Parents who have lost children at birth are being targeted by a mother who suffered the despair of a miscarriage.

Catherine and Trevor Harwood were devastated when daughter Annabel was stillborn at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

But the pair will be returning to the hospital tomorrow for the latest step in their gradual recovery from the tragedy.

They will launch a support pack to help fellow parents who have lost a baby at birth after wanting to create something positive from their loss.

Mrs Harwood, 31, said the miscarriage had been a terrible time for the whole family.

She said: "We were just existing day-to-day and there seemed no hope for the future.

"The staff at the hospital were wonderfully supportive but we went home empty-handed. When you go through something like this you feel very alone."

Mrs Harwood explored the internet for advice and found support groups including the Stillborn and Neonatal Death Society (Sands).

She and her husband then decided to try to move forward by launching an appeal in their daughter's name.

The aim of the Annabel Harwood Trust is to provide support packs crammed with information about help groups, counsellors and web sites. Two books are also included.

Mrs Harwood said: "There is a wealth of helpful and supportive information available to help parents of neonatal death or stillborn babies. But during the first weeks and months following such a tragedy, parents are often not able to get to this information easily."

The couple, of Katherine Way, Seaford, will always remember Annabel but they are now looking forward to the future.

They already had a son, Sam, now seven, when Annabel was born in September 2000 and little Matthew will be two next month.

Mrs Harwood said: "I became pregnant about four months after Annabel which seemed very quick but it has been one of the best things that could happen to us.

"I was terrified throughout the pregnancy. The relief and emotion when he was born was indescribable. Matthew gave us hope and a future again."

As well as helping parents cope with the loss of a baby, the trust has also contributed towards preventing the loss of a baby by donating cardio tocograph (CTG) equipment. This helps to detect foetal distress, which could reduce the possibility of another stillborn baby.

The information packs will be given free to parents at the Royal Sussex and Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

In the UK nearly one baby in every 100 is stillborn or dies within four weeks of birth.

More information about the trust is available at www.ahtrust.org.

Information is also available from the Sands helpline on 020 7436 5881.