The Lily Mae Foundation
Charity 1149341
Overview
Summary
The Lily Mae Foundation appears to combine direct bereavement support with an ambition to influence the quality of professional care surrounding baby loss. Its role is distinctive because it supports families across loss, subsequent pregnancy and life after a later birth, while also treating lived experience as a source of learning for health and social care practice. The available evidence suggests a family-centred organisation seeking both immediate compassion and longer-term systemic improvement.
Operational geography
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Bournville and Cotteridge
Confidence: high
Direct current evidence: the Foundation's official support-groups page advertises a recurring Bournville Support Group at Dame Elizabeth Hall in Bournville. This is a regular, organisation-run service rather than a one-off fundraising event.
- The Lily Mae Foundation, Monthly Baby Loss Support Groups page
The page states that the Foundation holds two monthly support meetings and identifies its Bournville Support Group as meeting on the fourth Wednesday of each month at Dame Elizabeth Hall in Bournville, Birmingham.
Edgbaston
Confidence: medium
Direct evidence shows delivery of Memory Boxes to Birmingham Women's Hospital during the year ended 30 September 2024, and a Foundation update records its Memory Boxes at Woodland House, Birmingham Women's Hospital's bereavement centre. This supports material operational reach through the hospital partnership, although the latest audited reporting period is not sufficiently recent to confirm the present volume or frequency of supply.
- The Lily Mae Foundation Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements, year ended 30 September 2024
The report states that 736 Memory Boxes were delivered during the year, including to Birmingham Women's Hospital. - The Lily Mae Foundation, Birmingham Women's Hospital: New Baby Bereavement Centre update, 27 June 2024
The Foundation states that it worked with Birmingham Women's Hospital on Woodland House and that Lily Mae Foundation Memory Boxes are available within the centre. - Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Getting here
The Trust identifies Birmingham Women's Hospital as being in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Bordesley Green
Confidence: medium
Direct evidence shows that the Foundation delivered Memory Boxes to Heartlands Hospital during the year ended 30 September 2024. This establishes programme delivery through a hospital partner in the area, but there is no newer public confirmation of the current supply arrangement.
- The Lily Mae Foundation Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements, year ended 30 September 2024
The report states that 736 Memory Boxes were delivered during the year, including to Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham. - University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Getting to Heartlands Hospital
The Trust identifies Heartlands Hospital as being in Bordesley Green East, Birmingham.
Remaining uncertainties
- The Foundation's registered office is in Balsall Common, outside Birmingham. It has not been treated as a Birmingham operational site, and the available evidence does not establish whether it is the location from which staff deliver support services.
- The latest detailed annual report covers the year ended 30 September 2024. It evidences substantial hospital-based delivery but does not confirm which hospital partnerships and supply volumes remain active in August 2026.
- The Foundation reports a one-to-one baby-loss service across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Telford, Warwick, Worcestershire and Hereford, and its 2024 report records a peer-support-worker contract with Birmingham and Solihull perinatal mental-health services. Public sources do not identify Birmingham session locations or allow these services to be assigned reliably to individual wards.
- The 2024 annual report refers to support meetings in the north and south of Birmingham, whereas the current website identifies Bournville and Balsall Common groups. The public evidence does not clearly establish whether there are additional current Birmingham groups beyond Bournville.
- The national coverage classification is a reasonable interpretation of direct delivery evidence: the Foundation supplied Memory Boxes to hospitals across England and Northern Ireland. Its principal intensive support service appears regional rather than nationally place-based.
Additional evidence needed
- A current 2025-26 annual report or impact report listing active partner hospitals, delivery volumes and service locations.
- A current programme timetable identifying the venues for one-to-one support, pregnancy-after-loss support, Rainbow Baby Group, Walk and Talk activities, counselling days and all Birmingham support meetings.
- Confirmation from the Foundation or Birmingham Women's Hospital and University Hospitals Birmingham that Memory Box and sibling-pack supply arrangements remain active at Woodland House and Heartlands Hospital.
Areas of work
- The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Who they help
- The General Public/mankind
How they help
- Makes Grants To Individuals
- Makes Grants To Organisations
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
Support is designed as a continuing pathway, not a single intervention
The Foundation appears to recognise baby loss as affecting families across multiple stages: immediate bereavement, ongoing grief, a later pregnancy and parenting after loss. Its model may therefore prioritise continuity over one-off crisis support.
Why it matters
This helps distinguish the organisation from services focused only on the point of loss. It may be positioned to notice where families fall between maternity, bereavement and longer-term support systems.
Show evidence
“Support includes Memory Boxes, one-to-one baby loss support, monthly support meetings, pregnancy-after-loss support, a Rainbow Baby Group and sibling support packs.”
Source:Organisation“The charity supports parents, their families and friends who have suffered a stillbirth, neonatal death, miscarriage or medical termination.”
Source:Charity Commission
The organisation bridges peer experience and professional practice
The Foundation appears to operate at the boundary between family support and service improvement, using its bereavement focus to inform training, research and better practice among professionals.
Why it matters
This suggests its potential influence extends beyond people directly receiving support. It may help translate families' experiences into changes in maternity, health and social care settings.
Show evidence
“The Foundation provides ongoing training and support to midwives, trainee midwives and other health and social care professionals.”
Source:Organisation“Its objects include working collaboratively to improve and enhance professional practice with health and social care professionals.”
Source:Charity Commission“The charity sponsors or undertakes research.”
Source:Charity Commission
It gives particular visibility to family members whose grief can be overlooked
The Foundation appears to challenge a narrow focus on mothers by explicitly creating support for fathers, siblings, wider family and friends. The fathers' podcast may also extend this work beyond local face-to-face provision.
Why it matters
This indicates a broader understanding of bereavement relationships and may make the organisation a useful connector for people who are less routinely included in formal baby-loss support.
Show evidence
“The website includes Support for Men, Support for Children and monthly support meetings for parents and family members.”
Source:Organisation“The men's podcast describes a global community for bereaved dads.”
Source:Organisation“Its objects include promoting the well-being of parents, their families and friends.”
Source:Charity Commission
- The geographical reach, scale and frequency of direct support are not clear.
- There is no evidence of referral routes, partnerships, outcomes or how professional training changes practice.
- It is unclear how grants to individuals or organisations are used in practice.
Remaining uncertainties
- Annual reports or impact data showing beneficiary numbers, locations, service uptake and outcomes.
- Information on NHS, maternity-service, research and voluntary-sector partnerships.
- Examples of professional training content, evaluation and resulting practice changes.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
The Trustees consider that support to parents, their families and friends who have suffered a stillbirth, neonatal death, miscarriage or medical termination. and the dissemination of information and lessons learned to the rest of the Country to be of public benefit and our main focus for activities
Charity objects
TO PROMOTE PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING OF PARENTS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS WHEN A BABY DIES IN THE UTERUS, AT BIRTH OR SOON AFTER BIRTH, BY: A) SUPPORTING AND PROMOTING INFORMATION TO BEREAVED PARENTS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, B) WORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE WITH HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PROFESSIONALS FOR THE BENEFIT OF BEREAVED PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES, C) TO PROMOTE AND ASSIST IN RESEARCH AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICE TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSES AND HELP REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF THE DEATH OF A BABY IN THE UTERUS, AT BIRTH OR SOON AFTER BIRTH, D) TO MAKE DONATIONS TO OTHER CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS HAVING SIMILAR OBJECTS AS THE CHARITY THAT THE TRUSTEES SHALL AT THEIR DISCETION DEEM SUITABLE, E) TO MAKE DONATIONS TO CHILD INSTITUTIONS THAT THE TRUSTEES SHALL, AT THEIR DISCETION DEEM SUITABLE.