£440,000 jackpot puts a smile on charity’s face
AMACCLESFIELD charity that helps meet a gap in mental health services will benefit from a sixfigure grant.
Smile Group, based at Peter Street, offers perinatal support for families struggling with parenthood or post-natal depression.
It is a member of the Hearts and Minds Partnership alongside two other charities and this has been given £440,000 from the National Lottery.
The money is part of a three-year funding programme which is designed to join grassroots organisations together and in the process provide perinatal health services across the country.
Smile Group is tasked with doing so in the north west, while its partners Acacia Family Support and Bluebell Care will do so in the midlands and south west respectively.
This offering is seen as vital for parents who do not meet the threshold for NHS specialist perinatal services and are unsure of where to turn to for help.
The partnership says the work is particularly important at the moment because lockdown has left many new-parents and parents-to-be isolated disconnected from their community.
Ruth Jackson, from the Hearts and Minds Partnership, said: “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to enable a much more joined-up approach to community support, helping families through pregnancy and the transition to parenthood.
“It’s a very challenging time for smaller community organisations at the moment, who are met by funding headaches as a result of Covid-19 restrictions, so we aim to connect and help support the development of existing and emerging groups by sharing best practice and demonstrating generous leadership.”
Smile Group was founded by Natalie Nuttall and Ruth Elgin nine years ago after they both had personal experience of postnatal depression and felt consistent support was lacking at a community level.
Shane Ryan, from the National Lottery Community Fund, said after the award: “The impact of lockdown on expectant mothers and new parents means this partnership is now needed more than ever.
“This initiative places the voice of parents at the heart of everything they do.”