The Children’s Funeral Fund, spearheaded by Portadown councillor Julie Flaherty, has already supported 106 grieving families to date.

Cllr Flaherty, who tirelessly campaigned for the Children`s Funeral Fund to be established in Northern Ireland since 2018, says she is overwhelmed to learn that in the first six months the Fund in Northern Ireland has supported 106 families.

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Portadown Ulster Unionist Councillor Julie Flaherty, who sits on Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, campaigned to have the Childrens Funeral Fund set up in Northern Ireland. She is pictured here with her husband Wayne and their little boy Jake who sadly died aged two years old.

placeholder image — Portadown Ulster Unionist Councillor Julie Flaherty, who sits on Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, campaigned to have the Childrens Funeral Fund set up in Northern Ireland. She is pictured here with her husband Wayne and their little boy Jake who sadly died aged two years old.

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Until 1st June 2022, Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK unable to avail of the Children’s Funeral Fund. It provides a one-off lump sum payment to cover the expense of a funeral after the death of a child under the age of 18, or stillborn after the 24th week of pregnancy.

The Ulster Unionist Councillor, who sits on Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, said: "To see it established, working, and funding families in their hour of need is quite humbling. Nobody is prepared for the death of their child. I always knew that this was a good thing to do, the right thing to do and the compassionate thing to do.

“It is, however, still a very difficult figure to process in many ways. I know that this means that all these families are going through the most devastating, life changing experience they will ever face,” said Julie, who son Jake died in 2013 just two days after his second birthday.

“I hope that the experience we had with our son Jake has shaped this in some way and the Child Funeral Fund will be a welcome comfort to any parent who will unfortunately need to avail of this in the future.”