A grieving mum of twin girls who died after paramedics couldn't get into her flat after she fell into a coma said her final farewells at their funeral on Thursday (Dec 4).
Babies Melody and Rose died six days after an ambulance crew took 30 minutes to get to their heavily pregnant mum, Jocelyn Bennett, because residents did not answer their intercoms in the block of flats where she collapsed.
Jocelyn suffered a placental abruption on October 29, at around 5.30am. But it took paramedics half an hour to get to her in Pleck House tower block in Druids Heath, Birmingham.
She was unable to buzz them in and neighbours didn't answer their intercoms as desperate paramedics tried to reach her.
There was no emergency access system and it was police who eventually broke a panel in the front door so they could get in.
Jocelyn's mum Lorraine, 50, arrived and they found her daughter on the bed semi-conscious.
By the time she got to hospital, she had lost consciousness and wasn't breathing.
Doctors performed an emergency caesarean section but the babies had gone without oxygen for too long and suffered brain damage.
Six days later, the twins' dad Kevin Clarke, 31, and Jocelyn's parents Joe and Lorraine made the heartbreaking decision to switch off the life support machine for the girls.
Jocelyn, known as Joyce to her family and friends, remained in a coma at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
She finally woke up last month to be told about the deaths of her daughters, whose names she and Kevin had picked before they were born.
On Thursday, the mum was strong enough to be pushed in a wheelchair by her father as they arrived at the funeral of the girls at Lodge Hill Crematorium in Birmingham.
From her hospital bed, Jocelyn had helped to plan her babies' service, picking the outfits the girls wore and the Cinderella-style horse drawn carriage, which carried their dual white coffin.
Nursery rhymes were played in the background and three poems were read out during the funeral service .
Her dad Joe, 54, a carer, told the Birmingham Mail : "When we told Joyce what had happened to the twins, she thought we were joking at first. But we had to tell her the truth – there was no point in lying. Since then she has been to see them so that she could get some closure.
"She was able to say her goodbyes to them. And because she is improving day-by-day she will be able to attend the funeral as well as helping to arrange it.
"Joyce has picked a red dress for Rose, and a matching cream one for Melody. She wanted a white Cinderella carriage which will be pulled by two white horses wearing pink plumes.
"Kevin designed a musical note with a rose pattern to be put onto the one dual coffin to symbolise both girls. They will be together."
Jocelyn's health is slowly improving and she is able to walk with sticks following intense physiotherapy.
Joe said: "Her short term memory isn't so good, but she is getting there. Joyce is very lucky to be alive. The doctors and nurses here are very good."
Birmingham City Council, which runs the tower black, are investigating the incident and why emergency access wasn't available for the paramedics.