Charity supporting bereaved parents faces closure

A charity set up to help bereaved parents at the critical time of baby loss – including over 10,000 families in the past year – has announced it will be forced to close its doors in three months if it is unable to raise enough funding.

The combination of a surge in requests for SiMBA Memory Boxes from hospitals across the UK and a significant shortfall in expected fundraising income has left the charity running desperately low on funds and unable to meet the growing demand.

Sara Fitzsimmons, Chief Executive and co-founder of SiMBA, said: “Our wonderful charity, so appreciated and loved by the thousands of families who have received our support over the years, is now in trouble.

“Our costs have increased faster than ever before, while at the same time we’ve seen a huge growth in requests for our precious Memory Boxes from families and healthcare professionals in maternity and neonatal wards across the UK. As a result, we are devastated to say that we could face closing our operation unless we receive vital funds by the end of March 2023.”

Despite an urgent appeal at the start of last December to raise £220,000, only 50% of this has been reached so far. The charity now needs to raise the remaining amount to keep its operation going.

The charity has already undertaken cost-cutting measures, including reduced hours and salaries.

SiMBA provides support to any bereaved parents who lose a baby at any stage of their pregnancy or around the time of birth, offering a range of services.

It provides Memory Boxes to bereaved parents to help gather timeless and precious memories of their child. They contain items such as clay imprint kits; birth acknowledgement certificates; a letter from another parent who has also experienced child loss and items knitted by volunteers such as teddies and blankets.

The boxes are donated to hospitals and hospices across the UK and Ireland so they can be gifted to parents on request.

There were 2,638 stillbirths in the UK in 2020. An estimated one in five pregnancies ended in miscarriage in the same year. Estimates suggest there are 250,000 miscarriages every year in the UK, and around 11,000 emergency admissions for ectopic pregnancies. Neonatal deaths are around 2.2 deaths per 1000 live births.

To donate to #SaveSiMBA or to find out other ways you can help support the charity at this critical time, please visit simbacharity.org.uk today.

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