Anna, Mercedez, Kate, Jazz, Misha and Anna are part of the North Yorkshire Perinatal Mental Health Team. We are a specialist NHS community team who offer support and treatment to the 1 in 10 women who have a moderate-severe mental health problem during pregnancy or the first year after their baby is born. On average we see over 100 women from the Harrogate/Knaresborough locality every year. The team includes medic, midwife, psychologist, peer worker, nurse and occupational therapist, representing the wide range of interventions we offer.

We are running in The Great Knaresborough Bed Race to raise awareness of maternal mental health problems in a community space. Too many women are unaware of how common such difficulties are or that there is support for them and their babies. The research shows that maternal well-being has a massive impact on long-term health of babies. The more people know about us, and the sooner women get the help they need, the better for their children.

We will be raising money for the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. The MMHA was founded in 2011 by people with lived experience and organisations who understood the impact of perinatal mental problems and had a commitment to improving the lives of women and their families. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is an award-winning charity dedicated to ensuring all families impacted by perinatal mental health problems have access to high-quality, compassionate care and support. They bring the perinatal mental health community together and make change happen by combining the power of real-life experience with clinical and professional expertise.