Sands Awareness Week 16-22 June 2025
Saving babies’ lives. Supporting bereaved families
Sands is the charity speaking up about pregnancy and baby loss, saving babies’ lives and supporting bereaved families. As the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, we’re creating a community of compassionate and lifesaving changemakers, whose voices inspire change and turn understanding into action.
Together, we are saving babies’ lives and improving maternity safety and bereavement care through research, training and campaigning. We understand how devastating it is when a baby dies. Many of us have experienced it ourselves.
In 1978, a group of bereaved parents started Sands because they hoped things could be better. Today, we continue to give people hope after pregnancy loss, or the death of a baby, so everybody feels supported.
As the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, we’re building a compassionate community. Here to support everyone living with pregnancy and baby loss. Turning our understanding into action, led by the voices of bereaved parents.
Everyone grieves differently and we know there is no right or wrong way. Each person needs different types of support, which can change over time. Some may be happy to talk, while others might take comfort from quietly reading about others’ experiences. Some people prefer to meet face-to-face and share their experiences.
Together, we are Sands.
We are the parents who remember every baby.
The volunteers, and befrienders offering support by phone, online and in communities.
The specialist support team, dedicated to our shared purpose. Everyone’s grief journey is different, but we believe that over time we can learn to live with loss and grow around grief.
We’re here for anyone living with baby loss. Always.
Sands Awareness Week
Sands Awareness Week will take place between 16-22 June.
A week when people right across the Sands community and beyond can take the time to find out more about Sands and the work that we do to save babies’ lives and support bereaved families.
Get involved | Sands – Saving babies’ lives. Supporting bereaved families.
Sands in Northern Ireland
Sands community-based peer support comes in many different forms, all centred on providing safe spaces and community for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.
Run by dedicated and trained volunteers, peer to peer support offers something unique and special. Whether it be face to face support meetings, activity-based support, Sands United activity for men, or remembrance events across the year and more, there is space for everyone at Sands.
To find your nearest group, visit: sands.org.uk/groups
To find your local Sands United, visit: sands.org.uk/sands-united
How we offer support
- Sands Support Chat service – available Mon-Fri 9am to 9pm
- Sands National Helpline 0808164332 – free to call from landlines and mobiles, available 10am to 3pm Mon-Fri and 6pm-9pm Tues, Wed, Thurs evenings.
- Sands Memory Boxes
- Local Support Groups (there are currently ten groups throughout Northern Ireland)
- Online Support Meetings
- Sands Online Communities
- Sands United Football Clubs (there are currently five clubs throughout Northern Ireland)
- Support for Black Communities
- Support for South Asian Communities
- Support with complaints, feedback or legal actions
You can find more information on each of these at:
How we offer support Sands – Saving babies’ lives. Supporting bereaved families
Working with professionals
In the heart-breaking event of a pregnancy loss or a baby death, a healthcare professional’s role becomes crucial in providing compassionate and empathetic support to the grieving parents. Beyond the clinical aspects, they play vital roles in guiding families through the emotional complexities of loss, offering a listening ear, and helping them navigate the difficult decisions that may follow.
To improve the quality of care offered during pregnancy and in the event of a baby dying Sands provides training and educational resources to all healthcare professionals.
Professionals | Sands – Saving babies’ lives. Supporting bereaved families
- Training
- NBCP
- RCM NI conference
Better care for bereaved parents in Northern Ireland
In October 2024 the National Bereavement Care Pathway project led by Sands was launched by the Health Minister in Stormont. This project has been made possible by the funding from Public Health Agency and aims to reduce inequalities and improve the quality of bereavement care provided to local parents and families.
- Sands local befriender team 07740993450
- Email NorthernIreland@sands.org.uk
- Sands NI Facebook
- Sands United FC Northern Ireland | Facebook
We’re pleased to see the commitment to providing baby loss certificates in Northern Ireland.
Sands’ commemorative ‘birth certificates’ are available free of charge for any bereaved parents who would like to have them, wherever they live in the UK. You can access them here.