Accountants at Thorne Widgery have handed over a cheque to Hereford County Hospital’s Born Sleeping Appeal following their fundraising last year.

The practice, which has offices in Hereford and Ludlow, held a number of events for the fundraising campaign, which aims to raise £75,000 to create a dedicated maternity bereavement suite designed for parents whose baby is stillborn.

Thorne Widgery’s decision to choose the appeal was inspired by the story of Ange Warren who works in the firm’s payroll team.

She recently lost a grandchild and understood the need for a facility at the hospital: “This fundraising and the appeal means a lot to my family and me. When I lost my first grandson there was nowhere for us to go, other than to wait on the maternity ward, which was not the best place for us at the time. This would have been such a benefit to us, to deal with the situation."

Thorne Widgery’s team raised £150 through a company Bake-off, donations and a Christmas Jumper day.

Katie Farmer, Fundraiser at Hereford County Hospital’s Born Sleeping Appeal, said: “We’ve listened to many bereaved families to hear how facilities at the hospital could be improved, what we can do differently and what they would like to see within the unit and we hope to continue raising money to provide specialist bereavement training for midwifery staff and ensuring that there is always a plentiful supply of support for families.”