“Without the Serenity Suite at QMC, we wouldn’t have had the precious time with Noah to make up for a lifetime of missed moments and milestones. Our time with Noah would have been even less without it. We are so, so grateful to have had that time.”
These are the words of Rebecca and Daniel Soundy, whose longed-for baby, Noah, was stillborn in 2019.
They are one of more than 2,600 families who have been given precious time with their baby in one of Nottingham’s two Serenity Suites, which were the idea of Richard and Michelle Daniels. In 2014, they set up Forever Stars specifically to raise funds to build a space for grieving families away from the hustle and bustle of the maternity facility at Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC), Nottingham.
Now, the Nottingham-based charity, which over the last 11 years has raised more than £900,000 to fund unique support for bereaved families and raise awareness of baby loss, has revealed details of its 2026 campaign to honour the ten-year anniversary of the opening of the charity’s first Serenity Suite at QMC.
The ‘Decade of Serenity’ campaign has a £50,000 fundraising target that will be used to pay for a much-needed upgrade. The Suite’s refurbishment will include updating the decor, replacing furniture, and providing appliances that meet the requirements of families now and for the future, in terms of comfort, information and technology. The cash will also be used to refit the outdoor space of the QMC Serenity Suite.
Michelle and Richard set up Forever Stars following the stillbirth of their daughter Emily on 19 December 2013. The charity launched with an ambitious £180,000 fundraising target, which it planned to use to pay for the creation of a facility built to cater for the needs of other parents in the same heartbreaking situation as they had found themselves in at QMC – a Serenity Suite. The campaign was a success, and the Suite opened on 28th April 2016. A year later, Forever Stars had fundraised a further £100,000 for a second Serenity Suite, this time at Nottingham City Hospital, which opened on 8th December 2017. Since, both Suites have been used by thousands of Nottingham families who have sadly experienced baby loss or miscarriage.
This year’s fundraising campaign for QMC and the 10-year anniversary makes for a mix of pride and emotion, says Forever Stars’ co-founder, Richard Daniels: “As we mark ten years of the Serenity Suite at QMC, I find myself overwhelmed with pride and emotion. What Forever Stars has helped create in Nottingham is something truly special. Knowing that both the city’s major hospitals have dedicated spaces where families can go immediately after experiencing the unimaginable is incredibly powerful. There are still a third of hospitals without a bereavement suite for families that suffer baby loss in the UK.
“The Serenity Suites offer more than just a room. They provide a peaceful, respectful environment where parents and families can spend precious, uninterrupted time with their baby. In those quiet moments, they are able to create memories that will last a lifetime, being able to hold their child in their arms for a few short days before facing the hardest ever goodbye.
“Michelle and I were not given that opportunity when we lost Emily. We realised the critical need for a facility built to cater for the needs of future parents in the same heartbreaking situation as us, importantly, one with a healthy environment that gives the family time to reflect and process the devastating loss of their baby, begin to move forward, and embrace the memory of their baby. This is why we had the idea of a dedicated Serenity Suite, and providing Nottingham families with such an important space became our focus for the charity’s fundraising.
“To know that, because of Forever Stars, other families now have that choice and that space means more to us than words can truly express. It is a lasting part of Emily’s legacy, and one that continues to bring comfort to us both,” he says. “Both suites play an important role in supporting the mental health and well-being of families after their loss, and so it is our pledge to ensure that these suites remain well-maintained and that Nottingham will always have these facilities in the future.”
Real stories
The ten-year anniversary of the QMC’s Serenity Suite is not only a milestone for Forever Stars, but is also a reminder of the part the facility has played in giving couples using it, the time and space to create precious memories with their baby.
Rebecca and Daniel Soundy
Rebecca says: “In 2019 we found out we were pregnant with our second baby, but at just over 17 weeks my waters suddenly broke and I suffered what we now know is called PPROM (preterm, premature, rupture of membranes). Our baby was at risk of having severe breathing and lung issues once born, if he wasn’t born extremely premature. Additional complications meant I was admitted to hospital and spent around three weeks on a Ward. Noah continued to struggle and he was born sleeping in the early hours of 23rd November 2019. The Serenity Suite was free while plans were made to induce me, and importantly, is away from the main labour ward and in a quieter part of the hospital so we didn’t hear babies cry or the general hustle and bustle. Most importantly, the Suite has a cold cot, meaning we could spend some precious time with Noah. Whilst we were there we got to enjoy endless cuddles, talk to him, sing to him, read to him, taking him into the adjoining outside space, and just being together. All of these are very small and simple things you expect to do with your baby, take for granted almost, but these precious moments have to make up for a lifetime of missed moments and milestones. Without the Suite, we simply would not have had that, and our time with Noah would have been even less. We are so, so grateful to have had that precious time.”
Rebecca is now the volunteer coordinator for Forever Stars, and her husband is Captain of the charity’s football team. “It is an honour and a privilege to be working alongside the rest of the Forever Stars team,” says Rebecca. “Baby loss is an incredibly lonely place but being surrounded by others who get it is a great comfort. We get to channel our grief, using Noah’s memory, into something positive, ensuring the charity can remain and offer the support that is needed by so many families – baby loss isn’t going to disappear.“
Laura and Daniel Barnett
Dan explains his and his wife Laura’s experience: ”Our son Harrison was stillborn on 10th August 2016 at 36-weeks. We used the Serenity Suite at the QMC as Laura was poorly following a difficult labour. Our time on the Suite allowed our families to visit, including our then two-year-old daughter Shannon, and the time to have a naming ceremony for Harrison. To have a space away from the labour suite where healthy babies are being born is essential during such a traumatic experience. For us, that time meant everything, because we were able to make lifelong memories with Harrison, away from the main labour ward. The Suite also offered some welcome home comforts, including outdoor space, which was especially appreciated after several days on another ward.”
Leanne Louch and Paul Seaman
Leanne and her partner Paul lost their twin boys Thomas and Jack in 2016, but at Nottingham City Hospital (NCH), which at the time didn’t have any facilities available to parents in their situation. A few months later Leanne contacted Forever Stars asking if the charity could help NCH in the same way it had done the QMC, and a year on, Forever Stars had fundraised £100,000 for its second Serenity Suite, this time at NCH, which opened on 8th December 2017.
Carly and Ben Clarke
Carly and Ben, who live in Nottingham with their three children, were among the first couples to use the QMC’s Serenity Suite. Carly explains: “Because of reduced movements, I was admitted to QMC on 20 September 2016. A scan revealed that our baby girl had died. After 18 hours of labour, Ava was stillborn on 21 September. This was the most horrendous thing our family will ever go through. While in hospital, we were told about the Forever Stars Serenity Suite, and moved there with Ava. A peaceful and highly private and secure space, the Suite really helped Ben and I as it gave us time to reflect and be with each other away from the labour suite, and to spend precious time with Ava who was with us the whole time. We had treasured time with Ava and were able to take her outside into the enclosed private garden alongside the Suite. It was amazing that our family could come when they wanted and for us to be able to make memories with Ava. We can’t praise the Suite enough. Some time after, Forever Stars asked Ben and I to be Trustees, which is a huge honour and of course we said yes! We continue to take the role seriously and help within the charity, which we love dearly, not least because being part of the charity’s team means we can help others in the same situation as us, raise awareness of baby loss, and support families affected.”
The family plans to mark Ava’s tenth birthday with a fun day in her memory, while fundraising for Forever Stars. Over the last 11 years, Forever Stars has raised more than £900,000. Among the many projects funded by the charity’s fundraising are its bereavement Serenity Suites at QMC and Nottingham City Hospital, and the creation of a baby remembrance Serenity Garden in Highfield Park, Nottingham that is maintained by the charity’s volunteers.
