Saying Goodbye: Exeter to remember babies that did not get to stay

Each year, over 30 million families worldwide experience the heartbreak of losing a baby, with around 258,000 losses in the UK alone. For many, there is no funeral, no memorial, and little support to acknowledge the life that was lost.

To address this, Mariposa International launched the ‘Saying Goodbye’ remembrance services in 2012 at Exeter Cathedral. Since then, over 260 services have taken place across seven countries, allowing tens of thousands of families to honour babies lost during pregnancy, at birth, or in infancy.

The services are deeply moving, blending music, poems, and acts of remembrance. They were created by grief expert Zoe Clark-Coates MBE and her husband Andy, following their own experience of five devastating losses. Each service is free, open to all faiths (or none), and designed for those grieving a loss recent or long past.

In 2026, more than 25 services will be held worldwide, with the South West service taking place at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 21st March at 11am.

Zoe Clark-Coates MBE, co-founder and CEO, said: “Our services provide a beautiful space for mothers, fathers, siblings and extended family to say goodbye and show that their babies are truly loved. Every child deserves to be recognised, however brief their life may have been.”

Sadly, around 1 in 4 pregnancies in the UK ends in loss — almost 700 babies every day. Bereaved parents often feel isolated, struggling to process the overwhelming grief of miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal or early years’ loss. The Saying Goodbye services allow people to come together, share in remembrance, and find comfort in community.

One parent shared their experience: “The Saying Goodbye service gave me the time and space to formally recognise all of my babies. As I stood with other parents and rang the bell for my 14 children, I felt unbearable sadness but also a profound privilege. For the first time, my tears of grief, loss and love were shared and understood.”

Mariposa International also provides ongoing support, reaching over 50,000 people weekly worldwide through its six divisions. The charity is at the forefront of campaigning for change, with Zoe leading the UK government’s Pregnancy Loss Review, which saw the introduction of the new Certificates of Loss.

Andy Clark-Coates, co-founder and CEO, added: “We invite anyone affected by baby loss, whether recently or decades ago, to join us for this special remembrance event.”

For more information visit sayinggoodbye.org