## **Mummy and Me** **Report for the period to 31[st] December 2024** **Charity number: 1206656** **Trustees –** Lena Fearnley Katherine Hancox Rebecca Cheshire (Chair) Sarah Rowe Giles Fearnley The trustees present their report for the period from Mummy and Me’s registration as a charity in January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024. ## **Purpose** Mummy and Me is a community-led support group for families in Torbay, Devon with babies aged from birth to around 15 months. The group offers friendship, education and support, meeting across 5 locations during term times. Having started this voluntary group in the autumn of 2020, its growth and advancement since then, in meeting the needs of hundreds of families, led to the application for charitable status. Receiving this is ensuring full transparency of the group’s work and provides a formal structure for governance and funding. Every week new families are welcomed, many of whom are suffering significant anxiety and wider wellbeing health issues which have been impacted by the NHS no longer having the resources or funding to support from prebirth and through the early months. In addition to education and advice that families receive from Mummy and Me, attending our groups gives the last opportunity for lasting friendships to be formed. ## **The year under review** Kate Hancox who is a perinatal educator, has attended all sessions supporting and signposting mums to advice, together with running Musical Stretch. Other qualified practitioners have also attended each group regularly to provide advice and learning around matters including Baby First Aid, weaning, weighing to name but a few. During 2024, Mummy and Me have extended their support by running Torbay Cloth Nappy Library and Torbay Sling Library, both being much needed community resources. Families can either buy or rent nappies and slings, and education is always provided to ensure their safe and correct use. A 6[th] weekly session has been established from October for Teen Parents. Mummy and Me was very conscious of the needs of this group across Torbay but also that many were too anxious to attend alongside other parents. On alternative Fridays, several mums and their babies visit Erith House community care home in Torquay providing much joy to their residents and enabling intergenerational connections to form. Each week between 70 – 100 mums have been welcomed across these 6 sessions. Very many stay from soon after birth to 15 months. Mummy and Me is very grateful to each of the 5 host churches who do not charge for their accommodation and provide volunteers to meet to greet and help with refreshments. These churches each shares Mummy and Me’s vision to actively and practically support their local communities. From September, St Boniface church’s building in Paignton was closed and the trustees were delighted to be invited into Christ Church, Paignton as the replacement location. This location quickly established itself as one of the best attended of the groups. The programme of outdoor activities, weather permitting and which supplement the 6 weekly sessions, has continued through 2024. These include Walk and Talk for anxious mums and during holidays, beach and park socials. ## **Looking forward** Through 2025 attendance levels have continued to demonstrate the very real need that exists across Torbay for all that Mummy and Me is able to offer to families. The Monday afternoon Teens group has firmly established itself as a well-attended session in its own right. The trustees are continuously seeking feedback and enhancing their weekly programmes to meet requests received. ## **Finances** Mummy and Me does not charge for attending in order to ensure that there are no barriers to families accessing the support and education they so much need with a new-born baby. Mummy and Me therefore relies entirely on occasional grants, donations and fund-raising activities to support its work. For the year ending 31[st] December 2024, Mummy and Me’s income has not exceeded the £10,000 threshold that requires accounts to be filed with the Charity Commissioner. However, for information, a summary of the period’s income and expenditure is shown below: £ £ Income: Donations 5,748 Grants 400 Fund raising 2,312 Total 8,460 Costs: Perinatal educator 5,400 Refreshments 603 Equipment & toys 860 Safeguarding – CRB 224 Fees 270 Other 118 Total 7,475 Surplus: £985 20[th] October 2025 Contact: lenafearnley@googlemail.com