In this episode of Assa Marra, Catherine speaks with Gail Dobson-Burns about baby loss, infertility, and the experience that shaped her work and community impact.
Gail shares her story with honesty and pragmatism, reflecting on the challenges she and her husband faced, including miscarriage, and the emotional and physical realities that many families experience but are rarely spoken about. In the UK, around one in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, stillbirth affects around one in 250 pregnancies, and ectopic pregnancy affects around one in ninety pregnancies. These are not rare experiences. They are simply not often talked about.
The statistics are vast and national, but the experience is always local. And in West Cumbria, where communities are tight and services can be further afield, these experiences are often carried quietly, sometimes making them feel even heavier.
Out of her own experience, Gail founded Silent Footprints, a Cumbria-based charity supporting individuals and families affected by baby loss and infertility. The organisation offers emotional support, safe spaces for conversation, practical guidance following loss, memory-making support, and community awareness. It recognises that the impact of loss extends beyond mothers, supporting partners and families too.
This episode brings an important and often underrepresented conversation into the open, grounded in Gail’s lived experience and her ongoing contribution to the West Cumbria community. It is a conversation handled with care, honesty, and quiet strength.
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