Maldon homes and businesses glowed pink and blue this week in a touching tribute to Baby Loss Awareness Week - A drive which aims to bring together the community and signpost support for those touched by baby loss.

Businesses up and down the High Street, including Continental Café, Maldon Books, Coes and Ginny's, have all featured the lights in their windows in support.

The Maldon District Council building and a number of local churches also lit up, with All Saints Church offering a Book of Remembrance to those who've lost.

In addition to the nightly illuminations, bereaved parents were also invited to submit their baby's names for a window display at William H Brown in the High Street.

The window display at William H Brown. (Credit: Dave Ridgewell)

The heart warming display fills the windows with named love heart cut outs, commemorating those lost. 

The week, now in its 22nd year, lasts from October 9-15 and ends with this evening's "Wave of Light" candle event.

Local couple Abby and Dave Ridgewell, Admins of the Baby Loss Awareness Maldon Facebook group, have told of their "gratitude" to the local businesses who spent time and money putting up displays.

The couple told Nub News: "The displays of lights this year have been impressive. It is heart warming to see for the many families like us who have gone through the loss of a baby.

The gates of Mrs Salisbury's glowed. (Credit: Dave Ridgewell)

"Losing a baby can be a very isolating experience, and for many of the bereaved parents who come to Maldon specifically to see the lights, it may be the first time they have felt seen by the outside world and had a sense of not being alone, which I can tell you means a lot!"

Abby and Dave first began organising Maldon's Baby Loss Awareness Week in 2020, after losing their son Max at one day old.

Now in its fourth year of marking the week, Maldon remains supportive to bereaved parents and those touched by baby loss.

Are you a bereaved parent seeking support?

You can find help on the Sands website, or by reaching out to the NHS By Your Side Perinatal loss service for therapeutic care and grief therapy.

You are also invited to join the Maldon Baby Loss Awareness Facebook Group, ran by Abby and Dave.