I am pleased to see that Carolyn Harris‘ proposal for a children’s funeral fund, known as #MartinsFund has finally been implemented.

When Carolyn’s son Martin died, she had to pay for his funeral with a whip-round and a bank loan.  Not wanting to see any other parent have to go through this, she has campaigned tirelessly for this fund, and I wrote to the Chancellor in 2017 to support her proposals.

After years of work her efforts have come to fruition, I want to pay tribute to Carolyn and all of the campaigners who have made this possible.

I cannot imagine the devastation and sorrow that families must go through when their child dies, and to add the uncertainty of not knowing whether they will be able to pay for their child’s funeral just causes more distress.  I am relieved that this financial weight will now be lifted off of their shoulders.

The Children’s Funeral Fund for England can help to pay for some of the costs of a funeral for a child under 18 or a baby stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy.

The fund can help pay for:

• Burial fees
• Cremation fees, including the cost of a doctor’s certificate
• Coffin, shroud or casket (up to a cost of £300)

You can find out more about the fund, and claim from it, by going to: https://www.gov.uk/child-funeral-costs