A COVENTRY woman who has supported over 8,000 parents following stillbirth through her charity has been recognised with a Point of Light Award from the Prime Minister.
The Luca Foundation funds special refrigerated cots which are designed to act like a refrigerator to keep the body cold.
Allowing parents who have lost a child to have extra time with their babies.
The foundation works with the NHS to distribute and repair ‘CuddleCots’ as well as raise funds for research and training to reduce infant mortality.
Sharon Luca-Chatha lost her so Luca to stillbirth at 36 weeks in 2012, since then she has given the ‘gift of time’ to thousands of grieving families.
She said: “We are deeply grateful and humbled to receive this recognition for our charitable organisation, which was established in loving memory of our son.
“As the name ‘Luca’, which means ‘Bringer of Light’, suggests, receiving this award as we approach his 12th heavenly birthday feels quite uplifting, given the challenges of running a nonprofit charity without a salary.”
Sharon is one of the latest to be recognised by the Prime Minister for The Points of Light Award which honours outstanding individual volunteers who are making a change in their community.
The Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Wright, Sharon’s local MP for Kenilworth and Southam, said: “I first came across the work of ‘The Luca Foundation’ last year whilst promoting Small Charities Week and am delighted she is being recognised in this way.
“I hope this award can raise the profile of ‘The Luca Foundation’ and help them to reach more struggling families.”
Sharon is an accredited CPD practitioner in the field of pregnancy and infant loss and is bringing her training into primary schools about discussing loss with children.
She has also written two books on the subject, Angel Warriors and an illustrated children’s book Why Did Grandad Die? which is available in schools across Coventry and Warwickshire.
Sharon added: “The growth of The Luca Foundation has completely exceeded my expectations. I’m very proud of that and proud of the fact that, despite getting more than 10 repair requests every month, we’ve been able to fulfil all of them so far.”
