All posts by APP

Alice Stroud, one of APP’s volunteers, is taking part in five triathlons over the next twelve months working towards the Olympic triathlon distance, to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work. Alice has never done a triathlon before, and the first event she is taking part in is on 25^th  and 26^th September 2021 at Hever Castle.

Triathlon is an endurance sport that combines swimming, road cycling and distance running, performed in that order. Events are conducted over a variety of distances but the 'Olympic distance' for men and women is a 1,500-metre swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run. The race is completed with no breaks from start to finish.

Alice experienced psychosis twice during pregnancy in 2019 and into 2020, and said; ‘"APP offered peer and group support along with information to me and my family, which helped me stay focused and feel supported. The first face to face group (Covid-19 delayed) was such an important environment to discuss mine and my family’s journey.

Raising money can help others have the opportunity and support to enable their recovery and I will therefore swim, cycle and run as far as I can get to the Olympic distance triathlon goal in the next 12 months."

Below is a video of Alice at her first triathlon;

Alice’s fundraiser has already raised more than £1,600. We would like to say a huge thank you to Alice for supporting APP and to all who have donated so far.

You can visit and donate to Alice’s fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Alice, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here

A huge thank you to Amy Shaw who ran the Great North Run on Sunday 12^th September 2021 to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work. Amy’s sister-in-law Katherine experienced PP in 2020 and was hospitalised for four months during lockdown. Katherine, her husband, Amy and some other friends are planning a number of different runs, of which Amy's challenge on 12th was the first.

Katherine said: “This time last year in the height of lockdown I lay in a hospital bed in Brockington Mother and Baby Unit thinking my life would never return to normal, and I would never feel like myself again. One year on and I proved myself wrong. I spent a time being cross that no one talks about things that could happen postpartum, I was so scared. I did not understand my illness and felt very alone in what I was experiencing.

APP’s Insider Guides and leaflets really helped me to understand what had happened to me, and reading other women’s stories was a great comfort, helping me to realise I was not alone. When I was lost and scared Amy sat at my feet, held my hand and told me I would find me again.”

You can read more about Katherine’s story here.

After the run Amy said: “It was a really good day and I was pleased with my time of 2.17 hrs which is a Great North Run and half marathon personal best for me.”

Amy’s fundraiser has raised more than £1,770. We would like to thank Amy and Katherine for supporting APP, and everyone who has donated.

You can still visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Amy, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

A huge thank you to our three amazing runners who took part in this year’s London Landmarks Half Marathon (LLHM) on Sunday 1^st August to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work; Andy Rolfe, Kirsty Curtis, and Emma Polhill.

The LLHM takes in some of the capital's world-famous landmarks on closed roads in central London and is the only half marathon to go through both the City of London and City of Westminster. The race started by The Strand, and finished by Downing Street and included views of London’s most iconic landmarks including Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral, Nelson’s Column, the Gherkin, the Shard, the Tower of London and the London Eye. With 11,000 runners the atmosphere and support on the route was joyful. Not to mention the incredible fancy dress: from the Spice Girls, Bagpuss, a wind turbine(!), penguins and much more…

Andy says: "I ran this half marathon to raise awareness and funds for APP, who have supported my family ever since my partner Emily was admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) for psychiatric care in 2017.

Thanks to the wonderful NHS staff and APP support she has made a full recovery, and our family is healthy and happy. Since recovering, Emily has started volunteering for APP, sharing our experiences with new MBU staff and other medical professions. APP has developed an online community for those affected by this illness and is working hard to provide support whenever and wherever they can.

This is the work I want to help continue, so that other families receive even better support than we did, and to minimise the impact of the illness on people’s lives."

After the event Andy said: ‘I'm really happy with the fundraising effort and all the people who backed me/contributed to APP. I had a pretty good run for most of the race, although it dropped off in the last few miles, so I ran in 1 hour 45 minutes in the end. Next stop is the full marathon in London in October which I am also running for APP’.”

You can still visit and donate to Andy’s JustGiving page here.

Kirsty says: "When my daughter was just five days old I became very unwell with postpartum psychosis (PP). After a few months of feeling ok, or so I thought, I stopped the medication and had a relapse. This time the amazing perinatal team felt something else needed to be done so I was admitted to a MBU in Bournemouth to recover. As hard as it was being away from my husband and son, I received amazing care for about four weeks.

During my recovery I found the amazing APP, which allowed me to meet others who have also been through PP, making me feel less isolated and alone. If it wasn’t for APP and the women I met through them, my recovery journey could have been a lot longer and harder.”

After the event Kirsty : “The race was really good, and the atmosphere was great. My time was 2 hrs 23 mins, roughly what I was aiming for so I was happy with the result. It was so lovely to meet Emma after the race and hopefully we will keep in contact with each other too.” 

You can still visit and donate to Kirsty’s JustGiving page here.

Emma says: "After having my second son I was extremely ill with PP. I had never heard of PP before and only really understood what it was after a few months of being in an MBU where I had been sectioned for my own safety.

The recovery from PP is very long. One and a half years on, I feel like the old Emma is back. It’s been a long 18 months but I have had the most amazing support around me. The MBU, the Community NHS Teams and the Adult Mental Health Services have been amazing. I ran this half marathon for other women with the illness who are in need, I hope the donations can help other mums."

After the event Emma said ‘The atmosphere was great and it was so nice to take part and meet Kirsty too.’ 

You can still visit and donate to Emma’s JustGiving page here.

Our three runners have raised more than £2,600 for APP.  We would like to thank Andy, Kirsty and Emma for supporting APP and everyone who has donated.

If you have been inspired by our runners, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

Emma and Kirsty

A huge thank you to Kimberley Mace and her best friend who took part in a skydive on Saturday 11^th September 2021 to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work.

Kimberley experienced postpartum psychosis (PP) in November 2015 after the birth of her son, and was initially treated on a general psychiatric ward at Ipswich hospital before being admitted to her local hospital at Wedgewood.

Kimberley said: “APP helps mothers and families who have experienced this severe illness and this wonderful charity helped me to understand what exactly I was diagnosed with. Whilst there’s more talk about PP now, it wasn’t an illness known to me when I was diagnosed in 2015.

I have since gone on to have my daughter with no recurrence of PP. APP’s forum helped me get through this by answering any questions I had.”

After the skydive Kimberley said: “I am so proud and I really hope this money helps the charity. I am forever grateful for APP.”

Kimberley’s challenge has raised more than £590. We would like to thank Kimberley and her friend for supporting APP and all who have donated.

You can still visit and donate to her fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Kimberley, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

Thank you to Dom Bamber who is helping to raise money for APP by selling a charity wax melt called SPERO, which means hope in Latin.

Dom is selling the wax melt via his website Stumps & Nostrils and is donating 50p from the sale of each one to APP. You can watch a video of the wax melt here.

Dom is a big supporter of APP and has a sister who was affected by the illness so the charity is close to his heart. Dom has held several fundraisers for us over the last few years including a Skydive in 2019 and TikTok live stream event in January 2021. He is also taking part in our Miles for Mums and Babies Challenge which you can sign up for here, and you can donate to Dom’s challenge here.

Thank you Dom for your continued support of APP.

If you have been inspired by Dom, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have! Get in touch here. We would love to support any event you choose.

A huge thank you to Stephen Vinter who took part in a virtual marathon on Sunday 30^th May 2021 to raise awareness and money to support APP’s work. Stephen’s friends Alex, Colin, James and Mike also ran with him for parts of the marathon. Stephen is the husband of APP Volunteer Gemma, who organised pamper packs to be delivered at Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) last Christmas, and to the new MBU that has recently opened in Wales. You can read a news article about this on our website here.

Stephen had originally planned to run the Edinburgh Marathon in 2020, but after it was cancelled for the third time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he decided to run the marathon virtually instead.

Stephen said ’In 2017, after the birth of our wonderful son, my wife suffered from an illness called postpartum psychosis (PP), hospitalising her for three months in an MBU. She was absolutely amazing and inspiring in the way she handled her recovery while continuing to be a fantastic mum. She suffered severe anxiety and depression for the following 12 months. She is now doing volunteer work for APP, helping other mums in their recovery as well as visiting MBUs.

It is definitely my turn to do my bit for a charity that is now very close to our hearts. Just under a year ago I could hardly run around the block but I decided I would set myself the challenge of getting fit with the secret objective of taking on a big challenge of completing at least one race a month for 12 months to keep me motivated. I have now completed eight 10 kilometre runs, a 10 mile race, a half marathon and a family Santa run with a further 10k and a half marathon to go before I attempt to run the big event.’

After running the virtual marathon, Stephen said ‘I am really pleased to complete the marathon and more importantly raise money to support APP. Thank you all so much for your unbelievably kind donations and support throughout. Myself and Gemma have been blown away by your kindness’.

Stephen’s fundraiser has raised more than £3,000 for APP. We would like to thank Stephen, Gemma and their friends for supporting APP and everyone who has donated.

You can still visit and donate to Stephen’s fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Stephen, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

APP would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who is supporting our #MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge. We’re aiming to raise more than £10,000 to support our work by asking people to walk, run or cycle 10 miles, 20 miles, 500 miles or even 1,000 miles! Each mile reflects the journey mums, babies, partners and families travel to be together, whilst mums receive care in Mother and Baby Units (MBUs). We’ve had a fantastic response to the challenge so far. Our fundraisers include:

Katherine Paul and her son Harris walked 3 miles in one day on 6^th May (during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week). Katherine was hospitalised in 2019 and 2020 and each mile represented the journey she and Harris made in and out of Florence House MBU. Katherine and Harris raised £76.82 for APP. You can still visit and donate to their JustGiving page  here.

Dorota Donigiewicz walked more than 100 miles during May to support MilesForMumsAndBabies. Dorota experienced postpartum psychosis (PP) in 2015 after the birth of her first child and says during her recovery she found APP’s forum and other resources very valuable. Dorota has raised £420.75 for APP.

Consultant Psychiatrist, Neha Rawat, and her family covered 534 miles in May through a combination of walking, running, jumping and crawling! The Rawat-Sharmas chose their target to represent the distance between the NHS Lothian Livingston MBU in Scotland and Jasmine Lodge MBU in Devon. Neha said they wanted to highlight the fact many families travel hundreds of miles to be together whilst a mum is being treated in hospital for severe mental illness. Neha and her family have raised more than £300 for APP. You can still donate to their JustGiving fundraising page here.

The team from the MBU at Glasgow’s Leverndale Hospital and colleagues from the Community Perinatal Mental Health Team challenged themselves to walk 10,000 steps a day throughout May. APP has supported the MBU and the Glasgow team wanted to take part in #MilesForMumsAndBabies to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis and to support APP. The team went for walks before, during and after work (with and without patients), and have raised more than £5,800 for APP. You can still donate to their JustGiving page here.

Hannah Bose walked and cycled 95.19 miles during May – that’s the distance from her house to the nearest MBU in Exeter, Devon. Hannah was joined on her walks by her cockapoo, Tessie. Hannah works for the DadPad (a guide for new dads developed with the NHS), and APP's Partner Peer Support Facilitator Simon O'Mara recently wrote a blog about PP for their website which you can read here. Hannah has raised over £290 for APP. You can still donate to Hannah – and Tessie’s –  fundraising page here.

Crisse Buttery works within the community perinatal team as a mental health nurse and has close links to the MBU at Wythenshawe. Crisse walked 22 miles in a day - which represents the 22 MBUs in the UK - on 21^st June, International Fathers Mental Health Day. Her aim was to raise awareness of the impact that PP has not only on mum and baby but on fathers too. Crisse has raised £490. As this illness impacts the whole family unit, the money will be split between APP and the MBU at Wythenshawe. You can still visit her JustGiving Crowdfunding page here.

Ailania Fraser walked 22 miles in June to support MilesForMumsAndBabies- that’s the distance between Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Livingston MBU. This represents the journey she travelled when diagnosed with PP in April 2019, during which time she spent around seven weeks under the amazing care of the Livingston MBU. Ailania’s husband Stephen and their two year old son joined her on a lot of the walks.  Ailania and her family have raised £100 for APP.

Lucy Nichol, APP’s Media Coordinator, and her friends Caroline, Bex, and Johanna, challenged themselves to walk, jog, cross train or run as many miles as they could throughout the month of June to raise money for APP. Lucy wanted to raise awareness of PP amongst a wider community, and spread the word as far as possible. She wanted to get outside and build her fitness back up as exercise is good for mental health. She and her friends completed 381 miles and have raised £290 for APP. You can still donate to their JustGiving page here.

Anna Grisedale had PP in 2015 and 2018, and challenged herself to walk 119 miles, which represents the journey she made from Leeds to the MBU in Morpeth with her first born. Anna was initially admitted to Morpeth as no bed was available in Leeds MBU. After a few weeks, she was transferred back to Leeds, which enabled Anna’s family to visit her regularly. She says this was a lifeline to her and her family. During her illness she experienced the therapeutic benefits of walking.

Watch this Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust film to find out more about Anna's challenge;

Anna has raised over £1500 for her challenge via JustGiving and said 'Thank you so much for all the amazingly generous donations which will help support so many women, babies and their families. I have loved every step of my walks and have been overwhelmed by the wonderful messages of support. I have huge appreciation to all the staff at Leeds MBU who enabled me to be with my babies throughout my illness, which allowed our bond to remain strong throughout and  is paramount for families like ours'.  You can still donate to her JustGiving page here.

Danielle Thomas APP’s Assistant South Wales Coordinator, and her husky dog Lyra, walked 106 miles during June and July, which represents the distance from their house to the Melbury Lodge MBU in Winchester. Danielle experienced PP after the birth of her daughter in 2017, at which time there was no MBU in Wales. This meant she was a 2.5 hour journey away from family and friends during her stay at Winchester MBU. This April the new Uned Gobaith (Unit of Hope) MBU opened in Wales and Danielle was able to collaborate with its planners and artists through APP. Danielle and Lyra have raised £660 for APP. You can still donate to their JustGiving page here.

Emma Charlton works at Beadnell MBU in Morpeth. Along with her colleague Katie, Emma walked 161 miles over a 12 week period to raise money for APP. Emma chose the distance to represent the 161 women admitted to the ward since she started working in Perinatal Services. Emma and Katie were accompanied by other colleagues on some of their longer walks and have raised £1150 for APP. You can still donate to Emma’s challenge here.

Naomi Gilbert, APP’s Assistant Peer Support Coordinator, took part in her first ever triathlon on 26th September. She chose a triathlon to highlight that during her recovery from PP she had to go to three separate psychiatric hospitals without her daughters, as there was no local Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at the time. Naomi completed three challenges - swimming, cycling and running - in 1 hour 53 minutes and her younger daughter Ella helped her to run to the finish line. Naomi has raised more than £1,100 for APP via her Facebook fundraising page which you can still donate to here.

Rachel Kerr walked 100 miles for her MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge. Rachel was hospitalised for three weeks in 2016 having developed PP after the birth of her daughter. Last year, she gave birth to her son and received support from APP. Rachel has raised more than £45 for APP.

The team from the new Perinatal Mental Health Service in Ayrshire and Arran challenged themselves to walk 1,400 miles throughout October. They work with mums who are affected by severe mental illness in the perinatal period, and wanted to take part in #MilesForMumsAndBabies to raise awareness of PP, support APP, and come together as a team. They chose the distance as it represents the 1,400 mums who experience PP in the UK each year. The team have raised more than £1250 for APP. You can still donate to their challenge here.

Emily Saunders, a peer support volunteer with APP, walked and cycled more than 500 miles between 1st July and 14th November 2021. These dates are important to her as they are the dates she went into and then finally came out of Nottingham MBU in 2017 (having had two stays) when she had PP, severe PND and anxiety after the birth of her daughter. Emily chose the distance as it represents the almost 500 miles from the most northerly to the most southerly MBU. Emily has raised more than £506 for APP. You can still donate to her challenge here.

Shirley Holmes, a health visitor, has walked the six different paths up Snowdon, a total of 48.5 miles. with her husband and sister joining her for some of the walks. Shirley decided to fundraise for APP after recently learning more about postpartum psychosis. She’s also keen to support our campaign for an MBU in North Wales. Shirley’s first part of her challenge started in May and she finished the six routes in October. Shirley, her husband and sister have raised more than £472 for APP. You can still donate to their challenge here.

As a team of 11, Rachel Lucas and her family and friends walked 1,400 miles for APP during November. Rachel experienced PP two years ago and spent six weeks in Leeds MBU. Rachel is a big supporter of APP and is also one of our trained Peer Support Volunteers. She held a fundraiser with her family and friends called ‘Four million steps for APP’ during November last year. She has also developed the ‘Blooming Mum to Be’ and ‘Brand New Mum’ boxes which she is selling via her website www.pourlamaman.co.uk, donating some of the profits to both APP and PANDAS Foundation. Rachel and her team have raised more than £360 for APP and the donations will be match funded by Rachel’s employer. You can still donate to their challenge here.

Stephanie Fakharzadeh was hospitalised in an adult psychiatric ward in the USA in 2020 after giving birth to her daughter. Covid-19 restrictions meant she wasn’t allowed to see her baby for five days. Stephanie has walked 100 miles during 2021 – the round-trip distance it would have taken for her to visit her daughter once a day during her hospital stay. She was joined by others on her fundraising walks to share postpartum and perinatal stories and to offer support. Stephanie has raised more than £1070 for APP. You can still donate to her challenge here.

Debbie Sells is the Ward Manager on the MBU at Nottingham and has covered more than 1,000 miles during 2021 through a combination of walking and running. She has worked on the ward for 24 years, and the 1,000 miles represents the long distance many families travel to receive specialist inpatient care. Debbie says that APP provides vital support for women and families who experience maternal mental illness. Debbie has raised more than £967 for APP. You can still donate to her challenge here.

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Inspired to join in the #MilesForMumsAndBabies challenge? Find out more and sign up here >

Thank you to Dale Marr who walked 250 miles during April and May, to honour the memory of her sister Claire Donald. Dale wanted to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis (PP) and help APP to support women and families who are affected by the illness.

Dale said ‘On 17^th January ten years ago I tragically lost my sister to the horrible illness postpartum psychosis. We are very blessed that Claire left behind her two beautiful daughters and we see so much of her in them. It means so much to me that other women and their families get the help and support they need.

Thank you so much to everyone that has donated to help raise awareness of this fantastic charity.’

Dale on her wedding day with her sister Claire

Dale’s fundraiser has raised more than £1,400 for APP. We would like to thank Dale for supporting APP and everyone who has donated. You can still visit and donate to Dale’s fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Dale, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.

A huge thank you to Katherine Kay who took part in a sponsored 40 miles in 40 days sea swim in Poole, to honour the memory of her friend Amy Rogers. Katherine wanted to raise awareness and money for both APP and Winston’s Wish, a bereavement charity that provides emotional and practical support to children and their families after the death of a parent or sibling. Katherine started the sponsored sea swim in May and finished the 40 miles on 25th June, which would have been Amy’s 40^th birthday.

Katherine said ‘Nearly three years ago, my wonderful, hilarious, big-hearted friend Amy was lost during a postpartum psychotic episode, five days after giving birth to her second son. She is missed so much by everyone who knew her.

Amy loved lots of things: playing the piano, chocolate cheesecake, Ryan Gosling… and swimming in the sea.

Katherine's friend, Amy

I’m raising money for two charities which helped Amy’s family after we tragically lost her; Action on Postpartum Psychosis and Winston’s Wish.

Wish me luck… and wish Amy a Happy 40th in your own way. She loved a celebration!’

Katherine swam along Branksome beach, as well as in Osmington Mills, for the duration of her challenge, and said ‘The first ten days were pretty hard, seeing as the weather was windy and rainy and the sea conditions were rough. But since the weather has improved, a lot of my swims have been so beautiful. I’ve been doing a lot of my swims before the morning school run, so I have been in the sea around 5.30am. One morning, the full moon was still out, which was pretty magical.

After my final swim, Amy's family and I drank champagne on the beach and raised a glass to her. I have been absolutely blown away with what I have raised so far. People have been really generous. Everyone who met Amy loved her, so the amount is a testament to how loved she was’.

Katherine has raised more than £9,600. We would like to say a huge thank you to Katherine for supporting both APP and Winston’s Wish, and to all who have donated. You can still visit and donate to Katherine’s fundraising page here.

If you have been inspired by Katherine, we would love to support any fundraising ideas you have. Get in touch here.