Talking to someone about your emotional wellbeing can help make sure you get the help and support you need
We offer maternal mental health and emotional wellbeing support, advice and information to women, birthing people and their families in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. As mothers who have lived experience of depression, anxiety and isolation during pregnancy or after the birth of one or more of our babies, we understand how hard early parenthood can feel and how difficult it can be to ask for help.
Our Services
Mothers for Mothers are delighted to have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This prestigious award is the highest recognition possible for VCSE groups in the UK. It recognises the dedication, commitment and passion of all of the women and birthing people with a lived experience of maternal mental illness, who have generously given their time, skills and compassion to support others. We are so proud that our wonderful team have been honoured in this way. It is very emotional to think about all the families that they have supported over 40 years. The women and birthing people who we walk alongside on their journey to recovery are the inspiration for all that we do. This honours their bravery.
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Arts and Crafts
Even from an early age; arts and crafts is a perfect learning tool to enrich and aid infant development.
By offering these activities within our peer group settings we are helping to improve
💜fine motor skills
💜enhancing creativity and imagination
💜promoting problem-solving
💜fostering emotional expression
💜supporting social connect
💜improving bonding
💜encouraging and expanding language.
Activities such as drawing, painting, gluing and sticking and stickers also help children explore textures, colours, and shapes, and can boost their confidence and self-esteem.
#IMHAW2025
This week, for Loneliness Awareness Week and Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, we took some of our Peer Support Groups outside.
Everyone enjoyed the fresh air and an opportunity to play in nature.
@marmalade_trust #LAW25 #IMHAW25
Sensory play/Messy play
Our little ones often enjoy sensory and messy play at our peer support groups. Stimulating your child’s brain by exploring their senses improves
💜fine motor skills
💜increases neural connection
💜stress relief
💜emotional regulation
💜cognitive development
💜sensory development
💜expanding Imagination
💜social interactions
There are many different ways to do this but one idea is to combine different toys or materials that don’t normally go together. Our picture here demonstrates this with little ones playing with cereal, toys animals and different containers.
#IMHAW2025
Outdoor play
When possible we encourage the little ones attending our peer support groups to play outdoors.
There are so many different benefits for anyone no matter the age, such as...
💜physical
💜mental
💜social-emotional development
💜motor skill
💜encourages physical activity
Spending time in nature can also boost mental well-being, reduce stress, and promote better sleep. Encouraging independent play helps self-confidence, imagination and self-regulation.
The more they do it, the more self-reliant they become!
When children play independently, they naturally gravitate toward play activities that can help them regulate their brains and bodies. Some may gravitate toward quieter play activities, while others may need more active play to maintain regulation.
#IMHAW2025
This week is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, organised by Parent-Infant Foundation, the them of which is "Who is holding the baby?"
Infant mental health is an often overlooked and misunderstood subject. Infant Mental Health Awareness Week provides an annual opportunity to discuss the importance of supporting babies’ mental health and wellbeing.
The Parent-Infant Foundation has set the theme and co-ordinated Infant Mental Health Awareness Week since 2017, during which time it has grown into a global event.
This week we will be highlighting some of the work that Mothers for Mothers and our Play Support Worker do to support the mental health of the little ones attending our peer support groups.
#IMHAW2025 #InfantMentalHealth #PerinatalMentalHealth #MaternalMentalHealth
As Volunteers Week comes to a close, I’d like to share something personal.
I started out as a volunteer with Mothers for Mothers — looking to regain confidence, dust off some skills, and reconnect with work that mattered to me. Now, I’m the Operations Manager.
That journey wasn’t instant or easy. But it was possible because people believed in me, and because volunteering gave me the space to grow, step by step.
Many of our volunteers come to us with similar hopes — a desire to develop their careers, explore new paths, or simply do something meaningful again.
Whether you`re curious about mental health support, peer lead projects, maternity care, therapy, community development — or you just know you have something to give — we’re here.
Maybe you’re a crafter, a body worker, a teacher, a nurse, a listener. Maybe you’ve been there and want to walk alongside others. We see you. And we need you.
💬 If you`re thinking “Could I do something like this?” — the answer might be yes.
You don’t need to be ready. You just need to be willing. We’ll support you to find your place and grow into it.
✨ Volunteering here isn’t just about giving your time. It’s about becoming part of a community that uplifts others — and uplifts you, too.
Want to chat? We’d love to hear from you.
#VolunteersWeek #FromVolunteerToLeader #PerinatalSupport #MentalHealthMatters #VolunteerWithUs #givebackgrowforward
Eid Mubarak! If you are celebrating, may this special day bring joy, peace, and prosperity to you and your loved ones.
Last week we announced some Wellbeing Walks we are holding next week to mark the @marmalade_trust #LonelinessAwarenessWeek (9-15 June).
The Mothers for Mothers Wellbeing walks bring our Peer Support Group outside. Walks in nature can provide significant mental health benefits.
You can find our activities on their Connections Map - the two added this week are:
🗓️ 9 June, 12:00 - 14:00
📍 Salthouse Fields, Clevedon, BS21 7RH
🗓️ 11 June, 10:00 - 12:00
📍 Clarence Park, Weston-s-Mare, BS23 4AT
#MeetingLonelinessTogether #GlobalLonelinessAwarenessWeek #LAW25 #LonelinessAwarenessWeek2025 #MothersForMothers #Bristol #BristolEvents #MaternalMentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #Wellbeing