Balsall Common baby loss couple awarded British Empire Medal

A couple who founded a charity to support parents who have lost babies through stillbirth, miscarriage or neonatal death have been recognised in the New Year Honours list.

Amy and Ryan Jackson started the Lily Mae Foundation in 2010, which was named in memory of their stillborn daughter Lily, after they felt families should be offered more support than they received during one of the hardest moments of their lives.

The couple, from Balsall Common in the West Midlands, have now each been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM).

“It came from a way of us basically trying survive back then, and has kind of grown from just seeing what’s absolutely missing for bereaved families,” Ms Jackson said.

Mr Jackson said that the foundation aimed to support families in the West Midlands and show people that it “was okay” to talk about their babies.

Every year, the couple create around 600 memory boxes for parents who have lost a baby, while around 30 people a month turn to them for individual support.

They were awarded honorary doctorates by Coventry University in 2024 in recognition of their efforts.

“If [Lily] had the ability to know and understand just how many people she has helped in her name, I can’t imagine her being anything other than proud,” Mr Jackson said.

“We’re doing what we’re doing to help and support as many people as possible, because we know ourselves how devastating it is and how we were at the time when we lost Lily.

“We don’t want any family to have to experience the journey that we went on, the sort of very limited support that was available at that time.”

He said they are yet to find out when they will be presented with their BEMs and are also waiting for the date of the King’s Garden party, for which they have also received an invitation.