THE kind-hearted trio behind a voluntary group that creates unique gowns for stillborn babies has marked their first anniversary.

Angel Gowns with Love in Remembrance of Esmae-Grace, was set up in January 2016, and with the help of dozens of volunteers has provided more than 1,000 gowns for families experiencing the loss of a baby.

Group founder, Abra Wood, was moved to help other families after losing her daughter Esmae-Grace at 32-weeks pregnant.

Mrs Wood sought the help of volunteers on social media where she was contacted by dressmaker Avryl Taylor who offered to make some gowns.

Since then Angel Gowns with Love (AGWL) has grown in strength and numbers and now donates bereavement packs to hospitals in Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Stockton as well as Bristol, Scotland and overseas.

AGWL is run by Mrs Wood, Mrs Taylor and Helen Gordon, and together they hold monthly meetings where all of the volunteers meet up to put together the packs ready to be posted to hospitals.

Each pack includes a handmade gown, bonnet, booties and blanket, along with a nappy, two crocheted teddy bears, an angel, a card and some butterfly seeds.

Mrs Wood said: “I took one of Avryl’s sample gowns into Darlington Memorial Hospital to see what they thought and they said it was lovely and that they didn’t have anything like it.

“We’ve contacted loads of hospitals now and together we have done lots of research into what materials we can and can’t use and we have copyrighted the patterns now as well.

“The feedback we get is amazing, everybody is always so grateful that somebody has thought of them and what they are going through.”

Mrs Gordon added: “Nobody ever expects to be in a situation where they have lost their baby, and this often means that families are completely unprepared and have nothing at all with them.

“You can’t go out and buy gowns and bonnets which are this small from the shops. We also make wraps for babies born before 20 weeks who are too delicate to be dressed.

“We send 50 packs to each hospital of varying colours and sizes and this tends to last around six months.”

AGWL is now looking for volunteers who can sew, knit and crochet, and would like to help the group continue to provide packs for families around the country.

Mrs Taylor said: “I had never made anything like this before I started. I just saw a post on Facebook from Abra and thought that I’d like to help.

“We offer lots of support and help and even if you can’t knit there are other things that you could do.”