Peterborough Cathedral to Mark Baby Loss Awareness Week with Service, Artwork and Illumination
Peterborough Cathedral will offer a quiet place for remembrance, reflection and prayer during Baby Loss Awareness Week, with a special service, a dedicated prayer station featuring artwork by Sue Bridge and an illumination of the Cathedral throughout the week.
Peterborough Cathedral
This article discusses pregnancy and baby loss. Support information is included at the end of the article for anyone affected by the issues raised.
Peterborough Cathedral will mark Baby Loss Awareness Week this October, providing spaces in which people can remember babies lost during pregnancy or infancy and acknowledge the experiences of those living with loss.
At the centre of the week will be a Baby Loss Awareness Service at 6pm on Sunday 11 October. The service will offer a quiet and supportive setting for remembrance, reflection and prayer, and is open to anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss.
No booking is required, and everyone is warmly welcome.
Peterborough Cathedral. A service of remembrance, reflection and prayer. No booking is required.
Baby Loss Awareness Week runs from 9 to 15 October and provides an opportunity for families, friends and communities to remember babies who have died, while recognising the many different experiences of pregnancy and baby loss.
Throughout the week, Peterborough Cathedral will be illuminated in support of the campaign, creating a visible sign of remembrance and solidarity with those whose lives have been affected.
Inside the Cathedral, a dedicated prayer station will offer a quieter and more personal place to pause.
An artwork shaped by experiences of pregnancy, motherhood and loss
The prayer station will feature Flutter of Life, a painting by artist Sue Bridge from her A Life in the Womb series.
The series explores the relationship between mother and baby, the physical and emotional experience of pregnancy, and the profound effects of pregnancy and baby loss.
Part of its inspiration comes from the experiences of journalist Tulip Mazumdar, a former BBC News presenter and Global Health Correspondent who grew up in Peterborough and attended The King’s (The Cathedral) School.
The prayer station will stand near the tomb of Katharine of Aragon
The location of the prayer station gives the Cathedral’s observance an additional historical resonance.
Katharine of Aragon was buried at Peterborough in 1536 and her tomb remains one of the Cathedral’s most significant places of remembrance. During her marriage to Henry VIII, Katharine experienced repeated pregnancy and infant loss. Of the six children she bore, only her daughter Mary survived.
Her life belongs to a very different period, but the grief associated with the loss of a pregnancy or child reaches across generations. Placing the prayer station close to her tomb quietly connects that history with the experiences being remembered during Baby Loss Awareness Week.
The prayer station is intended as a peaceful space in which visitors can pause, pray or remember. There is no expectation to take part in any particular way.
After experiencing four pregnancy losses, including the later losses of my sons Rivah and Rae, I know how important it is for families to have their experiences recognised, and their babies remembered. I hope Sue’s beautiful work, in this very special and peaceful setting, can offer a space for reflection and help people affected by baby loss feel a little less alone.Tulip Mazumdar Journalist, former BBC News presenter and Global Health Correspondent
A week of quiet remembrance at the Cathedral
Alongside the service and prayer station, the Cathedral will be illuminated throughout Baby Loss Awareness Week.
The illumination will provide a visible symbol of remembrance for families and individuals affected by pregnancy and baby loss, while joining the Cathedral with organisations and communities across the country marking the week.
People may visit because of a recent loss, because of something that happened many years ago, to remember a baby within their family, or to support someone close to them.
The Cathedral hopes that the combination of worship, art, history and a quiet place to stop will allow people to encounter the week in whatever way feels appropriate to them.
Baby Loss Awareness Service
All are welcome to attend the service, regardless of whether they have a connection with the Cathedral or a particular faith background. There is no need to book.
Date: Sunday 11 October 2026
Time: 6pm
Venue: Peterborough Cathedral, Minster Precincts, Peterborough
Booking: Not required
Baby Loss Awareness Week: 9–15 October 2026
Support and further information: Baby Loss Awareness Week brings together organisations supporting people affected by pregnancy and baby loss. Information about the campaign and support available can be found at Baby Loss Awareness Week .