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TimeNorfolkGYopeningCF
Official opening of pregnancy loss charity in Yarmouth 

Local charity TimeNorfolk supports people who experience pregnancy loss, including miscarriage, stillbirth and termination. They have opened a new office in Great Yarmouth which means they can extend the service to more people.

The loss of a baby is unimaginable for many people, but for the men and women who experience a pregnancy loss the effects can be far reaching and devastating.
 
For over 20 years TimeNorfolk has been based in Norwich, providing free face to face support to people who have experienced any type of pregnancy loss including miscarriage, stillbirth and termination. They also provide support to women with unplanned or complicated pregnancies or have any other pregnancy related issues. However, the demand for their services has grown in the past few years, which led to them looking to expand their offering into new areas.
 
Lesley Bradfield, director at TimeNorfolk said “In the past two or three years the number of clients has grown by 65% and in the first three months of 2019 we saw a rise of 27.5% of client contacts over last year. The awareness of the service we provide is also growing so we felt the time was right to move into a new area. We had already identified Great Yarmouth as an area which could benefit from our presence.”

TimeNorfolk staff and volunteers were joined by long standing supporters as well as healthcare and funeral professionals from Great Yarmouth to celebrate the culmination of many years planning to bring the service to the area.
 
“It was just over a year ago that we knew our dream of opening a new branch of TimeNorfolk was becoming a reality, but in truth we had wanted to come to Great Yarmouth for a long time,” said Lesley. “The number of clients we see has been growing year on year and by opening the Great Yarmouth branch we can help more people in and around the area and continue to spread hope across Norfolk and the Waveney district.”
 
At the event Lesley spoke of the charity’s pride of making the service accessible to more men and women who have experienced the devastating effects of pregnancy loss. She was joined by Lady Agnew, High Sheriff of Norfolk, who welcomed TimeNorfolk to Great Yarmouth and Selena Watts, chair of trustees with a speech about the journey the TimeNorfolk has undertaken in over 20 years of existence.
 
The group of over 60 people were then invited to step outside to blow bubbles in the grounds of The Priory Centre, to signify and remember the babies who have been lost and as a symbol of TimeNorfolk bringing HOPE to our community. 

“It was a really special moment,” said Lesley. “Everyone stood together and collectively blew their bubbles and reflected on what they represented. Pregnancy loss is far reaching and touches many lives, we see men and women who have had recent losses as well as women reaching out to us who lost many years ago. The loss of a baby is unimaginable for many people, but for the men and women who experience it the effects can be far reaching.”

TimeNorfolk started seeing clients in The Priory Centre on 29th April and it’s proving a vital resource. Its location is perfectly placed for women and men living in Great Yarmouth and surrounding areas, who need the specialised support they provide.
 
“We recruited Sara Horrell as our first practitioner here, and as a result of our recent training programme we have one trained practitioner seeing clients and another to start in September,” added Lesley.
 
A previous client said “Thanks to TimeNorfolk I can see that there is life after loss and although it will never be the same, I am living for my daughter instead of with her. I cannot thank TimeNorfolk enough for all they have done for me. The work they do is priceless, and I am forever thankful.”

 
TimeNorfolk

If you feel you need support after any kind of pregnancy loss, please contact 03333 058552 or visit www.timenorfolk.org.uk for more information.

Pictured above: bubble blowing at the official opening of the new TimeNorfolk office.


 


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