Birthday pamper party for charity which helps mums

A CHARITY which helps mums with postnatal depression held a pamper party to raise funds.

The SMILE Group welcomed more than 100 people to its fourth birthday fundraiser at Fresh in Macclesfield and raised in excess of £1,000.

Eleven holistic therapists and beauty experts came together to support the charity, which helps families in Cheshire affected by postnatal illness, offering sample treatments including reflexology, Indian head massage, mini manicures and brow shaping.

The SMILE Group was set up by two Macclesfield mums, Ruth Eglin and Natalie Nuttall on Mother’s Day in 2011 and relies solely on grant funding and donations to run its weekly peer support sessions in Hurdsfield and Congleton.

They established the charity when they both had personal experience of postnatal depression and found there was a gap in support for mums.

Ruth said: “We were thrilled to see such an excellent turnout and were blown away by the support.

“Self-care is often at the back at the queue when you are looking after young children but if you don’t take time out it can have a detrimental impact on mood. Our event was a reminder of the importance of pamper time and also raised valuable funding to enable us to support families affected by postnatal depression.”

The evening was sponsored by commercial property developer Quorum and supported by Cheshire Community Foundation.

Visit thesmilegroup.org.