Wonderful Frome Charity Receives MCF Grant Support Funding.
The Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) have announced support funding to ‘Frome Birth Talk’ totalling £9,445 over three years.
Frome Birth Talk offers free counselling for local people who are pregnant or have had, or lost a baby within the last 2 years. They also provide two weekly support groups, as well as a monthly group for people who have experienced baby loss.
Frome Birth Talk is a very small charity, run by only 3 staff, and was originally set up by a midwife, who wanted to support local mothers in the perinatal period.
The counselling provided will support parents to work through their emotional distress or trauma, while peer support and toddler groups offer ongoing support to reduce isolation and feelings of stress, as well as an opportunity to learn valuable strategies for managing toddler development and behaviour.
Research shows that 1 in 4 women experience low mood, anxiety and depression during pregnancy and after giving birth, but NHS support is limited, and only available for those in crisis or severely unwell. Even mothers who do qualify face average waiting lists of 16 weeks for support. Multiple studies have shown that poor parental mental health can have lasting negative effects on children’s development and wellbeing, as does a lack of access to warm safe spaces for socialising and play.
MCF funding will support Frome Birth Talk to meet the growing demand and ease some of the funding pressures in the years ahead. Each person is eligible for two ‘blocks’ of counselling per pregnancy. Counselling is open to partners as well as mothers. Per year, they will reach 930 primary beneficiaries with 230 people receiving counselling and a further 350 people attending support groups.
Frome Birth Talk are delighted to receive this much-needed funding from Freemasonry, which will enable them to deliver the aforementioned vital support in the Frome area.
For further information, visit their website at https://www.fromebirthtalk.org.uk/
