Jacksons is delighted to announce its chosen charities of the year for 2017. The staff and partners at the firm’s Newcastle and Teesside offices voted to support two charities in the North East; one in the north and one in the south. Washington based charity, 4Louis which aims to provide comfort to bereaved parents following the birth of a stillborn baby, early miscarriage or coping with the loss of their child and Stockton based charity Daisy Chain which supports children with Autism.
4Louis was established by Kirsty McGurrell from Houghton le Spring in County Durham in 2009 to help parents deal with losing a child. Kirsty sadly, has first-hand experience of giving birth to a stillborn baby. After spending months preparing for a healthy baby she received the devastating news that her son had died in her womb, at 38 weeks, and on the 10th December 2009 she gave birth to Louis Robert Joseph Knight. As a focus for her grief, she decided that she would like to help bereaved parents and raise funds to help make their experience as painless as possible.
The charity provides a number of items to hospitals across the UK including memory boxes which are handed to bereaved parents and contain small and meaningful items such as a candle, forget-me-not seeds for planting, a balloon, a clay impression of baby’s foot/hand prints, a glass angel, a silver frame with a photo of baby, a scroll with baby’s name, date of delivery, weight, sex, etc. and two small teddy bears.
4Louis recently provided one of their memory boxes to Coronation Street for a storyline where actors Kym Marsh and Simon Gregson, who play Michelle and Steve, go through the pain of having a stillborn baby.
Kirsty McGurrell said, “We are absolutely thrilled Jacksons Law Firm has come on board to support our charity. 4Louis relies heavily on fundraising from the local community and businesses to be able to buy the items which offer comfort to bereaved parents at such a devastating time. Every penny is welcome as we cover the whole of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and County Durham. It’s very sad to think, that these days, seventeen babies are stillborn every day in the UK and there is very little support available to help these parents rebuild their shattered lives”
Karen Prudhoe, Paralegal and Jacksons Law Firm said, “I came across the charity when my stepdaughter, Laura, received the terrible news, while attending a scan, which revealed there was no heartbeat and she lost her baby at 25 weeks. Laura received a memory box from Newcastle’s RVI and took great comfort (and still does) from the items. Laura’s baby boy, whom they named Michael, was placed in a cuddle cot which was also donated by the charity. It also covered the cost for Laura to stay at the hospital for one night”.
For more information on 4Louis and how you could help raise funds for the charity visit www.4louis.co.uk.
Jacksons Law firm is one of the North East’s longest established law firms and has been practising in the Tees Valley for over 140 years. Operating from its head office in Stockton on Tees, and an office in Newcastle upon Tyne, it is well placed to assist clients across the region on a wide range of business and personal legal advice.
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