A dedicated space for commemoration, contemplation and paying tribute to those whose lives ended prematurely will be made available at a ceremony along the southern coastline.

The Saying Goodbye event for infant loss commemoration is scheduled to take place at Chichester Cathedral on May 9, 2026, beginning at three o’clock in the afternoon.

These occasions form part of an international initiative established by Mariposa International in 2012, with the purpose of assisting families who have suffered the death of an infant either during pregnancy, during delivery, or during early childhood.

Zoe Clark-Coates MBE, who established the organisation alongside her husband and serves as its chief executive, while also holding the position of Pregnancy Loss Review lead for the UK government, stated that the gatherings offer families a meaningful setting to farewell their infants and demonstrate the genuine affection they hold for them, encompassing mothers, fathers, siblings and wider relatives. She added that each child merits acknowledgment regardless of how fleeting their existence proved to be.

The occasions, now operating across seven nations, combine musical performances, verse and tributes, and welcome individuals regardless of religious conviction or absence thereof.

The initiative emerged from Zoe Clark-Coates and her husband Andy’s personal journey through five miscarriages. Andy Clark-Coates, the other co-founder and chief executive, expressed that the event warmly welcomes anyone touched by infant loss, whether the loss occurred recently or many years past, to attend this poignant ceremony.