A YORK woman whose stillborn baby was buried in an unmarked mass grave has thrown herself into charity work to help other bereaved parents.

Kim Reilly co-runs SANDS in York which supports families whose babies have died.

Kim's first child, Nicole, was stillborn in 1979 at a hospital in Preston. It was only years afterwards that she learned her daughter had been buried in a mass unmarked grave.

Kim is just one of many grieving parents whose babies were buried in this manner. Many are still waiting to discover the location of their baby's grave.

When Kim was finally able to visit the site where Nicole was buried she said it brought her immense comfort.

She said: "Finding where Nicole was buried brought me peace. It gave me closure and started me on my SANDS journey."

Kim now works closely with local families who are experiencing the pain of baby loss through the local arm of SANDS (Stillbirth and Neo-natal Death charity).

And by speaking to the media over the years about her own personal loss, she has raised awareness of this baby graves scandal and helped other bereaved families track down the unmarked final resting place of their babies.

For her sterling work, Kim is The Press's Charity Champion of the week.

Do you know someone doing fantastic work in the community?Click here to nominate them to be our Champion of the Week.

Kim said she got involved with SANDS so that parents did not have to suffer like she did.

Up until the 1980s it was not uncommon for stillborn babies to be taken immediately from their parents, the thinking being that it was the best way to deal with the traumatic event of losing a baby.

Kim was told Nicole had been buried at the foot of an adult grave. But it was only when she asked for her medical records many years later she discovered the grim truth: Nicole had been buried in a mass, unmarked grave in Preston.

READ MORE: "My baby was buried in an unmarked mass grave": York mum shares harrowing stillbirth story

Kim, who had another daughter, Kristie, at that point, said: "To say I was shocked was an understatement. I spoke to my daughter, who was a teenager at this point, and we decided to drive through to Preston at the weekend.

"We obtained a map from the cemetery office, and with a torch in hand, found our way to where my daughter was buried. A blank patch of land, and my daughter was buried under there.

"It was a very traumatic experience for us both. A mixture of sadness and joy at actually finding where she was."

Kim has now placed a small memorial at the spot where she can leave flowers in memory of Nicole.

The issue hit the headlines earlier this year when the scandal was debated in Parliament just before lockdown.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries said evidence of mass graves like the one Nicole was buried in had been found in the past 20 years in Lancashire, Devon, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield. And a call was put out for the Government to do more to help grieving parents find their babies' graves.

Kim, now aged 60, who has a granddaughter named in memory of her stillborn child – Freya Nicole – says she is happy that parents who lose their babies in this manner are given much better care and support today.

She said: "There is nothing worse than walking out of hospital with your arms empty.

"Hospitals now treat mums and dads better now than they used to. Parents get to spend time with their baby, bath their baby, have photographs taken.

"We just want to be recognised that we had babies. You wouldn't shove your grandma's death under the rug. This is a fight to get babies remembered."

A spokesperson for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals said: “This is a very sad story and Kim and all the families like her from around the UK have our deepest sympathies.

"Preston Royal Infirmary closed in 1990, and the Trust that ran it no longer exists so we are not in a position to comment on the specific details of Kim’s case.

"What we can do however is assure Kim that the modern NHS supports families individually after bereavement and wraps support around those who lose their babies and in our hospitals this includes providing bereavement counselling; mementos; and an annual baby loss memorial service.”

To find out more about SANDS visit sands.org.uk