Richard Holden, Member of Parliament for North West Durham, has congratulated North West Durham resident Lynn Hammel on being awarded the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.
Points of Light are awarded to outstanding volunteers who have made a change in their communities. Only one volunteer in the UK can be awarded per day.
Lynn, who is a mother-of-five, set up ‘Clart About’ in 2014 to support new mothers at risk of, or suffering from, postnatal depression in the local communities and the wider North East. Clart About promotes positive bonding experiences between children and parents by using sensory play. Clart About also runs a café and a soft play facility, which allow new mothers to interact with their babies in a positive and safe environment whilst also ensuring that mothers can come together to support and connect with each other.
There are classes at Clart About that include messy play, story-based classes and social classes, and the classes are focused on different age groups, from new-borns to pre-school aged children. Informal social groups are run, focusing on expectant and new mothers, and Beyond Birth Mental Wellbeing classes focus on ensuring women and their families can manage the transition of having a new baby and cope with the challenges of early parenthood.
Clart About has been closed during lockdown, but Lynn has continued her work by issuing sensory bags to new mothers to ensure mothers can still bond with their babies and has also been running virtual events for new mothers. Lynn has added an online toy shop to the organisation.
Richard has now visited Clart About to meet with Lynn in person and give her the Points of Light award. They discussed Lynn’s work, how it has been affected by lockdown, future plans for Clart About and the fantastic national recognition that Lynn has achieved by winning the award. Richard also had a chance to see the facilities at Clart About and some of the work that Lynn does.
Commenting, Richard Holden, Member of Parliament for North West Durham, said:
“I want to say a huge congratulations to Lynn for achieving the Prime Minister’s Point of Light award. She deserves recognition on the national stage for the work she has done to support new mothers, which has been hugely important to the community and the wider North East.
“She was quick to adapt her initiative when lockdown hit to ensure that new mothers still receive the support they need and deserve and the hard work she has undertaken has been appreciated by so many.
“If you are having or have had a baby recently and would like some support, please reach out to Clart About or get in touch with my office and we will be able to help. I hope that, as lockdown lifts, Lynn is able to continue the wonderful work she does, and I am delighted that her work has been acknowledged by the Prime Minister.”
Commenting, Lynn Hammel said:
“Perinatal mental health is at the core of what the organisation does and we have continued to want to find ways to carry on supporting families in any way we can whilst also trying to keep the organisation going through challenging times because I know just how much support for new Mothers is needed more than ever before. We have been made aware that so many new Mothers are reporting to us that they are experiencing mental illness since giving birth over the last year.
“Moving forward the support the organisation offers as a preventative step in mental health we need to save the organisation to ensure that we can be there for families as they need it in the coming months and years.”
To hear more about the work that Richard is doing for North West Durham, you can sign up here or input your details in the form on this page.