Save Baby Cafe Tunbridge Wells
Donation protected
When we started this fundraiser last summer we had no idea of the challenges to come! Baby Cafe Tunbridge Wells has adapted the way that we work in these challenging times providing many online services for free to access a qualified Breastfeeding Counsellor. From the beginning of lockdown our practitioners started to volunteer incredible numbers of hours and their generosity has helped support parents through this crisis. Donations are now vital and our only fundraising stream until we can secure further grant funding (which is now of course in very limited supply). We would be very grateful for any donations you can give at this time to support our service and to allow our group to re-open once it is able to start running again in person.
If you are unsure whether to donate - this is the difference we are making:
"Baby Cafe was the most amazing support network and I will forever be grateful. I really never had a target, but it turned out to be the most amazing journey and I am so excited to feed my next baby (no baby/bump yet though).
Each time I hit a hurdle your support group was there to help, we would never had gone as far without you.
I received some fab advice, each time I felt lost you made each problem seem so simple, which it was! My advice to any mum reading this is to remember that any problem you face seems like the biggest mountain, but you are not alone and there will always be someone who can help or has experienced the same thing. Utilise the people around you (be it virtually right now or in support groups)....and if you get the chance speak with the hero’s of Baby Cafe!"
From September 2020 Baby Café Tunbridge Wells does not have the required funding needed to continue running this vital service for parents. We are looking for donations to help us raise the £4,500 needed a year to provide the service to parents for free.
Every penny donated will go directly to funding this vital service for our community. Help us support more parents throughout their feeding journey.
“I just wanted to e-mail to say that I made it to baby café a few weeks ago and that it was brilliant! I really felt that I was listened to properly and I received some really helpful and practical advice. I've definitely not had either of those things from other places when I've sought breastfeeding support so I really just wanted to let you know how great it was”
Since opening in 2012 we have supported over 1,000 families throughout their feeding journey with our highly qualified and supportive NCT Breastfeeding Counsellors and volunteers.
“Baby Cafe was a life saver when I had my 2 children. Not only was I able to get great breastfeeding advice but I also made some amazing friends. Our weekly trip to the baby cafe gave me somewhere I felt comfortable to go and meet with other breastfeeding mums and babies. It really is a fantastic service”
From Christ Church in Tunbridge Wells, we offer a warm welcome, complimentary homemade refreshments and the chance for parents to be supported and heard, not just once but for as long as they need us. Our in depth training in counselling skills allows us to offer something different; mother-centred active listening and ongoing support. We know that women often have to stop feeding their babies before they want to and we are able to offer them the time and expert knowledge needed, alongside evidence-based information, to help them make the decisions that are right for them. We work closely with other health professionals and often support women through post-natal depression and the challenges of early motherhood by providing them a safe space and a place to feel comfortable. We also support complex issues like tongue tie, mastitis, vasospasm and problems associated with birth trauma for mothers and babies. Women also visit us on a social basis for ongoing peer to peer support. Some mothers are now returning with their second and third babies as they found the support on offer so helpful. It is a lovely environment and we have a dedicated team of volunteers.
“Such a great place. I visited this group when my little one was less than a month old. They guided and supported me with my problems with a much needed cup of coffee. I would recommend this group to anyone needed help and would return if I had any further problems”
Set up with a lottery grant and previously supported by the Tunbridge Wells NCT Branch before its closure this month, Baby Café relies on funding to keep its service free to parents who need us. We work closely with our NHS colleagues receiving referrals from Midwives, GPs and Health Visitors and we pride ourselves on offering continuity of care for parents. Our leaflets are given out to every woman leaving The Tunbridge Wells Hospital Postnatal ward and we maintain links with the Infant Feeding Specialists there.
“100% always a very friendly welcoming atmosphere at baby cafe! The advice and help received from Jenny and Laura was amazing! Always making you feel very comfortable and relaxed! I feel I only managed to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months because of the fantastic help and advice received from baby cafe, I will always recommend this service to my friends and I hope to see you all again very soon!”
“A welcoming and supportive environment for mums and their babies whether breast- or bottle-fed, Baby Café was of vital importance to me and my son from the earliest days. Laura and Jenny are kind and encouraging.They have a wealth of advice to share and take care to answer every question, no matter how big or small. I cannot recommend Baby Café enough”.
“I cannot stress how invaluable the help of Jen and Laura has been. From my first visit when my daughter was just weeks old, to help with weaning many months later. They are a fountain of knowledge and so incredibly helpful and giving. Each week the open themselves up to stressed and tired and hormonal mothers and they calm and reassure them. Even when all that mother needs that day is for someone to make them a cup of tea and have a natter, these ladies are there.”
See more reviews and information on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/bcltwells
If you are unsure whether to donate - this is the difference we are making:
"Baby Cafe was the most amazing support network and I will forever be grateful. I really never had a target, but it turned out to be the most amazing journey and I am so excited to feed my next baby (no baby/bump yet though).
Each time I hit a hurdle your support group was there to help, we would never had gone as far without you.
I received some fab advice, each time I felt lost you made each problem seem so simple, which it was! My advice to any mum reading this is to remember that any problem you face seems like the biggest mountain, but you are not alone and there will always be someone who can help or has experienced the same thing. Utilise the people around you (be it virtually right now or in support groups)....and if you get the chance speak with the hero’s of Baby Cafe!"
From September 2020 Baby Café Tunbridge Wells does not have the required funding needed to continue running this vital service for parents. We are looking for donations to help us raise the £4,500 needed a year to provide the service to parents for free.
Every penny donated will go directly to funding this vital service for our community. Help us support more parents throughout their feeding journey.
“I just wanted to e-mail to say that I made it to baby café a few weeks ago and that it was brilliant! I really felt that I was listened to properly and I received some really helpful and practical advice. I've definitely not had either of those things from other places when I've sought breastfeeding support so I really just wanted to let you know how great it was”
Since opening in 2012 we have supported over 1,000 families throughout their feeding journey with our highly qualified and supportive NCT Breastfeeding Counsellors and volunteers.
“Baby Cafe was a life saver when I had my 2 children. Not only was I able to get great breastfeeding advice but I also made some amazing friends. Our weekly trip to the baby cafe gave me somewhere I felt comfortable to go and meet with other breastfeeding mums and babies. It really is a fantastic service”
From Christ Church in Tunbridge Wells, we offer a warm welcome, complimentary homemade refreshments and the chance for parents to be supported and heard, not just once but for as long as they need us. Our in depth training in counselling skills allows us to offer something different; mother-centred active listening and ongoing support. We know that women often have to stop feeding their babies before they want to and we are able to offer them the time and expert knowledge needed, alongside evidence-based information, to help them make the decisions that are right for them. We work closely with other health professionals and often support women through post-natal depression and the challenges of early motherhood by providing them a safe space and a place to feel comfortable. We also support complex issues like tongue tie, mastitis, vasospasm and problems associated with birth trauma for mothers and babies. Women also visit us on a social basis for ongoing peer to peer support. Some mothers are now returning with their second and third babies as they found the support on offer so helpful. It is a lovely environment and we have a dedicated team of volunteers.
“Such a great place. I visited this group when my little one was less than a month old. They guided and supported me with my problems with a much needed cup of coffee. I would recommend this group to anyone needed help and would return if I had any further problems”
Set up with a lottery grant and previously supported by the Tunbridge Wells NCT Branch before its closure this month, Baby Café relies on funding to keep its service free to parents who need us. We work closely with our NHS colleagues receiving referrals from Midwives, GPs and Health Visitors and we pride ourselves on offering continuity of care for parents. Our leaflets are given out to every woman leaving The Tunbridge Wells Hospital Postnatal ward and we maintain links with the Infant Feeding Specialists there.
“100% always a very friendly welcoming atmosphere at baby cafe! The advice and help received from Jenny and Laura was amazing! Always making you feel very comfortable and relaxed! I feel I only managed to exclusively breastfeed for 6 months because of the fantastic help and advice received from baby cafe, I will always recommend this service to my friends and I hope to see you all again very soon!”
“A welcoming and supportive environment for mums and their babies whether breast- or bottle-fed, Baby Café was of vital importance to me and my son from the earliest days. Laura and Jenny are kind and encouraging.They have a wealth of advice to share and take care to answer every question, no matter how big or small. I cannot recommend Baby Café enough”.
“I cannot stress how invaluable the help of Jen and Laura has been. From my first visit when my daughter was just weeks old, to help with weaning many months later. They are a fountain of knowledge and so incredibly helpful and giving. Each week the open themselves up to stressed and tired and hormonal mothers and they calm and reassure them. Even when all that mother needs that day is for someone to make them a cup of tea and have a natter, these ladies are there.”
See more reviews and information on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/bcltwells
Fundraising team: Team Baby Cafe (7)
Jen Yelverton
Organizer
England
Caroline Moore
Team member
Ema Evans
Team member
Karen McCully
Team member
Laura Shtaingos
Team member