A KEYNSHAM charity has been awarded a £20,000 National Lottery grant for its Breakfast and Babies group, which offers support to new mums.
The grant will allow Community at 67 to offer a free weekly breakfast for mums with babies up to six months old at the community centre at 67 Queens Road, Keynsham.
In addition to the weekly breakfast, health professionals and other experts will offer advice to local mums once per month on topics including breast feeding, sleeping patterns, and post-natal depression.
Community at 67 trustee Amy Clarke, who established the programme and secured the funding, said: “We’re very grateful for this lottery grant, which means we can offer valuable support to new mums in Keynsham and the surrounding area.
“When I first became a mum three years ago, I found it very reassuring to talk to other mums going through the same thing as me. That’s what we hope Breakfast and Babies will be a weekly chance for new mums to talk to and support each other at this very special but sometimes challenging time.
“All mums and babies will be warmly welcomed at Community at 67 every Friday from 10am.”
Sessions have run since February by a local mother Natalie Condick, supported by volunteers.
The group runs sessions every Friday from 10am to 12pm and is attended by about 13-14 mums each week. It aims to create an environment where mothers can share their experiences, exchange advice, and build strong networks of support and friendship.
The new funding from the National Lottery Community Fund – which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes – will enable Community at 67 to continue to run the sessions.
Attendees of the group will be constantly changing as their babies grow older and “graduate” at six months old, into other support networks in the community.
“We’re delighted that the National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way,” said Amy Clarke.
“Mums during the early months of motherhood can feel quite isolated. We hope the connections a mum builds at the Breakfast and Babies group will have a positive impact on her journey in those first few months of having a baby, and set the foundation for good maternal mental health as her child grows.
“Free tea, coffee pastries and fruit certainly help with the morning’s session!”
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK.