WHEN Bolton mum Elaine Edwards had breastfeeding problems with her second child she found help and support among other mums at her local Sure Start centre.

From this grew the Families and Babies Charity which, although originally offering similar mum-to-mum support in groups around the country has now, 14 years later, come back to her home town and grown in different directions.

“Yes, I suppose it has branched out from its original roots,” explained Elaine, “but it’s also kept the basic idea of helping parents and babies as well.”

Elaine grew up in Heaton and then moved to Harwood where she and her mum ran a Post Office, moving out in 1999. After this, Elaine worked for the Nationwide Building Society for four years.

She already had a son and had breastfed him successfully but when she gave birth to daughter Jessica it was a different story. “I was living in Lower Darwen at the time,” said Elaine. “I was a single parent and struggling to breastfeed my daughter. I couldn’t understand why this was happening when I’d breastfed one with no problems but I came to realise that every baby is different.

“I was advised to go along to my local Sure Start centre and there I met other mums like myself who were very supportive and really helped.”

Together, the mums recognised the power of mothers supporting each other and the need for a local support network for mums to easily access.

The project began with a grant commissioned to support the Sure Start programme within Blackburn with Darwen. Elaine left her full-time job and became a La Leche League trainer and local women were recruited and trained to form a team of paid and volunteer peer supporters.

They provided weekly support groups within the Sure Start centres, one-to-one home visits, a 24-hour helpline and daily support on the maternity ward. They worked closely with the local maternity hospital who gave all the peers access to the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative training, ensuring that evidence-based information was given to the mothers.

The initiative grew. Soon, the charity was providing this support in Hyndburn, Preston, Chesterfield, Wakefield, Essex and Suffolk. Sadly, as funding started to be withdrawn by local authorities over the years, this has reduced. Today, the charity works on contracts in Lancashire, Wakefield, Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole.

“We set up local managers and they recruit local volunteers for support,” said Elaine. “It’s a successful model that has grown and now includes other community groups like dads’ groups.”

The charity did have a breastfeeding support group in Bolton for 12 months but, again, funding problems brought this to an end. However, a year ago, the charity made its headquarters in a large building on Tonge Moor Road which includes a Health and Wellbeing Centre, a charity shop and meeting rooms.

It also launched a fully-equipped hairdressing salon adjoining to help raise funds, offer employment and work experience opportunities for newly-qualified hairdressers and beauticians and mums returning to work in hair and beauty.

The money from the shop, the salon and a FAB furniture shop further down Tonge Moor Road all go into the charity. After 12 months, Elaine – who is Chair of Trustees and works with Operations Manger Marie Longworth – feels they are helping provide a community facility.

As well as still overseeing the breastfeeding peer support work around the country, FAB’s work over the years has revealed the many mental health problems suffered by mums, dads and family members. As a result, they have started a Peer Support Mental Health Wellbeing Group at the Bolton centre each Wednesday from 1pm to 2pm offering a safe, non-judgemental support group and listening service.

Elaine still feels strongly about breastfeeding but the charity also offers support around bottle-feeding. “It’s a matter of respecting people’s choices,” she added.

For more information about the FAB charity go to https://www.familiesandbabies.org.uk