CHESHIRE EAST PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY LAUNCHES MOTHER'S DAY CAMPAIGN

This Mother’s Day, Smile Group - a Cheshire East based perinatal mental health support charity - launched its own Say it Without Flowers fundraising campaign, to help continue to deliver the much-needed support it provides.

Hit with the harsh realities of the current funding climate, the charity has been forced to reduce its service offering, leaving vulnerable families without the support they need. When local parents from leading advertising agency, McCann Manchester, saw the plight of charity they immediately wanted to help, kickstarting the ‘Say it Without Flowers’ campaign.

The campaign launched over Mother’s Day weekend and saw an invisible flower stall pop up on Castle Street in Macclesfield on Friday 8^th March. The town-centre based pop-up provided a unique opportunity for the local community to purchase an ‘Invisible Bouquet’ by simply scanning a QR code. Each and every transaction, the equivalent to a bouquet of flowers, was a vital donation for the Cheshire East based perinatal mental health support charity.

Founded by Natalie Nutall and Ruth Williams on Mother’s Day back in 2011, the Smile Group owners have first-hand experience of perinatal mental health challenges and quickly identified a gap in community support. 13 years on, Smile Group strives to create a safe, non-judgmental space, in which parents can connect with peers and benefit from a combination of services.

Ruth Williams, co-founder and operations director at Smile Group, said:

“This is a really challenging climate for vital charity services like ours. The need for our peer support groups, talk therapy and home visits programme is consistently high, so we’re working hard to underpin our sustainability. We turn 13 on Mother’s Day, so this campaign is a lovely way to show support and recognise the importance of essential community services for families at what can be an extremely vulnerable time in their lives.”

Also supportive of the launch of the campaign was local florist, Prestbury Flowers. Over the weekend, customers visiting the shop were given the option to add an ‘Invisible Bouquet’ to their order and donate vital funds to Smile.

Elsewhere, the Say it Without Flowers fundraising initiative was brought to life through a 48-sheet billboard, situated on Macon Way in Crewe.

So far, Smile’s Crowdfunder has raised over £6,000. If you wish to donate, please click here.

For more information about Smile, please visit: 

www.smilegroup.org

About Smile:

Smile’s offering has been shaped around the parents they support, with compassion and kindness at its roots. Their premise is to create safe, non-judgmental spaces in which parents can connect with peers and benefit from a combination of services at a vulnerable time in their lives.

Originally set up by two mums with lived experience, Smile’s model developed on the powerful dynamic of peer support; of creating a trusted, welcoming environment led by facilitators with first-hand experience who are relatable, compassionate, and trained to ensure parents feel safe and fully supported.

Smile knows that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to recovery from perinatal mental health challenges, and that’s why they’ve developed several ways to help expectant and new parents to access support in their local community. Their offering ranges from 1-1 home visits and therapy, to peer, and family sessions.