Former Celtic star Kris Commons and his fiancé Lisa Hague have launched their new retreat resort to help couples cope with bereavement.
The pair lost their baby girl, Lola, to stillbirth 14 years ago and have always supported others in a similar position.
Now they believe the new retreats can help provide a space which can make a real difference in people’s grief process.
The Celtic hero played for the hoops from 2011 to 2017 and instantly became a fans favourite.
But WAG Lisa took Scotland to her heart and soon became an advocate for Scots stillbirth charity SiMBA, before going on to create Lola Commons Fund to promote the creation of family rooms for grieving parents.
The couple now want to take things to the next stage with the retreat facility which will help people with their trauma, which can be difficult to talk about.
And Lisa believes over the years the couple have now become the face of baby bereavement loss in Scotland.
Kris Commons said: “I’ve had experience of not being able to talk, being involved in what’s seen as a masculine sport and I didn’t think too much about taking any time off when I was at Nottingham Forest.
“Within 12 hours of the birth, I was picking out the coffin and brass.
“We were saying on the phone we were ok, but we were in complete shock and didn’t feel like we had any support, I went straight back to football.
“When I was going through that trauma and grief, I didn’t talk about it, and I needed to reach out to a few people.
“Without know it, I was grieving for 12 months, as it didn’t hit until I was eventually able to speak to people and I was then able to process.
“When the first birthday and anniversary came round, that was a huge amount to go through.
“I think it’s the greatest thing to open up and talk about the grieving process and bereavement.”
The couple have three healthy children, April, 12, William, 10, and Jax, nine, according to Nottinghamshire Live.
They say the retreats are for any loss, and all are welcome, with two retreats planned so far, both of which will take place in apartments in Edwinstowe, just outside Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.
The first is for individuals and runs from April 1 to 3, and the second is for couples from May 6 to 8.
Lisa has recently been training to become a bereavement and grief coach.
Lisa said: “People who need help travel, and when Lola died, I’d have got on a plane and travelled, if you need help, you need help.
“We’ve become that family and those faces who people open up to quickly and identify with, especially in Scotland, but you can’t give people the good quality attention they deserve.
“People come up to me and show me a photo of their baby who died, and people come up to me and talk to me on a social night out and I want to give them the time they need, but talking in the pub is not the best place.
“I’ve been training midwives in bereavement care and ladies in hospitals that know they will be giving birth to a stillborn child.
“Grieving and bereavement is as sad as it is, and we want to create a safe space so people can share their stories.”
Lisa said when she pitched the idea to Kris, he was all in.
She said: “We felt there was not much out there in terms of sessions and support groups, and we want to create that safe space, and Kris said immediately he was on board.
“At the moment, we’ve got more men than women booked on, and I think that says so much about how things are changing.
“Men and women grieve differently, but it’s all about communication.
“This is not a publicity thing, and we’re going to be hands on from start to finish.”
For more information about the retreats send an email to lisa@hagueretreats.co.uk
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