Founders of Bereavement Charity to be Awarded Honorary Doctorates

Amy and Ryan Jackson, residents of Balsall Common, are scheduled to be awarded honorary doctorates. This recognition comes for establishing a charity dedicated to assisting bereaved parents, an initiative they undertook following the stillbirth of their daughter. The Lily Mae Foundation was established by the Jacksons in 2012, two years subsequent to their daughter’s full-term stillbirth. Since its inception, the organization has provided assistance to thousands of families experiencing grief throughout the West Midlands and Northern Ireland. It has also accumulated over £3m in funds to facilitate its support programmes. On 22 November, Coventry University will confer Honorary Doctorates of Letters upon Mr and Mrs Jackson. Mrs Jackson, who recently concluded a 36-hour gym challenge to benefit the foundation, stated that while they “never expected” to receive the award, being acknowledged for their efforts was “amazing.” The charity has distributed over 25,000 memory boxes to bereaved parents, working in conjunction with 14 partner hospitals. These memory boxes enable parents to gather and preserve items such as memories, photo frames, teddy bears, and other mementos following the loss of a baby. Mr Jackson explained that he and his wife initiated the charity due to a perceived lack of local support when they experienced the loss of their baby daughter, Lily Mae, in February 2010. He commented, “There were national organisations, but sadly it just felt that in Coventry and Warwickshire there wasn’t the same access to these kinds of services.” He further added, “Seeing families benefit from the support we offer is reward in itself, but I’d be lying if I said it’s not nice to be acknowledged for our work, it gives that extra boost to keep doing what we do and it’s incredibly humbling.” Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.