A Stalybridge mum’s organisation supporting women through the challenges of motherhood has secured National Lottery funding to deliver four free programmes for mothers across Tameside over the next year.
Beyond Mama CIC, founded by local mum Becci, has been awarded funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, allowing it to expand its support and remove the financial barrier for women who may otherwise struggle to access wellbeing support.
The funding will pay for four six-week programmes over the next 12 months, with two Emerging programmes, one Empowering programme and one Embracing programme planned.
The first of the funded programmes begins next month, with two spaces still available for mums who could benefit from the support.
The Emerging programme focuses on helping mothers reconnect with their identity, confidence and sense of self beyond their role as a mum.
Empowering will focus more specifically on negative thought patterns, anxiety, mum guilt and regaining a sense of control, while Embracing will explore self-compassion and body acceptance following the physical and emotional changes associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
Each programme consists of six small-group, in-person sessions, alongside a workbook and supportive WhatsApp group.
The first cohort will take place every Wednesday for six weeks from September 23, from 7.30pm to 9pm at St Peter’s Church Hall in Stalybridge.
The sessions are completely free to participants thanks to the National Lottery funding.
Becci said the funding application process took several months before she received the news that Beyond Mama had been successful.
“There’s like an application process, so I put in an application for it, and then I think it’s like three or four months’ wait,” she said.
“And then, yeah, got the email, so we’d got the money.”
The funding comes after the success of Beyond Mama’s first programme, which saw seven mums take part.
Becci used questionnaires before and after the programme to measure how participants felt about issues including anxiety and feeling overwhelmed.
She said the feedback had been “really promising”, with several of the mums continuing to keep in touch after completing the programme.
Two former participants have also gone on to become volunteers, helping Becci with some of Beyond Mama’s community activities.
“I think that was really nice,” she said. “A lot of them stay in touch, which is, again, really nice, and two of those mums are actually now volunteers as well.”
Becci said the new funding represented an important step for an organisation which is still relatively young.
The organisation was created to help mums who may feel isolated, anxious or overwhelmed and who can sometimes lose sight of their own identity while caring for others.
Becci said the different programmes have developed from the experiences and needs she has seen among the women taking part.
While Emerging focuses on identity and reconnecting with a sense of self, Empowering will look at issues such as anxiety, negative thinking and mum guilt.
The Embracing programme will tackle another common issue for mothers – how they feel about their bodies after pregnancy and childbirth.
Becci said the aim was not necessarily to encourage women to “fall in love” with their bodies, but to help them develop greater acceptance and challenge some of the negative messages surrounding body image.
Beyond Mama is now working to build relationships with local organisations and services, including community networks, social prescribers and other groups which could help signpost mothers towards the support.
Becci said she would also like to take future programmes beyond Stalybridge, potentially holding sessions in areas such as Ashton-under-Lyne and Hyde.
Alongside its funded programmes, Beyond Mama continues to run community wellbeing walks, meditation sessions and pamper evenings, with activities open to mums and, in some cases, their families.
The organisation currently has three volunteers supporting its work, something Becci said had made the project feel less like a one-person operation.
The new funding will be available over the next 12 months, with the four programmes being delivered throughout that period.
There are currently two spaces remaining on the September Emerging programme.
Mums interested in taking part in the current programme, or registering their interest in one of the future courses, can contact Becci at becci.beyondmama@gmail.com or complete the registration form through Beyond Mama.
More information about the organisation and its activities is available at www.beyondmama.co.uk.