THE sky above Faifley was lit up by candlelight to mark Baby Loss Awareness Week.

Local residents were invited to attend a moving memorial event held at Faifley Parish Church on Sunday.

The event, which has been running at the church for three years now, brings together grieving parents and families to remember their little ones.

Reverend Gregor McIntyre, who organised the evening, stressed the importance of commemoration.

He said: “At this event, people were invited to come along and commemorate their loss if they wanted to or they could ask me to light a candle on their behalf.

“It was a simple commemoration that allowed people to have the chance to have their loss recognised.

“As minister, I am involved in conversations with parents who have experienced baby loss and it’s just a tragedy each and every time, some people can talk about that freely and some can’t.

“When this event first started three years ago, partly because we are a trusted group in the community, I had people asking for memorial candles to be laid or to light one themselves who had never previously publicly or in any kind of forum had the chance to speak about their child some of whom were now grannies.

“Even though I am an older man now I understand that grief carried and not acknowledged is a real burden so just giving people the opportunity to say ‘we had this loss and it matters’ is so important.

“Of course, it always matters and continues to matter, it doesn’t just go away. People carry the loss of their child for their entire lives but just to have it acknowledged means for a moment that burden can be shared and one dark night there was a spot of light that belonged to them and their child.”

Baby Loss Awareness Week is now in its 21st year and runs from October 9 to October 15.

It brings together people from all over the world who have experienced/been affected by pregnancy and baby loss.

In Clydebank, the Titan Crane was also lit up blue and pink as part of the charity’s global ‘Wave of Light’.

Reverend McIntyre added: “We’ll be holding the event again and we’ll do it slightly differently next year to allow different people different ways to participate.

“We want to make sure everyone is able to have that moment to commemorate their loved ones.”

To find out more about Baby Loss Awareness Week visit HERE.