More than 50 families from all over Ireland who have experienced the death of a child, came together recently for a special remembrance event.

The event was organised by Anam Cara, a support group for bereaved parents and families.

This voluntary group was established in 2008 to address the lack of bereavement support services available for families in Ireland who have experienced the death of a child. It is open to all bereaved parents regardless of the age or circumstances of their child's death, or whether the death was recent or not.

The group noted that when a child dies outside the hospital or hospice system, there is often no bereavement service available to them, which can result in them ‘struggling to cope with the intense grief and huge loss in their lives'.

The Remembrance Day was held in the Glasson Hotel in Athlone on November 5 and according to one mother who attended, it provided ‘a lovely opportunity to just be and to acknowledge your child and your feelings'.

"As a family, we have found coming here every year to be very helpful, for ourselves and also for our surviving children, to spend time with families who are going through a similar experience in life as us," she explained.

There are currently nine Anam Cara groups nationwide that meet every month. For more information, click here