HEARTBROKEN parents Imogen and Duncan Tinkler will be burying their beloved daughter, taken from them after less than two months.

It will be a day of despair and sadness, a day when they will want the support of loved ones and their families to pull them through.

Echo:

Dad - Duncan with baby Bea and daughter Xanthe

But instead they will be alone.

For the funeral, held during a time of lockdown, will mean the couple will bury their daughter Beatrix with only her sister Xanthe, aged two, and one other relative at the service on Wednesday.

Now the couple will be asking people to film themselves blowing bubbles to share with them on the day so friends can also bid farewell to Beatrix, also known as Bea.

Imogen said: “As we can’t have more than five people at the burial we are asking people to blow bubbles for baby Bea on the day.

“We are also raising funds for the amazing NHS who we wouldn’t have had this special time without.”

The couple grew up in Southend with Imogen attending Westcliff High School for Girls, and Duncan attending Thorpe Hall, but now live in Whitstable in Kent.

Echo:

Critical - little baby Bea

Imogen gave birth to Bea on January 25 at Margate Hospital, but due to her health they could not return home until a month later.

Imogen, 37, said: “Our home became our cocoon as Baby Bea still wasn’t allowed to do normal things like go to the supermarket or the pub as the risk of infection was too high.

“On March 16, I was breastfeeding Bea and she had stopped holding my finger.

“I lifted her arm and it was limp, I looked at her face and her lips had gone blue. I believed she was dead.

“I screamed and started performing CPR. Xanthe came running in on her remote control and was phoning Duncan, saying ‘daddy, come home baby Bea dead’.

“It broke my heart to hear her and not be able to comfort her as I stayed on the phone to the emergency services and continued by CPR.

“It felt so pointless as I looked at my beautiful baby Bea.

“Then everything became a blur as ambulance crew, police officers ran into my house.

Imogen added: “We still kept an open mind but I asked for the priest to baptise her and we took footprints of her hands and feet.

“The team at Kings Hospital couldn’t have been kinder. When the time came to take her off her respirator - Duncan and I sat together and held her as she breathed on her own for a few moments before going to sleep. I felt so lucky to get to share our last moments with her.”

The couple have since launched a fundraising page for the hospital which has already brought in more than £800.

Imogen said: “We want to say a huge thank you to all our friends, family, medical teams, police, the funeral directors, priests and everyone else who helped us on our journey. You made something so hard be full of love and community. That will always stay with us.”

A service will be held at Southend Crematorium before Imogen and Duncan, 37, lay Beatrix to rest at Rochford Lawn Cemetery.

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