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Devizes sands baby memorial statue
Teresa Steele discusses the commissioning of a baby memorial statue
Devizes Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (SAND’s) support group was set up in 2015 by Myself Teresa Steele and Sue Nash as a sub branch of Swindon Sands to help support bereaved families within the Devizes and surrounding areas. The first project our group wanted to do was to have our very own baby memorial statue to remember all the babies who didn’t get to stay.
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Our group made the decision that our statue was to be situated within a public park rather than a cemetery. As we felt that it made it more accessible to all especially for those who did not have their little ones buried nearby or for those who lost a long time ago where stillbirths and neonatal deaths were not spoken about as openly as they are now. With this in mind we contacted Devizes Town council to see if this would be something they would allow. Once we were given the go ahead by the town council our fundraising efforts then kicked off. Our group held cake sales, sponsored walks, a back to school disco with silent auction as well as a raffle to raise the funds needed for the statue. We had an idea about the design of the statue the next task was to find someone who could help us to make our vision a reality. With the help of a very good friend of mine Paula Winchcombe from Winchcombe funeral directors she put me in touch with Dennis Millington of Greenbridge Designs and after various meetings plans were drawn up and submitted to Devizes town council for approval. After a few resubmissions with altered designs we finally had approval from the town council for the statue that has now been installed in Hillworth Park Devizes. The statue was installed April 2021 and due to Covid restrictions the official unveiling was held on Sunday 12th September 2021.
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Devizes Sands Baby Memorial Statue unveiling 12th September 2021. Photo by Liz McAnaw