A baby loss charity has received £1,000 funding after winning a local community fund campaign run by the Kingsfold based builders’ merchant NYEs Building Supplies.
Upon Butterfly Wings provides tiny clothing and knitted cribs to dress babies from as small as 12 weeks gestation.
Gowns are handmade from preloved wedding dresses, which have been donated by brides and are then transformed by the charity’s small team of volunteer seamstresses around the UK.
It also donates packs to funeral homes so that parents can dress babies for funerals as well as special overnight packs for children’s hospices so that parents have all the provisions they need to spend extra time with their baby during a hospice stay.
Lucy Willis, who started the charity after her son, Bobby, was stillborn in 2009, said:
“Losing a child is the worst thing imaginable for families who often end up feeling isolated, alone and confused. Upon Butterfly Wings is here to offer some comfort and support to parents during an extremely difficult time and provide a small sense of ‘normality’. We are a small volunteer run charity with no financial support so we are absolutely thrilled to have won the £1,000 funding. We would like to thank NYEs Building Supplies for its support, everyone who voted for us and all the ladies who volunteer their time to make these special items. This will make a huge difference.”
Proud to be Local, which was set up by NYEs in 2018, offers community groups, charities and causes the chance to receive £1,000 funding.
Rex Nye, who is Managing Director at NYEs, added:
“Upon Butterfly Wings’ work is immensely important to the families who are going through baby loss and bereavement and we are delighted to support them. We hope the £1,000 will make a huge difference to families who are suffering from such a devastating loss.”
