A YOUNG mum who lost her baby to cot death today welcomed Newport council's decision to change its policy banning mementoes on graves.

Danielle Thomas, 24, of Somerton Park, pictured with her children, joined the Argus's campaign to allow mementoes to be left at city cemeteries.

Our Special Place campaign calls for a change in the rules, so parents can keep their children's graves a special place.

Yesterday we revealed the council was bowing to public pressure and drawing up a new policy with less stringent guidelines.

Danielle and her family say tending the grave of daughter Lauren helps them come to terms with the loss.

Danielle said: "When I read in the Argus about what the council was doing I started crying.

"This is the only way we can remember Lauren.

"The council changing its mind is brilliant news and exactly what we've been fighting for.

"If this means we can keep putting toys down at the grave then that's all we wanted in the first place."

Her boyfriend Mark Henson, 40, found nine-week-old Lauren dead in her cot when he got up for work four years ago.

"I fed and changed her at about 1am and she was fine and happy," Danielle said.

But just a few hours later Mark, a welder, made the traumatic discovery. Attempts by ambulance paramedics to revive her were unsuccessful.

Danielle and Mark have three other children, Jordan, eight, Paige, six, and six-month-old Cerys.

Gran Cheryl Thomas said: "We're still grieving. We'll never get over it.

"When Cerys was born she was the image of Lauren."

The whole family visit Lauren at Christ Church cemetery regularly and leave windmills, angels and cards at her headstone.

The Argus has been overwhelmed with complaints from grieving families since the issue came to light nearly three weeks ago.

Petitions signed by 2,000 people were presented to Newport Cabinet member Graham Dally on Wednesday, by mums Tracy Ratcliffe and Elaine Pike, in a bid to get the council's policy dropped.

And he told them a new policy would be revealed later this month, which will be more sympathetic to those wishing to place mementoes on graves.