Our Staff

Having experienced the loss of my middle son when just 3 weeks old, I understand first hand the heartbreak and devastation felt when a much loved and wanted baby dies. I wasn't made aware of Held In Our Hearts when Theo died and it wasn't until 2009 after the birth of my third son that I got in contact. I wanted to make sure families received the best care and established a working group at St Johns and a trained as a befriender. My involvement grew from there and in December 2014 I left teaching to become the Chief Executive. I am extremely passionate about providing the best bereavement support to families at the worst of times. Everything we do is about providing bespoke support via monthly meetings, counselling and befriending which makes our charity one of a kind. It is person centred and we are guided by the families. I am on various working groups within NHS Lothian and Scottish Government making sure the parents voice is always heard. I feel very privileged to meet with families and hear about their precious and much loved baby and it is an honour to run such a long standing community charity.

I joined Held in Our Hearts in 2016 as their Fundraising Manager and at the beginning of 2019, changed roles to become Chief Operating Officer. I have always worked in the charity sector in fundraising, campaigns and programmes and as a mum myself now, I felt a strong connection with the work that the charity does. I am a mum to two wonderful boys and although not bereaved myself, I am passionate about raising money to ensure families get the best possible bereavement support. My biggest privilege in my work is getting to meet so many dedicated supporters, who are doing incredible things to raise money and awareness of the work that we do.

After raising awareness by volunteering and running for Held In Our Hearts and meeting so many parents it felt like a natural step. As a long ago bereaved parent I am well aware that parents did not always talk about their baby or it was a taboo subject for a long time. This being my experience for many years, I became aware that when I discovered Held In Our Hearts for myself, many of those feeling of loss and despair and loneliness had been supressed. When I started to talk about Lewis it was such a pleasure to keep his legacy alive and share him with so many. He is now no longer a dim and distant memory. I want to help parents realise that to talk about their journey as a bereaved parent is completely normal and not something to be ashamed of.

My precious daughter Eilidh was stillborn 21 years ago and Held In Our Hearts was a huge help to me. A couple of years ago, I had to give up work due to health problems, and now that I have free time on my hands (2 children at school and 2 at Uni), I want to give something back to the charity that helped me and took on the role of Principal Befriender in 2019. I want to help other bereaved parents and show them there can be light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

I am a very proud mum of three boys and in 2013 my world fell apart when my second son Albie contracted meningitis at 5 weeks old. He suffered severe brain damage and battled bravely until he died at the age of 5 months old.

Losing a child is something that nobody should have to go through and it can feel like a terrifying and very lonely place. I live with my loss every day and have grown stronger over the past 5 years.  I wanted to join the team at Held In Our Hearts to help and support bereaved parents from a place of empathy and understanding.  I trained to become a befriender in 2017 and now work as a Volunteer Co-ordinator and Befriender.  I have also started studying Counselling at the University of Edinburgh in 2018.

Since 1989 I have been part of a team offering support to families in the Lothians who experience the death of a baby.  My background is in Nursing but in 2007 I decided to train as a counsellor.  I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling at Edinburgh University in 2011 and have been working as a counsellor for SANDS Lothians since then.  I am a member of COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland) and on the COSCA Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists - Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. I work by their Statement of Ethics, Code of Practice and Complaints Procedure.

Over the years I have witnessed the value of talking about a baby that has died and the strength bereaved parents find to rebuild their lives after this devastating experience.  I feel it is a great privilege to hear about their baby, share their experience and be a small part of their journey to find a way forward.  As a counsellor I can offer a further layer of support when other issues arise or resurface following the death of a baby and navigating through the grief becomes more difficult.

Counselling may be helpful fairly soon after the death of a baby or at any time thereafter and we aim to offer this support for as long as it is needed.  I usually offer an initial meeting to discuss counselling and to help parents decide whether it feels right for them.  I see parents individually or as a couple.

To find out more about counselling in Edinburgh please email jennifer@sands-lothians.org.uk