PARENTS of a baby girl who was stillborn have raised thousands of pounds to purchase a second cold cot for a hospitals trust.

Sarah Bernasconi, 36, and her partner Mark Parsons, 38, from Livesey in Blackburn, were devastated when their baby daughter Maggie Pearl Parsons, was stillborn in 2015 at Burnley General Hospital.

Despite their grief, the couple set about raising money for cold cots in Maggie’s name so that other parents who suffer a stillbirth or loss of a baby or toddler can spend more time saying goodbye to their child.

And the couple have raised a further £6,000 to purchase a second cold cot for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Sarah and Mark’s latest cot, the sixth to be built by specialist craftsmen at Simpsons Bespoke Furniture of Colne, was delivered to the Paediatric Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital this week.

Cold cots use a special cooling system allowing families to spend precious extra time with their child rather than being rushed into saying goodbye.

Sarah said: “Within a few hours your whole life is turned upside down and no parent should go through the pain of losing their child. For those who do, we’ve provided something to help and to know that Maggie’s legacy continues helps us know she’ll never be forgotten."

Sarah and Mark set up a Facebook page 'Maggie Pearl Parson’s legacy' with daily auctions which in the last two years have raised thousands of pounds, enough for six cold cots and hundreds of memory boxes.

Sarah said: “It’s very, very important to me to raise awareness of stillbirth.”

Dr Charles Thomson, clinical director for emergency medicine at the trust, said:“We cannot thank Sarah and Mark enough. Parents remember the care they receive, and good care can make a huge difference to their memories of that devastating experience and to their grieving.”

The couple's next fundraising event will be at Feniscowles Sports and Social Club, Blackburn on August 12.