Families who have suffered the pain of losing a baby are being invited to join a special service at Bradford Cathedral on Sunday.

The Saying Goodbye services, part of the Mariposa Trust, pay tribute to babies lost at any stage of pregnancy, birth or in infancy.

There are 18 services taking place in cathedrals and minsters across the UK this year, with Sunday the inaugural service in Bradford.

Saying Goodbye was established by Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates, who have suffered the loss of five children through miscarriage.

“We wanted to create services that would give a wonderful goodbye to babies that have been lost, and allow the parents to grieve in a supportive environment,” Mr Clark-Coates said.

“When you have parents saying ‘this is the first time in 50 years that I am able to grieve and say goodbye’, you understand that whether it happened yesterday or half a century ago, the pain is still there, and people need help and support.”

The service at Bradford will feature music, poetry and readings, mixed with acts of remembrance and time for reflection. It is free to attend and open to anyone of any faith or no faith.

“Saying Goodbye gives people the opportunity to remember their lost baby in a fitting way, while also uniting with others who have faced similar sadness,” Mrs Clark-Coates said.

Approximately one in four – or 250,000 – pregnancies end in miscarriage, plus 4,000 through still birth and more in infancy in the UK each year.

Clayton and Fairweather Green Councillor, Michelle Swallow, (Lab), will give one of the readings at Sunday’s service after being asked to get involved by Bradford singer Lara Martin, who will also perform. Having suffered the pain of her first child being stillborn, Coun Swallow said she had been hoping the Saying Goodbye services would come to the city.

“I’m very happy to get involved, as I know how many people across the district have been affected by these issues,” she said.

For more information on the service, visit www.sayinggoodbye.org or follow the charity on Twitter @SayinggoodbyeUK.