A STILLBIRTH charity will hold a memorial service next week (Friday, December 4).

The Durham and Wearside branch of Sands, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, will hold a Lights of Love service at St Barnarbas’ Church, Bournmoor, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, on Friday, December 4, at 7.30pm.

Those attending will be invited to write a memorial message on a tag and hang it on a Lights of Love Christmas tree.

Organiser Ashleigh Corker said: “The death of a baby or another loved one is difficult to bear at any time of the year. Yet at a time like Christmas those feelings of grief can often seem even more overwhelming.

“We hope that people attending find the evening provides them with a time of peace and reflection and an opportunity to remember the lives, however short, of those no longer with us. All are welcome regardless of religious background.”

Entry is free. For more information, visit uk-sands.org