Forever Stars
Forever Stars is a registered charity run by volunteers, dedicated to supporting families experiencing baby loss, including early miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal loss. We offer compassionate assistance from the time families are in the hospital and throughout their lifelong journey of grief. Our services are available to all family members, regardless of when they seek support, whether immediately after their loss or many years later.
Project Overview
Impact
Before Forever Stars was established in 2014, there was no local support in Nottingham for families experiencing baby loss once they left the hospital. This lack of support left families feeling isolated, unsupported, and struggling to cope with their new "normal." It is often said that when a family suffers baby loss, they lose their social life, their regular support network, and their confidence, making it hard to see past their grief and move forward. Forever Stars provides both professional and peer support, helping families connect with others who have had similar experiences. The charity helps people feel less isolated and encourages them to talk about their babies. Importantly, we give families hope for their future—hope that honors the baby they have lost while allowing them to look ahead with optimism as they manage their grief.
Our play therapy service is vital for families. Accessing this service through the NHS can take as long as five years, by which time a young child’s well-being, emotional development, and educational success can be significantly impacted. With the support of people like you, Forever Stars can offer appointments within two weeks and guarantee an initial play therapy period of 15 weeks.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Forever Stars is entirely funded by the generosity of our supporters; we do not receive any funding from the NHS or the government for our play therapy services. While much of our work is carried out by volunteers, we employ professional therapists to ensure the best possible support for traumatised young children, particularly those dealing with baby loss.
Play therapy sessions cost £55 per hour, plus up to £10 for materials per session. The total cost for one thousand sessions is £60,000. Our own fundraising activities have raised £40,000.
How we’ll spend the money raised
The money raised will be used to purchase creative materials for the children to use in play therapy sessions. It will also help us facilitate sessions with play therapy professionals.
Check out the live projects we're supporting
Ward Buddies
We believe no child should feel abandoned, and no parent should have to choose between caring for their child in the hospital and caring for their family at home. Our vision is to build a sustainable model of emotional bedside care that can be shared with hospitals nationwide, and even around the world
R!SE Up
RISE with’ is our community led scheme, which harnesses the support of local organisations to provide life-changing experiences for young people. Coaching provides the foundation of our work, but we want to go further, raising aspirations for our young people. We believe the way to do this is by exposing them to new experiences, which have the potential to be life changing. Whether it’s drumming, boxing, parkour or cooking, these opportunities give young people access to new possibilities, life skills and passions.
The Brick
At The Brick, we run a Food Community at St George’s Church on Water Street, Wigan - a place where people can access affordable, nutritious food with choice, dignity and respect.
