Café MAMMA Moves to Portishead Children's Centre
Community group MAMMA have been supporting breastfeeding mothers in Portishead now for over two years. The weekly drop in café at 4 Combe Road and breastfeeding helpline are run by local volunteer mums who also raise funds themselves to keep the cafe going.

With increasing numbers, the group which offers support, encouragement and advice to breastfeeding mums with young babies, felt they were outgrowing their current premises and had to look for a larger place to meet but were concerned about raising enough money to fund the move.

Portishead Children's Centre at the old St Barnabus School has now stepped in and offered the group a fantastic room where they can meet every week. There is plenty space for mums to meet and comfortably feed, store buggies and keep older toddlers occupied with toys and activities. Existing MAMMA peer supporters can provide the same friendly welcome, cuppa and a biscuit that they always have in this new venue but with space for more mums!

"It's a great solution for us" says Tamsyn Grant, joint chair of MAMMA, "it provides Café MAMMA with everything we need, in a fantastic environment and it means we can continue to offer mums the support they need and work together with the new children's centre. It is great that we feel we have to move due to lack of space, it shows how much the Café is needed by local mums. It will also help the peer supporters to concentrate on helping the mums rather than having to fundraise to ensure it keeps running. "

With more visitors every month, the Café offers vital help and encouragement to local mums in that early, often very lonely stage of motherhood. The group continues to grow with new peer supporters being trained by the community midwives to ensure the level of supporters continues to meet the growing needs of the mums.

Portishead Children's Centre, is a one-stop shop for children under 5 and their families. It offers help and support, stay and play sessions and skilled staff are on hand to offer advice on health, parenting, training and childcare.

The launch party for Café MAMMA in the new premises will be at The Portishead Children's Centre, St Barnabus Centre, West Hill on December 1st at 10am, so why not go along and help celebrate this really exciting move.