Hi,

Back in May 2020 I gave birth for the first time, it was the most empowering experience of my life. But the weeks and months afterwards were the hardest months of my life to date. It was a really difficult time and all I wanted was hugs from family and friends, but that was impossible with covid rules.

Then there was Karen from Baby Umbrella. Baby Umbrella provides free breastfeeding and early parenting support and this charity was a total lifesaver to me, Josh and M when M was tiny. Karen came to our house in full PPE and gave us a private lactation consultant appointment, and so much more. She was a lifeline in those dark times and I will be forever grateful for her help, her listening ear and the comfort she provided our little family of three. Without family and friends to turn to in person, Karen felt like our only support. With Karen’s support and reassurance we were able to breastfeed for as long as I wanted to and gain confidence as a new family.

Running has also helped me with my mental health tremendously this year. So when I saw there was a half marathon ballot for  Baby Umbrella I just knew I had to sign up - and here we are. 

Any support you can give is hugely appreciated as I would love other families to be able to access the same support that we were able to get. For too many families, this support is not available and I'm raising money for Baby Umbrella so they can continue to provide free, compassionate and evidence-based support for all families who need it. Baby Umbrella receives no government funding to provide this crucial service and relies totally on donations - please be generous! Just £30 could support a local family like us to receive the support they need.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you so much for reading and an even bigger thank you if you can donate or can give me motivation in the form of encouraging words!