23 May 2025
Memorial Garden — Parkside Cemetery Kendal.
MAA attended the opening of a memorial garden at Parkside Cemetery in Kendal, honoring those affected by forced adoption and the human rights violations in St. Monica’s, a local Mother and Baby home.
MAA activist Stephen Hindley campaigned for 20 years for justice for his late wife Judy and her baby, also named Stephen, who died at St Monica’s. Mr Hindley emphasised the importance of memorialisation, to bring dignity and public recognition for those who suffered, and suffer still.
MAA members brought flowers, including a rose bush with purple blooms, donated by Linda, to commemorate the occasion. We stood in solidarity with Stephen and thank him for his tireless efforts to raise awareness.
Baby Stephen, born with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus was callously and cruelly abandoned, without receiving the medical care that would have been available in the nearby hospital. Instead of transferring him to the hospital, he was left to die. This highlights the broader issue of historic forced adoption practices, which demand urgent recognition and justice.
Several recent reports have exposed the horrific reality that babies from mother and baby homes were frequently discarded, then buried without dignity. This matter requires robust research, and, if necessary, prosecution.
Judy Hindley’s painful experience is tragically similar to that of too many other women who lost their babies, then endured lifelong trauma. This is a stark reminder of the inhumanity within these institutions.
The U.K. government should now act urgently. Despite the 2023 Parliamentary Inquiry report which urged the government to apologise to affected women and adoptees, many still wait for recognition, often aging and in frail health.
Where is government accountability?
The ongoing blatant failure of successive governments to acknowledge their moral responsibility is deeply troubling. MAA will continue to reach out to Minister Janet Daby and others with requests for for support and urgent action.
Bishop Rob Saner-Haigh who opened the memorial garden, stated that St Monica’s should have been a sanctuary but instead became a site of pain and heartache. He said how sorry he was for the treatment of mothers and babies by those in Church of England mother and baby homes.
The stories of Judy, and others like her, must be heard. Their suffering must be acknowledged, and the government must act urgently to restore their dignity.
MAA’s continued call for a simple apology from the government remains unanswered, underscoring our ongoing struggle for justice. We will continue to fight for all the babies and all the mothers.
See Bishop Rob Saner-Haigh on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C71necqSB/
