Brans Library Reading Session:
On Thursday 11th December, we took part in a whole school reading session. We created a relaxed enjoyable afternoon where the children could share in the joy of reading and sharing.
At Bran’s Library, our mission is to harness the power of stories to create a lasting connection. We support this by gifting a carefully curated selection of picture books to families experiencing second trimester miscarriage, termination for medical reasons, still birth and those on end-of-life pathways in neonatal units (NICUs).
Sharing these stories supports memory making, emotional regulation and wider family involvement at the most acute stage of baby loss. Our work also acknowledges the importance of familiar voices in providing comfort and connection. Bran’s Library aims to bring moments of 'normality' to families by offering them the opportunity to experience the simple joy of sharing stories with their babies, even in the most fragile of times.
Our focus at the start of this project is NICUs and Bereavement Teams in hospitals in the South West of England where Bran was born and, as a family we have been supported.
We aim to become a registered charity by 2026 in honour of our son Bran, who died at 6 days old on NICU after suffering a traumatic brain injury at birth. We shared stories with him from the moment he was born, and continue to read them out loud in memory of him, celebrating our ongoing connection with him as part of our little family.
Bran's Library books are chosen by bereaved parents, ensuring that they are psychologically safe stories, with beautiful illustrations. Whilst on the NICU there was nothing more calming than reading about nature, home, cosy fires and escaping on wild adventures with Bran, when the world felt so scary, uncertain and overwhelming. We truly believe that sharing stories with your baby is something that every family should have the opportunity to experience and that families should be able to take those stories, memories and connections home with them.
