Volunteers create 'village' to help raise babies

A community parenting group said it supported nearly 200 families last year, with around 60 families attending its groups, workshops and support sessions each month.

The MotherBorn Collective said the figures highlighted the growing demand for local services.

Organisers said due to many new parents no longer being surrounded by traditional support networks, it wanted to create "the village that families generations ago had around them".

The MotherBorn Collective, based in Kingsbridge, is a community interest company run by volunteers.

Steph Pope, breastfeeding counsellor and co-founder of the organisation, said many parents were looking for more than just practical help.

"Families aren't just looking for information, they're looking for community, friendship and somewhere they feel they belong."

Parents Lu and Matt Denning from Kingsbridge said it had been "a massive relief" to have support from MotherBorn.

Mrs Denning said: "It's been a service that we wouldn't have been able to thrive without."

Over the past year, MotherBorn has run parent-and-baby groups, drop-in support sessions, educational workshops and community events, with many activities reaching full capacity.

The organisation, run by local mothers Pope, Caroline Bright and Laura Winser, has received funding from Kingsbridge Town Council and the Devon Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership in recognition of its work supporting local families.

However, they say they mostly rely on "volunteers, passion and love".

The MotherBorn Collective worked with 192 families between May 2025 and April 2026.

As demand continues to grow, the group said it hoped to expand its services across the South Hams with the help of additional volunteers and community support.

Organisers said they needed new premises and would use a crowdfund campaign and donations to help fund the expansion.

Becky Evans from Malborough has been using the service every week since her little boy Josiah was two days old.

The mother of the now 18-month-old said she was really grateful for the help, adding: "It's amazing that they're giving up their time to do this."

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