| Location | Bradford |
| Age | 28 years |
| Date of Birth | 10/1982 |
| Date of Death | 8/2011 |
| Visitors | 2,310 since 09/11/2007 |
| Creator | |
| Helpers |
♥For All Our Babies♥
♥So Deeply Loved♥
♥So Briefly Known♥
This page is in tribute to the Snowdrop Garden at Scholemoor Cemetary in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Started in October 1982 as a place for families to lay to rest their babies who died before or just after birth, the Snowdrop Garden has provided peace of mind for families in Bradford for more than 25 years.
It was built in response to advances in medical practice, which was changed to allow and encourage families to see their babies after they were stillborn or died shortly after birth. The garden allowed parents to have control over how their baby was buried and gave them somewhere to go and visit to allow them to grieve.
The Snowdrop Garden uses a vault system where babies are buried together on shelves, side by side. When the vault is full, it is filled in and another dug out further down the garden. Each vault then has a stone marker placed on top, announcing the years it was used between.
This may sound bleak and uninspiring, however, it is the most beautiful place. Maintained and managed by Bradford Council and volunteers, the garden is cared for throughout the year.
In the summer, it is warm and pleasant, with flowers and bushes. It gets the light in the afternoon, when one would have imagined the babies sleeping by would have been playing out after school. In the winter, it is still warm and gentle, with lanterns and candles left by the parents who visit their sleeping babies.
At the bottom of the garden, there is a low wall, where three rows of coloured faux granite plaques display the names and dates of some of the many angels there.
Around the edges, there are cards, toys, windmills and flowers left by the families and friends of some of the babies.
The current vault is covered over by wooden planks and two large square plastic grass covered slabs to protect it from the elements. Inside are the shelves and rows of babies. The small coffins are light brown with brass plates announcing the name of the baby at rest.
I watched both my daughters light oak coffins, on seperate occaisons, being handed down to the groundskeeper (there is no need to lower these little coffins with straps), who would place them in the their allotted place on a numbered part of a shelf.
This garden is a special place of so many, too many parents. For decades families have had somewhere to bury their babies, with the help of Bradford Royal Infirmaries amazing bereavement support service and the Bereavement Midwife to support them.
On the 16th May and 23rd April, at 9:30am, my twins were laid to rest after being born three months early due to a very rare complication. If it wasn't for the help and assistance of the hospital in letting me have my sweet girls buried there, I don't know what I would do.
I would like to dedicate this site with great affection to all the babies who are buried in the garden at Scholemoor. I would also like to remember their families and friends, who miss them terribly.
C. Mercer
I wrote this poem about my daughter Bryonie who is buried at the Snowdrop Garden. I was sat at her sister Lucy's incubator as she was dying and therefore about to join her at the snowdrop garden when I wrote this and now, I can't read it myself without crying:
Angel Underground - By C Mercer
(Snowdrop Garden Mummy)
I thought about you today
My angel underground
... Your sister wanted you to play
But I told her you slept sound
“This sleeping sounds so very good”
Your sister said to me
“I want to sleep, so tired am I,
And my sister I want to see”.
So I let her go to you
As with you she wanted to be
Now you’re both together
To sleep for eternity.
Facebook Page for Friends of the Snowdrop Garden
Hi, I've set up a facebook group for the friends of snowdrop garden, so us angel families can keep in touch and keep each other up to date with what is going on in the garden at the moment, as well as offering support to each other.
Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-the-Snowdrop-Garden/188067757897247
Catherine (Lucy & Bryonie Mercer's Mummy) x
Hi, I don't know what is occuring with the work taking place, however, it is certainly distressful for families and disrespectful to the sleeping lambs. A notice would have been appreciated, detailing the work. We do not visit the garden often, as, for me and my husband, my girls are not there. Their bodies are, but not them. They are both with us or with their baby sister. Not in the ground. They are both free. This does not mean that I agree with what is happening there. Angel Parents of Snowdrop unite :) let's hope this period of disruption is both necessary and breif. C x scatzz@hotmail.com
snowdrop garden was alovely place to go always fresh flowers, toys , windmills even alittle stone in the middle & a bench to sit & be with your angel. Not the case now just broken toys , solar lights smashed and thats by the gardeners no bench to sit on, just mud . I used to love to visit my twin boys who were laid to rest there in 1984. Now i feel dissappointed and saddened by the site that greets you when you reach the top of the stairs to peer down on what was a beautiful chidlike garden. I love my boys very dearly and feel i have let them down by leaving them in such a place im glad theres a place called heaven cos i hope its better there.
snowdrop garden
this sounds lovely bbe but this is nolonger the situation it was a great childlike place to go but now it is like a buliding site gardens have been recked due to gardeners the ground is all muddy
fund raising for snowdrop garden
my daughter and 2 brothers are at snowdrop garden and i have been to the see manger of it and he said that they are going to do some work on the garden but cant due to funds they said if i could raise money what ever i raise they are going to match it so they can make it more child like if anyone can donate anything we will be very grateful we are going to put a stone book in there with all the babies names on sloar lights and wind mills and if anyone has any more ideas we will make sure we do everything we can to make it happen we are also doing a carwash hair and nails and make up and alot more thank you all for your time if anyone wants to know more or are going to donate please email me on bethanylang1@yahoo.co.uk thank you all for your time
My beautiful little boy Cavan Hussain was laid to rest on the 23rd June 2010 the garden is such a beautiful place i love going there and sitting in the peace and quiet spending time with all the little angels. Love you Cavan you are always in my thoughts! xx
Such a beauiful place for my twin angels to sleep. Everytime I go and I see fresh flowers and tributes on top of the new vault, I feel dread. Dread knowing that yet another family have had to feel this world-ending pain x
my gorgeous son harrison michael walsworth who was born on 8th april 2010 was buried there on 26th april 2010 its such a lovely peacefull place love to all the little angels who will be missed soo much xxx
heavenly place
my beautiful daughter Magan Rose was buried there in august 1998, now by beautifu niece has now been laid to rest there, all the ANGELS are together! xxx
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