Author: admin

A charity established by a Coventry woman following her own experience of stillbirth, has donated a £2k CuddleCot to a new baby loss centre in Birmingham.

The special refrigerated cot has been presented to Woodland House at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, by The Luca Foundation.

The CuddleCots are designed to act like a refrigerator to keep the body cold which allows the parents to have up to a week with their baby and, if they wish to, even take them home with that equipment.

Sharon Luca-Chatha’s life was turned upside down in June 2012 when she lost her precious son to stillbirth at 36 weeks. Since then she has gone on to give the ‘gift of time’ to more than 3,000 grieving families and donated and repaired more than 120 CuddleCots for maternity units, neonatal intensive care units and paediatric wards through her award-winning Luca Foundation.

She said: “A CuddleCot will give the families the ‘gift of time’ with their baby that they would not otherwise have. When a baby dies, there is a lot of information to take in, forms to sign, post-mortem to discuss etc. therefore the extra time is very much needed to take in all that has happened and the trauma that comes with that.

“It is instrumental for the mental health of the parents and family, often including young siblings, for the grieving process to start with their baby in their arms.

Sharon is still battling PTSD following her trauma when her ‘sleeping’ baby was taken away immediately after the birth and not returned for nine hours!

“I am still working through this trauma with EMDR therapy, but the anger of what happened to us is the fire within me that wants to ensure all parents in these tragic times have access to a working CuddleCot, something I wish I had had,” she said.

“The long-term effects of not having a CuddleCot, such as in my case, can lead to chronic illness from the trauma of not having enough time with your baby. For me, four years later, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, which led to me grieving the loss of my health, successful career and independence, along with my never-ending grief for my son.”

Woodland House, which was built at the side of Birmingham Women’s Hospital, cares for over 2,000 grieving parents every year who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. The £3m centre – the first of its kind in the UK – was funded over three years by donations and corporate sponsorship. It is designed to be a safe haven in which families can grieve, away from the maternity ward.

The Luca Foundation has is now hoping to raise further funds and awareness at the charity’s second Gala Dinner, on May 11th.

This year’s event at Birmingham’s Park Regis Hotel, is being hosted by comedian Tommy Sandhu and MC Sandra Godley OBE and includes a welcome glass of fizz, three-course meal and dancing to a DJ.

A raffle and auction on the night will help further boost funds, one of the top prizes including a private dinner for four people cooked in your own home by 2021 Masterchef winner Dan Lee, from Birmingham.

Headline sponsor for the event is DRD Capital in Birmingham. Any businesses that would like to donate a raffle or auction prize or get involved as a sponsor, can contact Sharon at: sharon@thelucafoundation.org.uk

Tickets cost £65 and are available to purchase

Through the charity Sharon also directs funds to provide resources, facilities and research to reduce infant mortality and support bereaved parents.

Sharon is driven by her vision to fund enough cuddle cots to service every maternity unit throughout the UK and then turn her attentions to cuddle blankets, for under 18s.

She said: “A parent’s worst nightmare is to lose their child. We were beyond devastated, our world had fallen apart. From the moment Luca died on the Monday inside my womb, to the Thursday when I gave birth to him, everything was in a daze.

“We were not ready for the next blow – the limited time we had with him, knowing we would then never see him again. After holding onto Luca as long as we could – just a few hours – we had to hand him over to be taken to the mortuary. This caused us such trauma. We just cried uncontrollably.

“As I look back I realise that was the defining moment when I decided I wanted every parent to have access to a CuddleCot.”

Sharon has also gone on to write two books on the subject of child loss, Angel Warriors and an illustrated children’s book Why Did Grandad Die? which is available in schools across Coventry and Warwickshire. She’s also launched a range of memorial gifts. The Endless Love Collection is aimed at supporting the grief process as well as promote physical and mental wellbeing.

She added: “The growth of the Luca Foundation has completely exceeded my expectations. I’m very proud of that and proud of the fact that, despite getting more than 10 repair requests every month, we’ve been able to fulfil all of them so far.”

Visitors to a new free community festival in Stratford can now enhance their experience with some first-class foodie fun, thanks to Cocktail Tours, based in Warwick.

The ‘Food and Drink Tasting Experience’ offers people the chance to get a fuller flavour of what’s on offer at the new Pursuits Festival, on May 11-12^th.

Those wishing to purchase tickets for the Tasting Experience receive three complimentary drinks, three ‘try before you buy’ food tasting vouchers and an exclusive use bar – for £29.95pp.

The free event, on the Recreation Grounds, promises a blend of cultural activities on the theme of the popular board game it is named after, from History & Literature, Music & Dance, Theatre & Art and Sport and Wellbeing.

Visitors can also look forward to art installations, interactive experiences, workshops, live music and local food and drink.

Cocktail Tours is the latest extension to The Gin Company brand which also runs That Gin & Cocktail Bar in Warwick.

The converted double-decker Cocktail Tours Bus can host up to 50 private or corporate guests, features state-of-the-art LED lighting and sound system and a bar selling a wide range of alcoholic drinks, including cocktails/mocktails, spirits, beers, wine and fizz. It is available for almost any kind of occasion, whether it be event or private transfers; static hire at an event; exclusive on-board Cocktail Masterclass, private party or corporate takeover.

Cocktail Tours’ Steve Bazell, pictured, said: “We are really excited to be part of the free community festival for the people of, and those visiting, Stratford-upon-Avon. With an array of local vendors/performers we believe this is great for all concerned. We hope the food and drink tasting experience is a way for people to try some of the wonderful produce supplied by traders local to the area.”

Steve is working with Slate Events to help produce the Pursuits Festival in Stratford, one of two such festivals in the area – and customised to its own town. The second is being held at Warwick’s St Nicholas Park, in June.

Slate’s Director Kate Livingston said: “We aim to showcase the unique aspects of each town and provide a platform for the local community to engage with and explore what makes their town special.

“The Stratford Pursuits Festival is a unique platform that aims to showcase local talent. The festival provides an opportunity for local producers, dance groups, performers, charities, and other community organisations to showcase their work. Our main objective is to create a festival that resonates with the town and its people.”

Tickets for the Food & Drink Tasting Experiences can be booked here

A new chapter is being marked in the 200-year-old history of a popular Leamington watering hole, as work gets under way on its major transformation into a new-look Italian restaurant.

The first glimpse of the new design for Tavola has been unveiled – inspired by Italian surrealist painters of the 1920’s – as the doors close on the current café in Clarendon Street this week.

It comes exactly one year after 44 Café, Bar & Bistro was taken over by entrepreneur Rob Singleton, supported by Gavin Leach, both from Leamington, and marks the boldest change yet for this familiar corner of the town.

Rob said: “The building is so bright and airy with the roof lantern and full-length windows. We love the quirky layout that comes from organic changes over the history of the pub.

“The rebranding is a natural extension of the refurbishment. Bar 44 has history that we are proud of but it doesn’t capture what we do now.

“When we took over last year it seemed natural to put up a sign saying 44 as that is what the locals know this building as. For the last year we have been trading as 44, but as much as we love 44 the way it is, the long term plan was always to refurbish when we had established ourselves and built a good team.”

Heading up that team is a familiar face to regulars, Luke Hampson, who stayed on as front of house manager and mixologist after several years in the business’s more recent history.

Central to the restaurant’s new culinary identity though is executive chef hailing from Tuscany, Martin Serafino.

From his kitchen he looks forward to showcasing his passion for authentic Italian cooking through his new menu, the secret to which, he says, is a combination of ‘tradition and innovation.’

“The Tavola ethos is all about using the very best quality Italian products, sourced from Northern Italy, and for me that’s just a joy,” he says.

“I’m very excited for this new menu. I want to encourage people to try something they never tried before. I love to express myself through food so there will be some experimenting. But my main goal is to share the beauty of my own country as well as celebrating how every country has different traditions and different ways to cook.”

Martin’s own cooking influences also include time working in kitchens in New York and London.

But it was only after a health condition forced him to abandon his aspiring career as a professional footballer in Tuscany, that he instead decided to pursue his second passion for cooking.

He said: “When I developed gastroenteritis, I changed my diet completely but, unfortunately, after two years, I had to stop playing at a high level. I was trying to eat healthier so started eliminating all processed food and eating vegetables from our own garden as well as educating myself about healthy eating. This helped create my passion for food and cooking and I started to dedicate myself instead to food. I got very involved in what I was eating, how I was making the food and where it was coming from.”

Martin will also be serving up what he believes to be a first for Leamington – his signature Schiacciata sandwich range – a special pressed focaccia that promises a ‘light and fluffy explosion of flavours.’

As the doors closing on 44, signal the end of one chapter, they also herald in the start of a new exciting one for this Leamington business, in May.

Rob said: “We chose the name Tavola, which translates from Italian as ‘a table you would dine at,’ as it perfectly encapsulates the way our guests have been utilising our restaurant. The focus is on the table, not only the food and drink on it but the people around it.

“We look forward to unveiling the vibrant and fresh new look which befits this quirky building and complements the imaginative new menu as we start this new chapter of the story of this little corner of Leamington Spa.”

44 is due to close its doors on Monday. (March 18^th).