Stepping Into Research: My Journey from the NMAHP Research Scholarship Programme to Max’s Legacy

By Racheal Crane, Maternity Support Worker

James Paget University Hospital 💙🐻🌈

When I applied for the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare Professionals (NMAHP) Research Scholarship Programme at James Paget University Hospital, I wanted to make a real difference for families experiencing baby loss. The scholarship gave me the opportunity to do exactly that.

Working closely with bereaved families, I saw the emotional impact of loss and the difference that one compassionate presence can make. The programme allowed me to elevate my work, translate lived experiences into evidence, and ensure families’ voices shape real, meaningful change.

Since then, my work has been published in the British Journal of Midwifery and other professional magazines, and I have been honoured with several national awards recognising the impact of the service I built.

Supporting families through heartbreak — and sometimes rainbow pregnancies — became the foundation of my research. The scholarship taught me to think boldly, to consider systems as well as moments, and to imagine a world where bereavement support is consistent, compassionate, and recognised as essential.

When funding for my bereavement role ended, I knew my work could not stop. Through the skills and confidence I gained, I am now setting up Max’s Legacy as a charity, with the vision of supporting families locally, regionally, and nationally. This December, I will be presenting my journey — and Max’s Legacy — to Parliament in Westminster.

My journey proves that anything is possible if you keep believing — in yourself, your purpose, and the difference compassion can make.

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Max’s Legacy continues — in research, in practice, and in every family we walk beside.