An Oldham couple are campaigning to change the law after the stillbirth of their daughter, in the hope of sparing other grieving families the trauma they went through.

Cassie and Ryan Claydon, from Chadderton, lost their daughter Matilda on September 16 last year at 36 weeks after complications during the pregnancy. The couple, who also have a five-year-old son, said they were supported by NHS staff at Saint Mary's Hospital in Manchester throughout the process.

But their experience changed when they went to register Matilda. Under UK law, stillbirths must be registered within 42 days. This officially acknowledges the baby's existence, supports public health data and allows arrangements to be made for burial or cremation. Currently, this must be done in person.

Ryan described the experience as traumatic. He said: "We were sat in a room with other families with little boys and girls and newborns happy and celebrating. They were happy and we weren't. It was a difficult scenario to be in when you have just lost your daughter."

The couple looked for another way to complete the registration but found it was not possible. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, remote registration over the phone or by post had temporarily been allowed.

Cassie said: "I just thought why is nobody doing anything about it? What I found when we were at St Mary's was every part of it, every single moment of it, was heart breaking but the people there were trained to deal with that." She added: "It was like we went from being protected to being right in the thick of it again."

The couple approached Oldham MP Jim McMahon for help. Earlier this month, he introduced a bill to Parliament to allow families to register a stillbirth remotely.

Mr McMahon said: "For some families, attending in person will be the right choice and that option must remain. But for others, the ability to register a stillbirth from home, surrounded by loved ones, would provide a small but meaningful act of compassion.

"Scotland has already shown that remote registration can work, protecting the integrity of the process while giving bereaved families greater choice and flexibility. Government cannot prevent tragedy. But it can ensure that its own systems are compassionate, understanding and fit for the people they serve."

He added: "For Matilda, and for every family affected by baby loss, we can and must do better."

Ryan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "People do not have go through that traumatic experience of walking to the registry office dealing with families with newborns when they have just lost a child. Just making that process a little bit easier is actually worth doing in my eyes. We know how hard that situation was.

"For us we know we are doing it for Matilda but we are also doing it because it's the right thing to do. It would have been much easier doing it on the phone or video call surrounded by friends and family. We want families that suffer a loss in the future, we want to give them the option of not doing through that process."