Mum transforms heartbreak of losing daughter into support for grieving families

A mum whose baby was stillborn is helping others through grief after setting up a business in her daughter’s memory.

Katie Allington, 40, from west Hull, had already been through the heartbreaking trauma of losing two babies in early pregnancy before she fell pregnant with her daughter, Ava, in 2018.

When Katie had a positive 20-week scan, she was excited for the future along with her older daughter, Sienna, now 15.

But tragically, at 28 weeks, after not feeling Ava move, Katie was told there was no heartbeat and Ava had died. She was stillborn on December 23, 2018, weighing 1lb 9oz.

Instead of celebrating Christmas with the happiness and joy of a new baby, Katie had to look ahead to planning Ava’s funeral, which was held two weeks later.

This devastating time took Katie’s life as a school dinner lady and breakfast club supervisor in a completely different direction as she tried to come to terms with her loss.

Inspired to help others and create a positive legacy in Ava’s memory, Forever Ava Designs was created – Katie’s memorial jewellery and keepsake business which is going from strength-to-strength.

Katie has helped hundreds of people to set their loved one’s or pet’s ashes into beautiful jewellery and keepsakes, as well as preserving flowers in resin to treasure forever.

Katie, who also has a son, Layton, six, said: “When I was told Ava had died, it was instant disbelief and I felt so numb. I left the hospital with empty arms and a memory box, and I had to leave Ava there.

“I had to be strong for Sienna and it was Christmas, so I couldn’t focus on being angry or upset because of that.
“There was a version of me that didn’t know how I’d survive the grief and I lost myself for a while. I knew I needed to keep my mind occupied because the pain was so hard to cope with.

“Loss changes you. Sometimes it breaks you and sometimes it builds the person you were meant to become. I stopped asking ‘why me’ and started asking ‘how can I help others through this too’.

“I first made a feather trinket including Ava’s ashes, which got an amazing response on social media. More and more people asked me to make things with their loved one’s ashes, so I decided to build a business in Ava’s memory.”

Forever Ava Designs continues to grow and Katie had a dedicated studio built at home to help the increasing number of people who put their trust in her to create memorial jewellery and keepsakes.

More recently, she has rented a unit in Hull’s Trinity Market, where she spends several hours per week promoting her business and growing Ava’s legacy to help others.

Katie said: “It takes a lot of trust for someone to bring their loved one’s ashes to you. They all have their own stories and experiences in grief.

“I could have quite easily gone down a very different path but the outcome would always be the same and it won’t bring Ava back.”

Katie goes the extra mile for everyone she supports, having asked Shropshire-based specialists Shamrock Melts to create a dedicated wax melt scent in memory of Ava, which Katie includes with every order as a thank you gesture.

She has raised money for Abbie’s Fund, which provides memory boxes and keepsakes for the maternity unit at Hull and East Yorkshire Women and Children’s Hospital, and regularly donates teddies to Aching Arms, a charity which offers the bears to bereaved parents.

Katie added: “I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved so far and I hope Ava is proud too.

“I’ll never stop because it’s what helps her memory live on. It’s her legacy and it’s helping so many people.

“What began in heartbreak has become a way to keep memories alive, and every piece I create carries a story, a love and a life remembered. This business was built from pain but it’s powered by purpose.”