The BBC’s hit TV show Call the Midwife may have just finished, but the challenges faced in the programme are everyday experiences for Maternity staff at Harrogate District Hospital.

To celebrate the end of the series, Maternity staff have donned the uniforms worn in the programme to raise awareness of the work that they do on a day-to-day basis as well as their Maternity Spring Ball, which they hope will raise vital funds for the Department.

One issue that is faced by the midwives on the Sunday-evening favourite show is babies who are stillborn, something that is a real-life occurrence for midwives in Harrogate and further afield. They are raising money for a refurbishment of their Maternity Bereavement Suite – a place for woman and their relatives to go following the tragic circumstances of losing their baby.

To raise money for these improvements, the Maternity Department is hosting a Maternity Spring Ball on Saturday 19 May. The black-tie event takes place at Pavilions of Harrogate and includes a champagne reception, dinner, a DJ and a live band. Tickets cost £50.

Jessica Clarke, a midwife with Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Although midwifery has changed over the years, ‘Call the Midwife’ is an everyday reality for us, providing care to women and their families in Harrogate and the surrounding area.

“Maternity staff at Harrogate District Hospital have been celebrating the end of the series with uniforms past and present.”

She added: “We are really looking forward to hosting the exciting Maternity Spring Ball, which gives us the opportunity to raise the funds we need to continue providing high quality care to women and their families.”

Ian Proudler, Head of Community Fundraising with Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity, said: “We are delighted to support the Maternity team as they raise money to refurbish various parts of their unit, starting with the Bereavement Suite. I would encourage people to come and join us on 19 May at Pavilions of Harrogate for what will be an amazing event.”

Call the Midwife is a highly-successful BBC1 drama following the lives of a group of midwives working in the poverty-stricken East End of London during the 1950s and 1960s, and is based on the best-selling memoirs of Jennifer Worth.

Maternity Services at the Trust provide care for mums-to-be and their baby from the start of their pregnancy through the birth and beyond, offering support, advice and information.

If you can support the Maternity Department with their Ball or for more information and ticket enquiries, email: harrogatematernityball2018@gmail.com.