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A handcrafted metal butterfly sculpture has been installed outside the Women's and Children's unit at Peterborough City Hospital as a lasting memorial for families impacted by baby loss.

The idea for the tribute came from Midwife, Afton Cope, who tragically lost her little boy, Charlie, following a complicated pregnancy in 2023. 

Afton, her sister, Lorren, a Nurse at PCH, and Bereavement Midwife, Lesley Carline, met with local artist Jeni Cairns to develop ideas for the stunning six-foot-wide sculpture that also features ornately crafted birds, flowers and insects.

Afton said: “I know all too well how it feels to walk in these hospital doors with life growing inside of you, and to walk out with empty arms and an empty womb. You feel invisible, as all other parents walk around you with their babies for the world to see. Our aim here is for bereaved parents to feel seen and acknowledged. I will pass this sculpture every day and remember not only my son, but all the babies that could not stay.”

Afton and her sister Lorren have been supported by North West Anglia Hospitals Charity in bringing the idea to life.

It is intended that during national Baby Loss Awareness Week, which takes place every October, families who have experienced the loss of a baby can tie ribbons to the sculpture as a mark of remembrance.

Artist, Jeni Cairns, who is based in Coates, near Peterborough, designed and made the impressive piece of corten steel artwork over a two-week period. She said: “This was a really special piece to be asked to make. It was important for me to capture elements of the natural world, such as forget-me-not flowers, bees, birds and rabbits, to create a lasting tribute that reminds us all how we are connected with the beauty of the world around us. I hope it will bring comfort to those who have experienced such a sad loss.”