The Lily Mae Foundation

A child sat in a memory-making workshop and added their baby brother to a family tree.

“I made a family tree and put my baby brother in the picture,” they said afterwards.

For a bereaved sibling, that kind of moment matters. It gives grief somewhere to go. It gives a child a way to remember, include and talk about the baby who died, without needing to find all the words at once.

A Cash for Kids grant helped The Lily Mae Foundation run two Sibling Support Days at Hatton Country World in Warwickshire for families affected by baby loss. The Foundation supports families in the West Midlands after stillbirth, neonatal death, miscarriage and medical termination, offering specialist bereavement support including Memory Boxes, one-to-one baby loss support, sibling support, support groups and remembrance events.

Many bereaved parents are also trying to help their other children understand what has happened. That can be hard when parents are carrying their own grief. One parent supported by the Foundation described “lots of talk and questions” from their children, including some that “take my breath away and I don’t know how to answer”.

What the grant meant

The Sibling Support Days took place in May and August 2025. Across the two days, 93 children aged 4 to 15 attended, alongside 90 parents and carers from 59 families.

Children took part in indoor and outdoor play, fed and met animals, joined laser combat, and spent time in memory-making workshops organised and run by the Foundation’s Child Play Therapist. In those workshops, children made emotions clocks, superhero masks, family trees and other creative tools linked to memory and feelings.

The day also gave children a chance to meet others who had lost a baby brother or sister. One child said: “I made a new friend today called Matthew.” A parent later shared that their child talked all the way home about the new friend they had made, and about how brave they had been to hold a snake and a tarantula.

Parents and carers were included too. They took part in a session offering practical tips on how to talk to children about the loss of their baby. For families who are trying to answer difficult questions at home, that guidance matters.

The difference you made

The feedback from families showed the value of the days. Ninety-six per cent of children who attended said it was useful to meet others who had lost a baby brother or sister, and 100% said they loved the activities. After the two Sibling Support Days, three children were identified and offered further Play Therapy.

One parent wrote: “It’s lovely to meet up with other parents… and to share our experiences of baby loss whilst our children are having the time of their lives.”

The Sibling Support Days did not take grief away. They gave children space to play, remember, ask questions, make friends and feel less alone. They gave parents practical support at a time when many are unsure what to say. And where children needed more help, they helped The Lily Mae Foundation identify that need early.