New mums from across Chester gathered for a special celebration at Storyhouse to mark National Breastfeeding Celebration Week.

More than 100 mothers, bonny babies and friends attended The Big Feed event on June 28, which was jointly organised by the infant feeding teams from the Countess of Chester Hospital Foundation Trust and Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Former Coronation Street actor Ian Puleston-Davies, who grew up in Chester, was on hand to show his support. He presented the Countess with the Unicef Baby Friendly Accreditation Award as well as declaring Storyhouse a breastfeeding friendly venue.

Ian Puleston-Davies presents Janet Beech from the Countess with the Unicef Baby Friendly Accreditation Award

“It was an absolute pleasure to help out,” he said. “Getting the chance to talk to mums, meet the staff and then present them with an award is always fantastic. Previously when I’ve attended events like this it was at the hospital itself, but this time it was a double whammy with it being at the fantastic Storyhouse as well.

"I remember going to see films there when it was the Odeon! It was a wonderful celebration of the unit at the Countess, which is where my son was born.”

Kim Hanbury attended the celebration with her eight-month-old daughter Fearne, using it as an opportunity to catch up with other new mums she met at an antenatal class at the Countess over a cup of coffee.

“I really like the atmosphere,” she said. “The dedication of the healthcare staff is fantastic and it’s so great for high profile venues like this to show support and normalise breastfeeding in the community.”

After the tremendous success of the event at Storyhouse, a second event was held the very next day at The Hive, Dale Barracks.

Called The Breastfeeding Friendly Tea party, it was a real family affair, with a number of stalls offering fun activities for visitors to explore.

Charlotte Walker from Blissed Mama massages, Kim Hanbury, who is sitting with midwife Sharon Jones and Laura Yards who she met at an antenatal class, with babies Fearne and Spencer

Exhibiting at the event were a number of local companies such as Mini Makery (an edible arts and crafts company), Awesome Arty Party (led by Louis Wilson, who encourages the children to show their creative side and paint on a large piece of paper) and a local face-painting company led by Catherine Lawrence who set up the company after returning to the UK, having lived in New Zealand for a short while.

There was also a separate room for more activities for parents and their children to enjoy together. Among them were; Exercise with Baby, Laughter Tots and Baby Ballet. The activities proved to be a great thrill for the children and the parents enjoyed them immensely too.

Laura Evans, CWP infant feeding co-ordinator speaks during the presentations

Janet Beech, infant feeding co-ordinator at the Countess, said: “Thank you so much to everyone who came along and contributed to our fantastic breastfeeding celebrations at the Storyhouse and Dale Barracks.

“It’s such a great feeling to know that so many people in Chester and the surrounding area support breastfeeding. It gives great pleasure to support mums and their families both in hospital and in the community during their breastfeeding journey.

“At the Countess we’ve worked really hard to achieve and maintain the prestigious Unicef Baby Friendly Accreditation and it was extra special that we were able to receive the award during Breastfeeding Awareness Week.”

Laura Evans, CWP infant feeding co-ordinator, who helped to organise the events, felt that both events were great successes.

She added: “None of these events would have been possible without our wonderful Breastfeeding Friendly Chester and Bosom Buddy volunteers. Watch this space for more events over summer!”