Julie – Community and Charity winner

‘Losing a child is still a taboo subject’

JULIE MORRISON was 37 weeks pregnant with her first child when she and husband Bryan were told their daughter Erin had no heartbeat. And despite going on to have three more children, she knows that the pain of losing her baby to stillbirth is something she’ll carry with her for life.

Julie, 40, from Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, says: “After losing Erin I tried to get on with my life, but there was little support and I was suicidal. Losing a child is still a taboo subject.

“Bryan and I felt that better aftercare would have helped us – and this was what we decided to provide for others.”

In 2018, the couple set up charity Baby Loss Retreat. It offers Scotland- based bereaved parents a free weekend break to help process their grief, with on-site access to support services.

During the pandemic, Julie also set up a phone and online counselling and trauma therapy service. “We’ve had lots of calls during lockdown,” she explains. “Isolation makes it even harder to cope. Now our retreats are open again, and we’re here to help.”