Charnwood BRAS race to raise money!

10 Jun 2019

The Charnwood BRAS recently took part in the Clumber Park Fun Run and 10K to raise funds towards their highly thought of breastfeeding support service.

Some of the peer supporters from the UNICEF Baby Friendly accredited service along with local parents, children, family and friends raced in either a 2K fun run or the 10K race. Some of the youngest racers benefited from the services of the BRAS as babies themselves!

Peer supporter Helen Baum (on the left above) was the driving force behind the event: “Running is my passion, as is volunteering for the Charnwood BRAS, so it made sense to combine the two to raise some money for us.  It was great to run with my fellow BRAS and I’m so grateful to everyone who donated to our cause.”

The BRAS raised over £400 which will be put back into the running of their services and our peer supporter Kristie (pictured right) took home the trophy for first woman in the 10K! 

Angie Bell, Infant Feeding coordinator (pictured in blue above) for LPT said "Another great achievement from our happy, dynamic group out in Charnwood. Running on a warm spring day in beautiful countryside whilst raising funds for such a good cause. A win win combination. The Charnwood BRAS really are an inspiration. Well done and thank you to everyone involved especially to the children who ran!". 

The Charnwood BRAS have been active in supporting parents to breastfeed in the local area for almost ten years. Parents often welcome this support, breastfeeding is natural but not always easy and having encouragement and reassurance can really help

Elizabeth, a local parent says: “Without the time and support both in person and over the phone from the BRAS I don’t think I would have persisted [with breastfeeding]. My daughter is now 10 months old, I’m still breastfeeding and we are both very happy”

The BRAS work to reassure and support new families with their own feeding goals by showing empathy and giving parents practical non-judgemental support and evidence based information to support them with their individual needs. We are a voluntary service supported by Leicestershire Partnership Trust’s infant feeding specialists and health visiting teams.

Parents to be highly rate the antenatal breastfeeding workshop which runs every month in Loughborough. After their baby arrives local parents in can access Charnwood BRAS breastfeeding support via telephone, email and Facebook or by attending one of several breastfeeding drop ins across the Charnwood region. The drop ins are popular meet ups where parents can come along and get support and talk to other parents going through similar experiences.  All the services provided by the BRAS are completely free to access. Find out more at www.charnwoodbras.co.uk