ANGEL Gowns Mid North Coast and Angel Gowns Hunter Central Coast Inc. are two groups of volunteers who, by their skill, love and compassion, hope to touch the hearts of families who suffer the tragic loss of a baby through miscarriage, illness, prematurity or stillbirth.

The groups are run solely by volunteers who donate their time and skill to the community.

They take bridal gowns that are filled with love from a couple’s wedding day and gently wash, deconstruct, and sew these gowns into stunning Angel Gowns, which are then gifted to families free of charge.

The groups also make wraps for very early miscarriage loss, and four sizes of angel gowns for babies from 20 weeks to term plus.

In Australia alone six babies a day are stillborn, and six families suffer the tragic loss of their child.

The Angel Gowns Mid North Coast group recently received over 70 bridal gowns from the Port Stephens area in memory of Maggie Gill.

Genelle Ireland, Maggie’s grandmother, and her family, have been very supportive of the Angel Gowns project since its inception, never thinking they would need the use of the services themselves as a family.

The founder of Angel Gowns Mid North Coast, Kym Cross, told News Of The Area, “In gifting our Angel Gowns, we hope to show these families that the community is filled with love and compassion for them, that they are not forgotten, that these babies are never forgotten.”

“It is often difficult for others to understand when a baby dies, no matter how early or late in a pregnancy.”

“These babies have been named, their lives planned for, the growing baby has developed as a person and the life of that baby has already been imprinted into the hearts and souls of their family,” she said.

For further information, Angel Gowns Mid North Coast can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/angelgownsmidnorthcoast by emailing at  angelgownsmidnorthcoast@outlook.com or by phoning Kym Cross at 0420936808.

By Rachael VAUGHAN