Birmingham to host public event raising awareness for compassionate miscarriage care
Special event will provide an opportunity for reflection and engagement as part of Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Old Joe lit in pink and blue
The University of Birmingham is partnering with pregnancy and baby charity Tommy’s and the Birmingham Women’s Hospital to host a free public event, blending creativity and conversation to raise awareness and advocate for compassionate miscarriage care.
In a 2023 survey by YouGov for the Baby Loss Awareness Week Alliance, half of UK adults (50%) said they, or someone they know, had experienced at least one form of pregnancy or baby loss.
Taking place on 15 October at The Exchange, Birmingham, the special University of Birmingham event will offer an opportunity for reflection with an artist-led candle painting activity, followed by a shared outdoor reflection as part of the global Wave of Light campaign, when everyone is invited to light a candle as a special mark of support and remembrance.
A panel of clinicians, researchers and families will then discuss recent research and how it can drive meaningful change in miscarriage care and support.
We are so proud of the work we have done to not only find ways to reduce the risk of miscarriage happening, but importantly to improve the care given to people who go through this devastating experience.
The event is in support of Baby Loss Awareness Week, now in its 23rd year, which aims to unite people who have been affected by pregnancy and baby loss and increase understanding of its impact.
The awareness week is supported by numerous organisations, including Tommy’s, which funds Tommy’s National Centre for Miscarriage Research at the University of Birmingham. The centre carries out research with a network of specialist services for women who have experienced recurrent miscarriage.
Oonagh Pickering, Lead Research Nurse for the Tommy's National Centre for Miscarriage Research at the University of Birmingham, said: "Every day that I am in the clinic, I see the difference that our work has already made, but it also highlights how important it is that our researchers keep working to improve the care that can be offered to those who need it."
In addition to the special event, the University of Birmingham’s clock tower, Old Joe, will be among buildings lit up in pink and blue across the UK to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week. The clock tower will be illuminated from 9 – 15 October.
All are warmly invited to attend the public event, which will offer a space for reflection as well as exploring how medical support and care can be improved.
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
Notes to editors:
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
About Old Joe
Old Joe – officially called the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower - is the tallest freestanding clock tower in the world, at around 100m tall. It sits at the heart of the University of Birmingham campus and is rumoured to have been the inspiration for Saruman in the Lord of the Rings, as one of the first widely visible electric lights in the area.
About Tommy’s
We’re Tommy’s, the leading charity that exists to stop the heartbreak and devastation of baby loss and make pregnancy and birth safe – for everyone. To do this, we work across the whole pregnancy journey to drive change at every level – translating our research breakthroughs into new tests and treatments in clinical care, changing national maternity policy and providing expert information and support for anyone who needs it. Together, with the strength of our community, we’re saving babies’ lives.
For more information contact tommyspressoffice@tommys.org