To be announced

In July, a launch meeting was held in London to celebrate the success of the Ten New Groups Project and was attended by the Project Team, new group Leaders and prominent people from the breastfeeding community. The main part of the event was to see how the Project had impacted on the new Leaders and the mothers who had attended their groups.

The full report can be read here: La Leche League GB: The Ten New Groups Evaluation Report, but for a short summary read below.

Ten New Groups Project

This project, funded by the Department of Health, began with the vision of bringing La Leche League groups to areas where where were currently none. The aim was to establish ten new groups, with between 10 and 20 Leaders to set them up. The vision has been realised and the project will end later this year, having successfully achieved its aims.

Every stage of the project has been evaluated, from the orientation of project trainers and the quality of resources used to train the new Leaders, through to the impact of the new LLL mother-to-mother support groups on individual mothers attending the new groups.

Project outcomes include:

• Ten new groups established already; a further four groups are expected in the next year.
• Eleven new Leaders; with seven more due to be accredited within six months.
• Currently helping over 50 mothers with potential to reach many more.
• A new groups policy developed and recommended to LLLGB.
• Resources and expertise rolled out to rest of LLLGB, to support further growth and development within the organisation helping us to reach more breastfeeding mothers.

The stories of the newly accredited Leaders and the mothers attending the meetings have been inspiring.

New Leaders

• "I have never done a training course or studied a subject that has helped me to develop so much as a person; the training has had a positive knock-on effect throughout my whole life as a friend/parent/wife. I can't speak highly enough of it."
• "I have undertaken many training and other courses during my PhD and the company I previously worked with. The training offered by LLL is of the highest standards. It is full of useful tools applicable in day-to-day life."

Mothers

• "The LLL meeting made me feel normal again, and really boosted my confidence in my choices."
• "I would go mad if I couldn't share my feelings and experiences at this group."
• "If I had not contacted La Leche League I would have given up on breastfeeding but the encouragement and patience I was shown is priceless."

Thanks to a generous donation from the Oak Foundation we are able to expand our successful new groups project into Wales. Details are still being finalised, but we hope to be starting dialogue with mothers who wish to be LLL Leaders and establishing workshops by early Autumn 2011.

We are very grateful for the generous support of the Oak Foundation, and the member of their trustee board who recommended us.

The core of La Leche League support is its network of Local Groups– there are groups in towns and cities across Great Britain (and indeed around the world). But there are areas where there are no LLL Local Groups at all. La Leche League GB has received funding from the Department of Health to help us expand our Local Groups network in England so that more mothers can access LLL support.

The majority of workshops have now taken place, and mothers are starting to be accredited as LLL Leaders. We now have groups established in St Neots, Liverpool South, Liverpool North, Preston, Torridge & NW Devon, London Fields, North Bucks, Axe Valley, Sidmouth & E Devon, Barnsley and more are on their way in Sheffield and Peterborough.

Whilst the Ten New Groups project is drawing to a close, we are still keen to attract people to become LLL Leaders who would like to set up groups in their areas, though these will not be funded in the same way as the project groups have been.

So, would you like

• to find out more about breastfeeding?
• to learn how to support other breastfeeding women?
• to develop listening and communication skills?
• to learn how to set up an LLL Local Group?
• to encourage other mothers to become LLL Leaders?

Visit the LLLI Thinking About LLL Leadership? pages to:

• find out more about what an LLL Leader does
• find out what the preparation for LLL leadership involves
• find out what is required before you can apply for LLL leadership
• learn about other options, in addition to LLL leadership, for supporting breastfeeding women
• determine if LLL leadership is the right choice for you.

Volunteer helps with 10 New Groups Project

Thank you indeed, Mr Sethna.