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MEGAN SHEILS AND JACK HOLDEN HOPE TO KEEP THEIR DAUGHTER'S MEMORY ALIVE AND OFFER HOPE TO OTHER BEREAVED PARENTS 06:00, 05 Jun 2025 Two heartbroken parents have created a lasting and

beautiful tribute to their baby and hope it will give some comfort to those who have also suffered bereavement. Megan Sheils and Jack Holden were devastated when their one-year-old daughter

died suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2023. Faye Irene Holden, known lovingly as Fifi, was a much-loved daughter and sister to Isla who brought "so much joy" to her family. As

a way of paying tribute to Faye's life, Megan and Jack have created a memorial park in Whiston and hope it brings comfort to other bereaved parents and joy to local residents. Foxshaw

Close Playground is a place close to the family's heart and holds special memories of when they used to take Faye there. Jack's grandad has been the keyholder at the park for many

years, while Jack used to visit the same park when he was a child - so it seemed like the perfect place to create a tribute to Faye. With support from Knowsley Council and Whiston Town

Council, the local community came together to create a play area and park, including a memorial bench bought with a donation from developer Taylor Wimpey – which is now known as ‘Faye’s

Bench’. The space has also been transformed with Faye's favourite rainbow colours and is now a welcoming and fun place for families to enjoy. Megan said: "It was a bit run down. It

was broken, it was dark and it was just a bit miserable. One day I just told Jack I'm going to ask the council to have the park and rename it - everyone thought I'd lost the

plot!" Article continues below After a few months of preparations, the family worked closely with the local authority and Playsound Services who helped bring the project together, Megan

added: "Now it's all done it's just gorgeous and around here now, people know the area as 'Faye's Park' which is so lovely." "Faye was only one when

she passed so she didn't have a school or anything to do something for her. In terms of the wider world, how much of an impact can a person really leave at the age of one, so we just

really needed to do something for her. That way, she'll out live us all. "After losing a child, you're never emotionally and mentally sound again. It's one of those

things you learn to grow with, but it's not something you ever get over. "We have our good days and then we have days where we want to stay in bed all day and cry. "We get so

much joy out of Faye's Park and it really does help us. Isla lives there basically and absolutely loves it. We always thought it was important to have somewhere for Isla to go and

remember Faye and feel at peace. We also have our new-born, Neve who will sadly never know Faye but will now have a place to go and see how much she was loved. "When we do have our down

days, we'll just sit in the park for hours and it's a calm and safe place for us." Megan and Jack spoke openly about the impact Faye's loss has had on them. Jack said:

"There's such a stigma and taboo surrounding child bereavement, and nobody ever wants to acknowledge it or talk about it or act like it ever happens, but it happens every day.

"What we try to do is open up those conversations and we have met so many amazing people and made so many close friends with other parents who have also suffered child bereavement.

Losing a child can be so isolating but we have found such a tight-knit community and we check-in and bounce off each other." "We hate to be in this situation. I'd give

anything to not be in the situation we're in because we lost a child, but we were determined to make something beautiful - we wanted her to be remembered because she was so so loved and

she deserves that. She has left her mark and with this space, she has a lasting legacy." Cllr Shelley Powell, Knowsley Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods said:

“We know parks are at the heart of our communities and it is wonderful to see the way the community has come together to create a much-loved play space and a lasting memorial to Faye.

Article continues below "Alongside our partners we were delighted to support the creation of Foxshaw Close Playground which offers a welcoming space for local families to enjoy.” For

more information about the park follow @fayes_forever on Instagram and Faye’s forever on Facebook.