Dudley Council has confirmed that it will join a series of national events and activities to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.

Lights at Dudley Council House building will be left on throughout the national week, starting on Wednesday 9 October and running until Tuesday 15 October, which encourages people to acknowledge, talk and share about the loss of a baby.

Jenny Smith, aged 35, from Tipton, set up local community child bereavement support group Here For You after she tragically lost her son, Brody, when he was just 42 minutes old.

The group, which provides support for families who have lost a child, is organising buildings across the borough to be lit up. Dudley Castle will be lit in blue and pink. Jenny said:

"Losing a child is a very lonely place to be. The best advice that I have is to talk. Whoever it is that you talk to, whether it’s friends, family, your GP, or a health visitor, someone will be there to listen, and it’s really important that you don’t hold it all in.

"Also, go online and look for any support network that will work for you. You don’t need to be alone."

People can find out more at lets-get.com. Councillor Nicholas Barlow, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said:

"By standing together in solidarity and urging people to talk to one another we can break the isolation that people all too often feel after a baby has been tragically lost, be it through miscarriage, still birth or grief after delivery.

"We are leaving council house lights on throughout the week to remind the many people in Dudley borough who have been affected by the loss of a baby that they are not alone."