Angela Clifford — Carrying Brian — Losing a Baby to Meningitis and Learning to Grieve

In this deeply moving episode, host Heather sits down with Angela Clifford, the Northern Neat Freak and declutter and home organising expert, to talk about the loss of her baby son Brian, who died just 10 days old from meningitis in 1988.

Angela shares her story with remarkable honesty — losing her son at just 17, at a time when grief was expected to be buried rather than spoken about. She reflects on the isolation she felt, the sisters who had babies at the same time, and the decades she spent carrying that trauma in silence. It was only in her forties, with the right support around her, that she finally allowed herself to fully grieve — and found the courage to have Brian’s name tattooed on her arm.

This episode is a gentle and powerful reminder that grief does not have an expiry date, and that it is never too late to talk.

Key Topics Covered:

• The loss of a baby to meningitis and the shock of sudden infant loss
• Growing up fast and carrying grief without support
• How unspoken grief affects relationships and mental health over time
• Finding the courage to acknowledge loss — including getting Brian’s name tattooed
• Keeping a child’s memory alive and talking openly with your family

A powerful episode about what it means to carry love for a child across a lifetime, and why it is never too late to talk.