All posts by Fliss Lambert

14 January 2026

New challenges for 2026

Need some motivation to keep up with your new year’s resolution, or just fancy taking on a new challenge this year? Look no further! We have loads of opportunities for you to get involved with throughout 2026!

We already have more than 50 fundraisers signed up to take part in challenges this year, and we want to make 2026 our biggest and most exciting fundraising year ever!

Join #TeamAPP and be part of our incredible fundraising community.

Runners

We have places available in the iconic Great North Run in September, the Great Birmingham 10k on 3rd May, the picturesque Royal Parks Half in October, Northern Ireland’s amazing Hillsborough running festival in July, or help us celebrate the opening of the UK’s newest MBU in Chester by taking on a 10k or half marathon in the historic city.

Or perhaps you could mark International Women’s Day on 8th March by joining a friendly all female 5 or 10k in London or Manchester as part of the Women’s Run Series.

If none of these are quite right for you, don’t worry! We have access to places in hundreds of other events all over the country - find the one for you here or email Fliss to get some inspiration.

Walkers

Perhaps 2026 is the year you take on an epic ultra walk challenge? APP is now registered with UltraChallenge so you can access some incredible events like the Jurassic Coast 100k walk, London to Brighton, the Lake District or or North Yorks Ultra Walks… Find out more about all these and more here (remember to select APP as your charity when you register).

Or if you're in Scotland, how about taking part in one of the amazing Kiltwalk events which take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen?

Swimmers

You could be part of the Great North Swim in beautiful Lake Windermere this June - with distances ranging from 0.5miles to 10km, there’s something for everyone.

A team from South West Yorks Perinatal Team took part for APP last year and had a fabulous time!

Something different?

How about an obstacle course this year? We can get places in fabulous inflatable obstacle courses right across the UK; as well as Toughmudders for those looking for an even bigger (muddier!) challenge!

Or for the bravest, we can even organise bungee jumps and skydives! Get in touch with Fliss for more info.

Whatever you're thinking about, let us know and we can help find exactly the right event for you - from 2.5k to 100k, right across the UK and even overseas - and throughout the year. We'll do our best to match you with your perfect challenge!

Fundraising through events like these makes a huge difference to the work APP does - last year challenge event fundraising helped us be able to train new peer support volunteers, provide vital information booklets to MBUs, and offer life changing, life saving peer support to hundreds of families affected by postpartum psychosis. Plus event fundraising helps to raise awareness of PP. We're so grateful to all our fundraisers, and all those that support them. Every event and every donation really does make a difference.

2 December 2025

Double your donation this festive season!

‘I don’t know how we would have coped without APP. There was no one else to turn to.’

This festive season, we're on a mission to give the life changing, life saving, gift of peer support to even more families.

Between now and midday on 9th December, we're aiming to raise £10,000 - which could help us reach out to and support nearly 300 women and families affected by postpartum psychosis. We’d love you to help us.

Donate now through our Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign page, and your donation will be doubled, at no additional cost to you, thanks to match funding from the Julia Rausing Trust.

Every donation we receive this week will be worth twice as much – if you donate £5, APP will receive £10, if you donate £25, we'll receive £50, and so on. Double the donation means double the impact.

Will you donate this Christmas and get your donation doubled?

‘Finding APP and getting support from another grandma who had been through something similar was like a big online hug. I felt heard, understood and supported right from the start.’

Quotes from 2025 APP Peer Support survey

Help us be there for everyone who needs us, for as long as they need us.
Donate today if you can. Thank you.

8 October 2025

Double your donation!

This week we're on a mission to support even more women and families affected by postpartum psychosis, and we'd love you to help us. Between midday on 8th October and midday on 15th October, we're aiming to raise £5,000.

Donate now through our Big Give Women & Girls campaign page , and your donation will be doubled, at no additional cost to you, thanks to match funding from the Big Give.

Every donation we receive will be worth twice as much – if you donate £5, APP will receive £10, if you donate £25, we'll receive £50, and so on.

Double the donation means double the impact.

Our target of £5,000 could help us significantly increase our offer of help and support for families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP) - a treatable medical emergency that affects around 1200 women in the UK each year.

Being diagnosed with a severe mental illness like PP is frightening and shocking for the woman and those around her. With the right treatment, nearly all women make a full recovery, but the journey can be long, have ups and downs and can feel very isolating. APP peer supporters are there for everyone affected by PP, whether the experience was recent or many years ago. By donating today, you can help us be there for everyone who needs us, for as long as they need us.

Will you donate today and get your donation doubled?

'I don’t know where I would be without APP. I was struggling so much and even with perinatal mental health team involvement I felt so isolated and misunderstood. I was losing hope of any recovery and fighting suicidal thoughts even though I had a much wanted child at last. The understanding and encouragement I’ve received has been everything in my ongoing slow recovery. Thank you.'

Quote from a mum who responded to our Peer Support Survey this year.

Help us be there for even more women and families.

Donate now through our Big Give Women & Girls Campaign page and your donation will be doubled, at no additional cost to you.

Thank you for your support.

5 September 2025

Our 2025 Great North Run Team

We're very proud to have five runners representing APP in the iconic Great North Run this year. They've been training hard throughout the hot summer months, ready to take on the world's biggest half marathon on Sunday 7th September.

Meet our 2025 Great North Run Team:

Gemma and James

Siblings Gemma and James are no strangers to the Great North Run, having taken part in 2016. Now they're back, with the aim of beating their younger selves (and maybe even each other!)

Hoping to have a great time on the day, they're really looking forward to running together through their local area for a cause that means a lot to them.

Gemma says: 'I'm so proud to be running for APP and we're really excited about the day! It's nice to be running with my brother, we don't get to spend as much time together as I'd like so this is a good excuse! Everyone has been really generous with their donations - thank you!'

You can support the siblings here.

Debbie and Jo

Debbie and Jo are experienced runners who have taken part in numerous events before, but this will be their first experience of the Great North Run.

Debbie encouraged her friend Jo to run with her for this event - knowing just how important the work is that APP does.

Debbie is Ward Manager at the Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit in Nottingham.

Debbie says: 'We would appreciate your support if you can to help raise funds for this amazing charity. As many of you know I work with women suffering a severe mental illness following childbirth and it is vital that our families are supported. Suicide remains the leading cause of maternal deaths in the first year post partum, but these illnesses are treatable and women recover. Supporting APP will help raise awareness of this illness.'

Thank you Debbie for all you do to support families, and to both you and Jo for taking on this challenge for APP.

Support Debbie and Jo here.

Fiona

Fiona is taking on her first ever Great North Run, inspired to take part and raise funds for APP by her good friend Laura (pictured together with Fiona on the left of the photo here).

Fiona says: 'I am running for my friend Laura who has had postpartum psychosis after both her children were born'.

Good luck Fiona!

Add your support for Fiona here.

As always, the Great North Run will be covered live on BBC TV so keep an eye out for our runners in their purple APP tops. And if you can be there in the North East in person, do give TeamAPP an extra big cheer as they run past!

Good luck to all our runners and thank you for taking on this amazing challenge for APP.

The Great North Run is a fantastic event to be part of, so if you're feeling inspired by our 2025 team, we will have places again next year - contact our fundraiser Fliss if you're interested in running for APP in 2026.

3 August 2025

Another football season kicks off for Chris!

For the last couple of years, APP volunteer Chris has made it his mission to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis.

Not only is he doing talks, appearing in magazines and academic journals, he's also taken on a personal challenge to try and watch a match at the nearest football ground to every Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in the country, wearing his special APP footie top, and getting a mention in as many matchday programmes as he can, as well as visiting the local MBU where possible. Read about all his adventures so far here.

He's already been to his first fixture of his third season as part of this challenge. Here's his latest match report...

'Season 3 of my postpartum psychosis football awareness tour... HERE WE GO!

So far I have been to 10 football matches around 9 MBUs. And on Saturday 2nd August 2025, I kicked off my 3rd season by seeing my 11th match at Colchester United!

I went to this match with my dear friend Katie, and her son and nephew. It was Katie's nephew's first ever live match. My home form woes looked set to continue - until an 87th minute Colchester equaliser! Phew!

Colchester put a lovely entry in their digital matchday programme about my challenge, postpartum psychosis and the MBUs.

But the standout moment was definitely being featured on the big screen in my MBU/APP football shirt, with the stadium announcer giving me a shout-out and sharing my challenge with everyone in attendance—both before the match and during halftime!

This was such an incredibly unique and emotional moment for me. I knew that I was going to be featured on the big screen, which was incredible itself, but to hear the stadium announcer share my challenge to the almost 6000 fans in attendance was just amazing.

The JobServe Community stadium is less than 30miles from the Rainbow Unit MBU in Chelmsford. And I actually got to visit this MBU on this trip. It had a room with the handprints of mums and babies who had stayed there with positive affirmations which was just beautiful to see.

I am so incredibly proud of this challenge. And I am loving every moment of it!'

Next stop on Chris's tour was Notts County on 15th November, where he managed to get his name up in lights!

'Myself and two good friends went to see the world's oldest professional football club - Notts County - draw 1-1 with Harrogate at Meadow Lane.

There is no doubt about it now...I am officially a home team curse! But regardless of the result, it was a great weekend with great company!

I’ve been so lucky with the support from clubs so far on this challenge, and Notts County FC once again helped me spread the word by giving me a shout out before kick off and at half time and sharing a few words about postpartum psychosis and the MBUs on the scoreboards!

Meadow Lane stadium is less than 5 miles from the Margaret Oates MBU. And I actually got to visit them on this trip! It was so lovely to meet the Deputy Ward Manager Pip and Nursery Nurse Sam, and to talk about their incredible work in helping new mums with their mental health. Margaret Oates is such a lovely MBU! The whole place is filled with uplifting, positive affirmations, and I was particularly impressed with their post-discharge debrief meetings and the support they provide for partners.

This match marked the official halfway point of my challenge — I’ve now been to 12 football matches at 11 of the 22 Mother and Baby Units across the UK! It’s been an intense but incredible two weeks of raising awareness, and I’m so grateful for all the support so far.

If you need support, or want to talk about postpartum psychosis, please reach out to APP - they offer incredible support for the whole family. Please remember that you’re not alone 💜'

Follow Chris's progress on Instagram: @wasley_postpartumpsychosis

30 May 2025

Miles for Mums and Babies 2025

Thank you so much to everyone who has been involved in our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge so far this year.

From ultra marathon runners to team challenges to fun runners and long distance walkers - we've had a bit of everything!

The challenges kicked off earlier in the year with members of the team from the North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) Perinatal Services collectively running, walking, cycling or swimming 1,400 miles during January and February, representing the 1,400 people who experience postpartum psychosis in the UK each year.

Then activity stepped up in May for Maternal Mental Health Awareness month, with teams and individuals from across the UK joining in.

In Northern Ireland, the NHSCT Perinatal Community Mental Health Team took part in the Belfast Half Marathon, raising more than £2,000! Also in Northern Ireland, Emily took on her own personal challenge to raise funds and awareness for APP, walking 100 miles in one month.

In Manchester, the Andersen Ward MBU got involved for the second year in a row, with staff, mums, babies and families walking, running, toddling and buggy pushing with the aim of completing 1400 miles as a team.

In the North East, Kayleigh and her husband Dave took on an epic challenge of covering 56,000 steps in a single day - representing the 56 miles Dave had to travel every day to visit Kayleigh when she was being treated in an MBU. Not only did they smash their step target (reaching over 60,000!) they also left little notes of encouragement along the way to raise further awareness.

In Wales, Laura took on an incredible ultra marathon challenge, running an amazing 70 miles from the Maternity Unit at Ysbyty Gwynedd across North Wales to the Seren Lodge site at the Countess of Chester and along the beautiful Welsh coastline in just over 24 hours.

In Liverpool, Anna chose to aim to run 72 miles in a single month - the distance between her house and the mother and baby unit where she received treatment when she was ill. Anna has really enjoyed the challenge, saying 'It feels quite empowering to be doing something publicly positive after surviving PP. Its made it a little easier to talk about my experiences.'

In Suffolk, Kelly challenged herself to walk and run 40 miles - the distance she had to travel to her nearest MBU when she needed treatment after the births of her sons.

Well done to everyone to has taken part already, and good luck to those still part way through - and don't forget it's never too late to get involved if you're feeling inspired and fancy taking on your own challenge to help raise funds and awareness for APP.

Find out more here and join in!

26 May 2025

Mental Health Team take on Great North Swim for APP

On June 14th, a team of healthcare professionals from the South West Yorkshire Community Perinatal Mental Health Team will heading to the Lake District to take part in the Great North Swim to help raise funds and awareness for APP.

Attempting the one mile swim in the UK's biggest open water swimming event will be Claire, Louise, Mary, Roban and Laura - all of whom work together in the perinatal mental health team.

Claire explains more about how they got started and why they chose to take on this amazing challenge for APP.

'We started going out swimming once a month and now meet two - three times a week. It really has had a fantastic impact on our lives. It is so freeing being out in the water. We chat, put the world to rights, laugh and off load with each other, or swim bits on our own to just get some real time for ourselves in our busy lives.

It’s been really nice recently swimming (literally) alongside baby ducklings, swans and geese. It’s feels really special and the warm weather is definitely making it a pleasure to be out in the water.

Although we are not distance swimmers, we have all now swum a mile in the open water so this has given us a real confidence boost for the actual swim.

We are blown away by the generosity of people who have donated to your charity. We work with families affected by this illness and they often tell us no one had ever told them this was an illness that could affect them after having a baby, so we wanted to help raise awareness so women and birthing people and families know what the illness is and how to access support if they feel they are at risk or are experiencing symptoms.

We hope the number of donations reflects we have managed to spread the message and raise funds so you can continue all the work APP does.'

A huge thank you to all the team from all of us at APP - we can't wait to hear how you get on, fingers crossed for nice weather on the day!

You can find out more and add your support for our Great North Swim team here.

21 May 2025

DayDot launches new maternal mental health planner with APP

We're delighted to have worked in partnership with DayDot to develop a beautiful maternal mental health planner - a gentle, reflective, supportive space designed to support new parents through the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

DayDot is a journal company created in 2023 by husband and wife team Chris and Tara from Northern Ireland. Tara is part of the APP network and their journey began after Tara was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis following the birth of her second child in 2021.

During her illness Tara says she clung to her journal, writing everything down. However, as her recovery progressed, she found it difficult to continue journaling, a practice she had maintained since 2008. She tried bullet journaling and planners with daily prompts, but none of them seemed to be the right fit for her. She felt the creativity was either too much or not enough, and the structure was too rigid, and for her, missing a day would ruin the entire week! Chris and Tara wanted a solution that would allow the user to take days off, focus on manageable tasks, and emphasise the positivity of each day. They decided to create DayDot Journals, a unique blend of structure and flexibility, which aim to empower users to make the most of their time while nurturing their creativity and well-being.

Tara says:

"APP were there for me when I didn’t believe I could ever feel happy again. I wouldn’t be here without them. This planner is my thank you — and a promise to other mums that they're not alone."

Created in collaboration with DayDot Journals and Action on Postpartum Psychosis, all profits from this planner go directly to APP — helping fund vital support for families experiencing postpartum psychosis.

The planner is aimed not just at those who have experienced postpartum psychosis, but for any mother navigating the emotional landscape of early motherhood.

They can be purchased directly from DayDot, and are available with the maternal mental health planner, or simply with a plain lined or dot grid paper interior.

5 May 2025

APP launches new bereavement support web pages

Action on Postpartum Psychosis, the UK charity dedicated to supporting families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP), has launched new web resources to support individuals bereaved by the illness.

The resources, which are on the APP website, have been co-produced with academic experts, people with lived experience and third sector organisations which work with bereaved families.

The web pages include lived experience stories, information about postpartum psychosis and grief and guidance for supporting family members and children following bereavement. They also contain help with tasks after a bereavement, practical advice about financial support, inquests and investigations, coping with media interest, and ideas for remembrance.

APP’s bereavement support project responds to a long-standing gap in tailored support for bereaved families affected by PP. It has been made possible thanks to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund, which awarded grants to 79 charities across England, including APP, to support life-saving suicide prevention services.

Rich Baish, APP Development Manager, said:

“I lost my wife to postpartum psychosis in 2022, and this content is something I would have really benefited from at the time. The web pages have been designed for partners and families of mums who’ve lost their lives and offer support, advice and practical help as they cope with their loss, as well as resources for families reeling from the loss of a baby. APP’s new resources are so important in making sure bereaved families can find help and support quickly. We’ll keep developing this resource over time, so if you have content to contribute, please do get in touch. I have also found meeting other families who have been bereaved to be cathartic and I would really encourage people in similar positions to get in touch with our specialist peer support team.”

APP can now offer peer support to bereaved families via a small team of trained volunteers, made up of people who have each lost someone in their family, including husbands and partners, mothers, fathers and adults who lost their mothers because of PP when they were children.

Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive of APP, said:

“We must emphasise that most women recover from PP. Whilst deaths resulting from PP are very rare in the UK, losing a loved one in this way is utterly devastating and isolating. We are delighted that APP now has a small community of bereaved families who can come together and offer support to other families reeling from this tragedy. Our volunteers say that being able to talk to someone in this way at the time of their bereavement would have been so helpful for them.”

APP is grateful to Suicide&Co, The Loss Foundation and Anna Wardley, Churchill Fellow, for their contributions and guidance during the development of the new web resources. The pages can be accessed here.

If you or anyone you know have been affected by bereavement related to PP you can find out more about APP’s peer support service here. If you would like to join our community or contribute to the resource, please do get in touch. Health professionals working with individuals and families can also signpost people to APP’s support.

27 April 2025

Run for APP in the 2026 London Marathon!

We're delighted to announce that APP has secured 12 places in the 2026 TCS London Marathon.

The TCS London Marathon is the world's most popular marathon, and the single biggest fundraising event on the planet. Taking place next year on 26th April, we're so excited APP is able to give you the chance to be part of it.

In the public ballot, more than 800,000 people apply each year for just 50,000 available places. We get many requests to run for APP, so we know interest will be high. Because of this, we're implementing an application procedure to ensure our limited places are allocated fairly, and that we have a team made up of people who are passionate about APP.

If you're interested, you can access the application form here.

Applications are open until 25th May and we'll let you know by 13th June if you have been successful.

There is a £100 registration fee to pay to secure your place, then we're asking our London Marathon runners to raise a minimum of £2,000 each. As with all our events, our team will be here to support you with your training and fundraising.

All APP runners will receive an APP running top, a marathon training guide produced by fitness experts Make Bold Choices, fundraising inspiration and supplies, and of course the all important APP medal and finishers goody bag! We'll also be there on the big day to cheer you on and celebrate with you at the finish line.

Whether you're a seasoned marathon runner, or you want a truly memorable experience for your first ever major event - if the London Marathon has always been on your wish list, now's your chance to give it a go.

We have places secured in the London Marathon each year until 2029, so even if you aren’t successful this time, or if maybe you need a bit longer to prepare - there will be a chance to apply for an APP place again the following year.

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