Volunteers' Week: Gina's story

For Volunteers' Week we are highlighting the stories of some of our customers, partners and colleagues who give their time to help others and improve their communities.

Plus Dane customer Gina Jacobs has made national news this year with the moving story of her quest to find the grave of her stillborn son after more than 50 years, and her efforts to help other parents in the same situation.

Gina, from Greasby, Wirral is now a busy and devoted great-great-grandmother. But in 1969, her third child was ‘born sleeping’. She was not allowed to see him – a practice that was sadly normal even into the 1990s. He was not even given a name. Bereaved families were just expected to carry on as if nothing had happened.

Two years ago, she saw a TV programme about a woman who had gone through a similar experience, and was inspired to find her son. It was only then she named him Robert, and shared her story on social media.

Since then she’s gone on to help other bereaved mothers to find more than 60 babies.

Where Robert lies is now marked with a headstone, and Gina fundraised for a memorial to all babies in unmarked graves at the site. She has since been awarded the Wirral Award for her voluntary work helping others to find their babies, and has lobbied with her MP for the government to formally apologise for the suffering and cruel lies bereaved families like hers were told.

The matter was discussed in parliament by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in May, who said: “She deserves nothing but our praise and admiration, and I am so pleased that she has brought comfort to so many other people too.”

Gina says: “I never expected for this to go so far, or get to the House of Commons. But when people asked I just had to help. I couldn’t refuse. We have a right to know where they are.

“I want people to know their babies can be found, and they should be found, and the more people that know about it, the better.”

She thanks Landican cemetery in Wirral for their help in finding Robert and other babies. She has found that sometimes the process can be quick, and other time can be more challenging, but she urges other families to be persistent and never give up, and is always happy to advise anyone looking for support in their own search.