FAMILIES from across West Fife took to the Forth Road Bridge to place a permanent memorial to their late babies in a poignant ceremony last Saturday.

As part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, bridge chiefs decided to allow one of the famous structure’s sections to be ‘love-locked’, with people buying and inscribing their own tokens to those they hold dearest.

Fife Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, decided to install their own love lock in memory of babies across the Kingdom that have been lost complete with the inscription “briefly known, forever loved.” In a separate ceremony, the Rosyth-based Knitting Nancy’s – a group of Lloyds Banking Group staff who provide support to the charity – handed over a cheque for £2000.

Fife Sands chair Robert Gassner said, “We felt it was the ideal opportunity for the committee to have a commemorative event to remember the babies lost. We were given a donation and decided to purchase a love lock which is small, poignant and for everyone who has used Fife Sands.

“Myself and my partner lost triplets in 2009 and were put in touch with Fife Sands. It is one of those charities that no-one really knows about until they suffer a loss and for us it is about raising awareness and letting people who have lost a child know we are there. I joined the committee as I wanted to give something back – it’s about making a difference. There are a number of areas where we provide support to bereaved parents, such as in support meetings and services at the hospital. The team at Knitting Nancy’s have helped us out a lot throughout the year and the money donated will make a big difference to the services that we are able to provide.” Fife Sands are hosting a ‘butterfly ball’ on Saturday 8th November at Kirkcaldy’s Dean Park Hotel to raise funds. A dinner dance, charity auction and raffle will take place and tickets cost £30 per person. For more details visit www.fifesands.co.uk/butterfly-ball-2.