A ROOM for bereaving parents and those diagnosed with breast cancer has been opened at Burnley General Teaching Hospital.

Sarah Bernasconi and her fiancée Mark Parsons, raised around £3,000 to set up the ‘quiet room’ in the gynaecology and breast cancer care ward.

The Blackburn couple, who lost their daughter Maggie Pearl last year when Miss Bernasconi was 39 weeks pregnant, raised the cash through an online auction and donated an array of goods.

A ribbon was cut by Miss Bernasconi, 36, of Mitton Close, Livesey, and Jo Edwards, from the Friends of Serenity charity, which also helped fund the room.

Miss Bernasconi, 36, of Mitton Close, Livesey, said she was really pleased with how the room looked.

She said: “It felt really calm in there and it felt like a good place to be.

“We wanted to create a space where parents who had lost their baby, or patients and families of those with breast cancer, could go and take in the information.

“They can be themselves and have a break from the hospital environment without leaving the building.

“The room doesn’t feel like a hospital, it’s got nice couches and chairs.”

The room will also have tea, coffee and biscuits after Miss Bernasconi and Mr Parsons also raised cash for plates, cups and saucers.

The Butterfly Serenity Suite was set up at Burnley last year with the idea coming from Joanne and Mark Edwards whose son Luke was stillborn in March 2013.

However there has not been a room in the gynaecology and breast care unit for anyone receiving bad news before.

It comes after the couple raised £7,000 in just nine weeks to pay for a cold cot at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

They also raised more than £1,500 to buy a cold cot for William Alty and Son’s Funeral Service in Blackburn to allow families to take their child home for a night.

Tracy Bracewell, Lead Nurse for Gynaecological Oncology said: “With the valued support of Joanne Edwards, Sarah Bernasconi and their two charities, we’ve been able to create a beautiful, serene space for women and families to visit when they are in distress.

“This is a room with a very specific use - for women who have had a miscarriage and those facing a difficult time due to cancer - who want to reflect with their family members.”