you see almost 600 ribbons tied around the fence overlooking the lake it is quite overwhelming.
"It's important to remember that they're not just names on ribbons, they're so much more, every single one represents a baby who is loved, who is missed, and who is thought of every single day."
Mrs Hincks said this year she also created a number of keepsakes for bereaved families alongside the ribbons, and it's all about making sure these babies are remembered.
"For bereaved parents, I hope seeing their baby's name brings them even a little bit of comfort, because one of the biggest fears after losing a baby is that they'll be forgotten," she said.
"If someone can walk around that lake and read a baby's name and think about that name and that baby even just for a moment, then that baby's been remembered.
"To me, that's what doing the whole display and the project every year and including as many babies as I can every year is about."
Further support
Further information and support can be found on pregnancy and baby loss charity Sands' website.