BUILDINGS in Dudley will light up this week to raise awareness of baby bereavement thanks to a big-hearted mum who works to help grieving families.

Jenny Smith set up the support group 'Here For You' in memory of her son Brody Clayton Smith who passed away in May 2017, when he was just 42 minutes old.

She founded the group, which meets at Dudley Community Church every month, after realising what little support there is, both emotionally and practically, following the death of a child.

Now, to mark the nationally-commemorated Baby Loss Awareness Week, Jenny has brought together a host of events to bring people together to acknowledge, talk and share about the loss of a baby.

The week will see Dudley Castle lit up in pink and blue, along with a selection of Dudley Council buildings lit up in solidarity with Jenny and families that suffered the trauma of losing a baby.

Jenny said: "Hopefully it can the community together. We remember our babies every day but it's nice to come together and light a candle for them."

The week, which starts on Wednesday, October 9, will culminate with a special service St Matthews Church in Tipton which will include readings of baby names, candle lightings, poems, music and an opportunity for families to bring along a photo of their baby to be placed at the front of the church.

The service takes place on Tuesday, October 15 from 7pm.

Jenny added: "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."

Supporting the initiative, 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."