Specially designed garden opens in Edinburgh's Mortonhall Cemetery for bereaved parents grieving their lost children

A new garden specially designed to offer “a bit of peace” to bereaved parents as they grieve for their deceased children has opened in Edinburgh’s Mortonhall Cemetery.

Nestled alongside the established Baby Rose Garden burial area, the new grounds will be the final resting place for remains if families choose to have their baby cremated at Mortonhall.

The garden has been designed to reflect Scotland’s different seasons and incorporates plants that flower throughout the year so that when families attend there will always be colourful blooms.

Each bed is marked with a granite plinth and stone benches marked with dragonflies are dotted through the grounds allowing parents time to sit and reflect.

The project was recommended to the Edinburgh City Council by a grieving anonymous mother who told officials that people in her position needed somewhere special to grieve for their loss.

Another mother, Ros Lowrie from East Lothian, whose child was stillborn said that the project will provide parents with a “place to visit and reflect”.

She said: “The new gardens mean that families from all backgrounds can find comfort from visiting this beautiful area.”

Nicola Welsh, CEO Sands Lothians, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, said that she was “pleased to see the new Baby Garden of Remembrance finished.”

“This garden provides a peaceful place for families to visit who decide on a shared cremation for their precious baby.”

The garden’s opening coincides with Baby Loss Awareness Week which will see events across Scotland over the next seven days."