Bereavement charity 4Louis names new home after murdered midwife Samantha Eastwood

Charity 4Louis name their new building in memory of midwife Samanatha Eastwood.

Kirsty McGurrell, from Washington, set up charity ‘4Louis’ to support families through miscarriage, stillbirth and child loss, after losing her own son Louis in 2009.

It produces memory boxes to help grieving parents build memories of their children and come to terms with their loss.

The boxes provide keepsakes, cards, candles for lighting at anniversaries, and tools to help families create their own memories.

Charity 4Louis name the building in memory of midwife Samanatha Eastwood with sister Gemma Eastwood and mother Carol Eastwood.

It also fundraises to fund bereavement and family rooms in hospitals, a private space for families to spend time with their child as they prepare to say goodbye.

In October the charity officially moved into its new base at Unit 36B, Pallion Way in Sunderland.

And now it has announced that it has named their new home after midwife Samantha Eastwood who had been a keen fundraiser for the charity before her shocking death.

The 28-year-old was a midwife from Royal Stoke Hospital had been missing for eight days before her body was discovered in a rural area near Staffordshire on August 4.

Charity 4Louis name the building in memory of midwife Samanatha Eastwood with sister Gemma Eastwood, mother Carol Eastwood chartiy Kirsty Knight and Bob McGurrell.

Michael Stirling, 33, admitted killing Ms Eastwood and was been jailed for life at Stafford Crown Court, to serve a minimum of 17 years.

The charity decided to name their building after Samantha in recognition of her fundraising for them which saw her take part in a charity skydive just four weeks before her death.

Her mum Carole Eastwood and sister Gemma Eastwood visited the building along with her colleagues from Royal Stoke Hospital on October 26 to see the plaque unveiled in her honour.

Victoria Usher, 4Louis events manager, said: “Samantha has done a lot for us in the past in supporting the charity, doing a sky dive last year just four weeks before she was murdered.

4Louis founder Kirsty McGurrell with her memory boxes.

"She did an amazing job in supporting the families she worked with on a daily basis, providing them with a 4Louis memory box and invaluable support that was always above and beyond what she needed to do.”