A COUPLE who suffered heartbreak when their son was stillborn at Burnley General Hospital have seen two years of fundraising come to fruition with the opening of a new 'serenity suite'.

Mark and Joanne Edwards, from Darwen, were determined to raise money for a second room at the Central Birth Suite, where families who have suffered either a stillbirth, mid-term or late-term pregnancy can spend time with their baby to say goodbye.

The couple, who lost their son Luke in March 2013 as a result of the rare chromosome disorder Trisomy 13, found that the unit's only serenity room was already occupied at the time of their loss.

As a result they were moved to a birth room, and despite receiving excellent care and support from the staff on the unit, they felt this was not the most appropriate location at the time.

So they made it their mission to provide a second facility for other families in this situation and in doing so created the ‘Friends of Serenity’ charity, which raised in excess of £30,000 and the new room was opened by the mayor of Burnley, Cllr Liz Monk, and staff from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust this week.

Mrs Edwards, deputy headteacher at Sacred Heart Primary School, in Colne, said: "This project means a great deal as loss is very important to us and we have spent two years fundraising and working with staff at the trust to make the Butterfly Suite a reality.

"It is crucial to us that families know their baby is important to us and that they get to spend the essential precious time with their baby they may need in a quiet and calm environment, hopefully making their experience a little gentler."

The couple worked with other service users, fundraisers and trust staff to create and furnish the new suite.

The Butterfly Suite cost around £20,000, with the additional funds used to furnish and update the original serenity suite and provide miscarriage keepsakes and memory boxes for patients.

Erica Doyle, matron midwife, said: "Joanne and Mark have been tireless in their quest to provide a second serenity suite on the unit and know first-hand how important such a room is to parents.

"They used their experience in a positive way and their charity works with us to also provide miscarriage keepsakes and memory boxes for bereaved parents.

"They are an inspiration and we were honoured to work with them to bring their project to fruition that will benefit other families in the future."