Two Sandbach mums prepare for the 'Three Peaks Challenge' to raise money for a perinatal mental health charity
By The Editor
17th Sep 2024 | Local News
Two Sandbach mothers are busy training to take part in the 'Three Peaks Challenge' next month - to raise money for a Cheshire perinatal health charity.
Mum-of-one, Victoria Markham-Bean, a trustee at Smile and and fellow mum, Lizzie Goodridge, mum of two, who both live in Sandbach, are taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge.
The challenge incorporates the three highest mountains of Scotland - Ben Nevis at 1345m, England - Scafell at 978m and Wales - Yr Wydffa (Snowdon) at 1085m.
Smile Group is a perinatal mental health charity set up by Sandbach-based Ruth Williams and Natalie Nuttall from Macclesfield, who had first-hand experience of postnatal depression and anxiety and saw a gap in community support back in 2011.
Smile now operates four peer support groups in Sandbach, Crewe, Macclesfield and Congleton) which are currently on a slightly reduced service due to funding and resourcing constraints.
The service is constantly growing and the walkers taking part are hoping to raise as much money as possible for the charity which saw 305 new and existing people use the service and 280 referrals.
Victoria Markham-Bean said: "I'm hoping to raise a whopping £1000 for Smile - a charity extremely close to my heart.
"Smile provides crucial grassroots support to families struggling to navigate their way through early parenthood.
"Having never struggled with mental health after giving birth I became really poorly with postnatal depression and PTSD and used Smile services as part of my journey to recovery.
"For the past two years I've had the privilege of volunteering as a Trustee for this incredible organisation. During this time, I've witnessed first-hand the heart and soul that goes into running this charity, the challenges that charities and voluntary services face to survive, and how vital public donations are."
Victoria has set up a Justgiving page here for dontations to be made.
Lizzie Goodridge, also from Sandbach has lived experience of perinatal mental health challenges and sought support from Smile.
She said:"I used the Smile groups after the births of both children after facing my own perinatal mental health challenges.
"It's not an exaggeration to say they are literally life saving, and provided me with the support, advice and love I needed to get through an extremely tough time.
"I'm happy to say I came out the other side of my struggles and want to pay forward the kindness that was offered to me.
"As a small, independent charity, Smile are reliant on fundraising in order to remain sustainable and help reach as many parents as possible.
"After turning 40 this year, I decided it would be a great opportunity to challenge myself physically and mentally and take part in the National three peaks, hoping to raise lots of funds and awareness for Smile!
"We have been busy training and preparing ourselves but ultimately it's going to be a huge undertaking for us all."
Donations can be made to Lizzie's Justgiving fundraising page here
The charity has recently come across funding challengers, and had to make some cuts to services.
"We will arrive in Scotland on Friday October 11, to complete Ben Nevis on Saturday morning," a spokesperson said.
"Then we will travel to England and stay over night up early on Sunday morning to complete Scarfell, once completed back in the mini bus to travel to Wales and complete Sunday evening before coming home."
According to NHS England, one in every five women experience perinatal mental health challenges. It can also affect fathers and partners. And there can also be other perinatal mental health challenges.
Smile Group's sessions are free to attend, and there is no pressure to attend regularly.
To keep things approachable and welcoming, you don't need to book. Just drop from 10am to 12pm.
Macclesfield's sessions are held on a Friday at Ash Grove Family Hub. Additional services are in Crewe on a Monday, Sandbach on a Tuesday and Congleton on a Wednesday.
"In the last 12 months we have had 305 new and existing people use the service with 280 referrals and 2,430 points of contact," said the spokesperson.
To launch your own fundraiser for Smile Group, please find contact details on their website.
A testimonial at Smile Group from an anonymous local mum who benefits from their services, can be found below.
"Being able to trust someone else to hold your sleeping 8-week-old baby while you take a moment to enjoy a hot or cold drink and feel yourself able to breathe for a minute is something you don't realise how much you need until it happens."
"Smile was the first thing I was able to get out of the house for and do with my baby. Even if it's just to sit and stare into space for a while, it's still a big achievement at that stage. It's been a safe space, a sense of routine and a shoulder for me."
Sandbach: Once again, you can donate to fundraiser HERE.
*Image Credit (Image - CC 2.0 Generic Hefin Owen from Wales Unchanged https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheep_in_snowdonia_(50094926093).jpg / https://www.flickr.com/people/47515486@N05 / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en)
^Image Credit - CC 4.0 Doug Sim / Unchanged / https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scafell_massif.jpg)
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