Losing a child is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences a family can go through. 4Louis understands this pain because they lived it themselves. 4Louis is a UK-based charity dedicated to providing support and comfort to families affected by miscarriage, stillbirth or child death. They also work to improve the care these families receive from healthcare professionals and other organisations.
When someone loses a child, it is like their whole world shatters. It can be so isolating, but that is where 4Louis comes in. The charity creates memory boxes, meant to be a ‘cuddle at the worst time’, filled with keepsakes and mementos to help families create lasting memories. They are the charity's way of saying ‘you are not alone’.
Louis' story
My name is Kirsty Knight, and I founded 4Louis with my parents, Bob and Tracey McGurrell, after losing my first child, Louis, to stillbirth in 2009. Louis' death turned our world upside down, and it was through that loss that we realised just how important it is to have support and tangible memories to hold onto when a child dies.
The journey with Louis started with such excitement. After discovering I was pregnant, everyone was thrilled—my partner, Michael, my parents and Michael's parents. We called the baby ‘Peanut’ and everyone followed our pregnancy journey on Facebook. Everything seemed perfect until the night of 6 December 2009, when I started having pains and went to the hospital. When the doctors could not find Louis' heartbeat, our worst fears were realised: Louis was gone.
It was a devastating time, but we were given a small window to create memories with him. We took photos, made handprints and footprints and dressed him in different outfits. It was those moments with Louis that inspired us to create 4Louis. We wanted to give other families the chance to have these memories, to know they are not alone in their grief.
We started with just 10 memory boxes, delivered to Sunderland Royal Hospital's maternity unit on 26 January 2010, only a month after Louis' passing. Since then, 4Louis has grown, and we have expanded our support to hospitals and bereaved families across the UK.
Our work
At 4Louis, our mission is straightforward but profound: to preserve and protect the health of parents and families who have suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth or child death. We do this by providing memory boxes and other support, as well as by working to improve the care that bereaved families receive from healthcare professionals.
We are not just about providing memory boxes, although they are at the core of what we do. We also offer CuddleCots, Cuddleblankets, sibling packs, burial beds and photography equipment to help families create lasting memories. These resources are given free of charge to hospitals, hospices and other professionals who work with grieving families. Our aim is to ensure that every family who suffers a loss has the support they need to navigate their grief.
We also work with healthcare professionals to provide training and education about the sensitive nature of stillbirth and child loss. It is not just about the resources; it is about creating a compassionate approach to supporting families during these dificult times.
Since January 2010, we have distributed over 238 000 memory boxes, 450 CuddleCots, 5401 Ibraheem's gift packs and 4323 sibling packs (4Louis, 2024a). On average, we distribute approximately 2500 memory boxes and other support packs each month. These numbers are not just statistics; they represent the thousands of families we have been able to help during their darkest times.
Testimonials
The true measure of our impact comes from the personal stories and testimonials we receive from the families we support.
‘The memory box we received from the 4Louis charity via the hospital was a wonderful gift in memory of our little one’.
Anonymous feedback 1
‘Me and my partner's little girl was born sleeping at 29 weeks, and we were given a memory box with personal items at the hospital. We couldn't have got through the last few weeks without having her box to look through’.
Anonymous feedback 2
‘Our memory box gave us such comfort in the darkest of times. Thank you’
Anonymous feedback 3
‘These boxes and keepsakes are invaluable at a time when the world keeps going, and you just want to stop and remember your baby. Thank you so much’.
Siobhan Probert
These words remind us why we do what we do. It is not just about providing a service; it is about helping families find a small glimmer of light in their darkest moments.
Collaborations
The charity's work would not be possible without the support of the community and the partnerships that we have built with other organisations. We have collaborated with the Foundation of Light to establish 4Louis FC, a football club where dads can connect with other dads and share their experiences (4Louis, 2024b). We have also partnered with the Australian charity, Prepare Foundation, and Birthing Dads to create an online support group, the Tiny Footprints Brotherhood, that connects dads from the UK and Australia (4Louis, 2024c).
We work alongside Beyond Bea to provide training to healthcare professionals, helping them understand the sensitive nature of their work with bereaved families (4Louis, 2024d). Locally, our workshop in Sunderland is open for volunteers and families to help with the production of our memory boxes. We host various events throughout the year and receive tremendous support from the public through fundraisers like the Great North Run and Colour Rush (4Louis, 2024e).
We also have unique partnerships with local businesses that offer corporate social responsibility days. Employees come to our workshop and volunteer, providing us with valuable support to continue our work. These partnerships have been instrumental in allowing us to provide the service that we do.
Looking forward
One of the biggest challenges that we face at 4Louis is ensuring that all families receive the best possible care, regardless of their location. We aim to raise awareness and push for consistent care standards across all regions.
Our goals for the next few years are to expand the charity's reach, build more partnerships with hospitals and continue to provide essential resources to grieving families. To overcome the challenges we face, we focus on building strong community ties, engaging in fundraising efforts and constantly improving the services we offer.
Conclusions
I want to leave you with this thought: you might not be able to change what has happened, but you can make a difference in how families are supported during their grief. Thank you for taking the time to learn about 4Louis, and we hope you'll join us in making a difference.