Limited collection of suncatchers available now! Back by popular demand, we have new stock of our beautiful handmade glass suncatchers, lovingly made especially for APP by a very kind and talented supporter. And this time we have a new addition - a beautiful blue tit! We're simply asking for a suggested donation (details below), and all the proceeds will come directly to APP to help us continue to support mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis. Bluetit - 18cm by 14cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p They are posted well padded and beautifully gift wrapped, so can be sent directly as a present for a loved one if you wish. Email fundraising@app-network.org to reserve your favourite - stock is very limited and we sold out last time, so if you'd like one, be quick! Mammoth Miles for Mums and Babies efforts this May! This year we have had more people than ever take part in our Miles for Mums and Babies fundraising challenge. Here's just a few pictures to give you an idea of what everyone has been up to, with individuals and teams getting involved all across the UK. Thank you to absolutely everyone who has taken part, provided moral or physical support or donated to keep our fundraisers going - it's been an incredible effort, and it's still ongoing! Becky took on an epic 42 mile walk - find out more and check out the fab pics here. Justine and a huge team of friends climbed Cavehill on a beautiful sunny day near Belfast. Kayleigh and her husband Dave are walking 56 miles over 5 days - 56 miles was the distance Dave had to travel to visit Kayleigh when she was in an MBU. A huge team from Nottingham's Margaret Oates' MBU completed 318 miles - and some dedicated team members didn't even stop when they were on holiday! The whole team completed the miles with a fabulous family walk. Find out more about what they've been up to and add your support here. Some of our tiniest fundraisers got involved through Jenny Wren’s Rattle & Rhyme group who completed a wonderful five mile buggy push and toddle. Emma took part in a 10k race on a sunny Wednesday evening in Northamptonshire. The fantastic nationwide BleepKind team smashed their original 318 mile target, completing over 400 miles in total, and an incredible 92 hours of activity on bikes, on foot and in pools! Husband and wife team Georgina and Chris are running 108 miles this month, and were even spotted in action at Trentham Gardens by an eagle eyed member of the APP Team! Natalie is completing 60 miles over the three months, fitting it in around her already very busy life, and loving every step of the way! Over in Spain, (yes Miles for Mums and Babies is international now!) Ruth had a 10k race planned but when an injury put a stop to her training and running, her amazing friends, Afra and Sinead, stepped in to ensure it didn't put a stop to her fundraising! Hazel cycled amazing 65 miles in just one day from Dundee to Livingston, via Perth. Hannah and Ryan are walking and running 156 miles throughout May - 120 miles for the distance their family travelled to be with Hannah when she was ill, and 36 miles for each day she was in the Mother and Baby Unit. The North Wales Perinatal Mental Health Team have completed a MASSIVE 2000 miles between them and are finishing off in style with a team away day walking up Moel Famau meaning Mother Mountain - the highest hill in the Clwydian range in Denbighshire. We also have a swimmer on board - up in Scotland Alice is planning on completing 71 miles of swimming in a month - 71 miles representing the number of days she spent in hospital while unwell with postpartum psychosis. Laura D decided to tie her Miles for Mums and Babies challenge in with a Couch to 5K adventure. Jennifer and Lee walked from their home to Nottingham MBU - a distance of over 20 miles) in one day. Laura C is running a fantastic 50 miles in the month of May. Becky is running 5k EVERY DAY in May, often pushing a buggy to make it even more challenging! Sally is walking a huge 100 miles in May and has smashed her fundraising target! Shelley and friends completed a 5K in Stormont at the end of the month, not only to raise funds but also to highlight the desperate need for an MBU in Northern Ireland. 10 year old Annie has shown real dedication by running a mile every single day during May, not missing a single one and sometimes even having to get up early to fit her mile in before school! Some people have even longer term plans - Emily aims to walk an amazing 1000 miles this year - and has already completed nearly half of these miles; and Heidi is aiming for 1400 miles of running this year! It's been a huge effort this year so far by so many, and we're so grateful to all of you! Looking ahead, Adeline is running a 10K in Battersea Park at the end of June and Robyn will be paddleboarding in Leamington Spa. So the month might nearly be over but it’s definitely not too late to get involved – Miles for Mums and Babies can happen whenever and however you want it to! So, if you're feeling inspired and have an idea for your own Miles for Mums and Babies challenge, we’d love to hear from you! She cycled 65 miles from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, to the general psychiatric ward at the Murray Royal Hospital in Perth, then on to the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) at St John's hospital in Livingston - the journey she made when ill with postpartum psychosis. She was joined along the way by friends and family who were also a big support to her on her recovery journey. She said: 'What an incredible day! It was a real full circle moment, the first time round I was driven to the hospital by a care assistant whilst completely wracked with panic, fear, and strange thoughts. This time I travelled there with some lovely friends and family under my own steam and felt like the journey was reclaimed.' She stopped in at the MBU during her cycle to say hello to staff and give some gifts to the mums there. Hazel has now raised an incredible £5,000 from over 230 supporters - showing how many her message has already reached. She also bravely chose to share her own personal story with the local media to help raise even more awareness of the illness and the effects it can have. Read her sensitive and powerful article here. She posted regular updates of her training (and pictures of the beautiful Scottish countryside) on her GoFundMe page - you can see more and add your support for her fantastic achievements here. Thank you Hazel! Richard’s cycling challenge to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis and honour his late wife The ride will start in Glasgow and head all the way down to Richard’s hometown of Witney in Oxfordshire, finishing on the 2nd June. Richard’s challenge aims to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis, the severe postnatal mental illness that claimed the life of his wife Alex to in September. With a toddler and a newborn baby to look after, as well as coping with the immense shock and grief of losing his partner, Richard gave himself a huge target of raising £50,000 for APP. As he and his family had never heard of postpartum psychosis before they were affected by it, his aim is to ensure healthcare professionals and parents-to-be are made aware of the signs, symptoms and risks of the illness, in the hope that no other families will have to go through what they have. So far Richard has raised an incredible £36,000 and his total is still going up every day. For our small charity, this is a huge amount of money, which will make such a difference to the work we can do to raise awareness, support families and save lives. We have already used some of the funds raised to begin an antenatal education campaign, including producing a toolkit for antenatal educators; and an online conference aimed at healthcare professionals is planned for the autumn. Richard says: “I found out the hard way just how destructive PP can be. My advice for anyone who’s going through birth, either as a mum, dad, friend or family member, is to keep talking: whether it’s sharing good feelings or bad with each other or with professionals. Talking has helped me so much in my grieving process and it can help prevent the worst-case scenario. Postpartum psychosis is an awful illness but a treatable one. APP has supported me immensely in the last few months, and I know they share my passion to help save as many lives as possible through awareness of what to do and where to go for help.” Through his fundraising, Richard has also raised an enormous amount of awareness - using interviews, press and social media to reach people who would have never heard of postpartum psychosis otherwise. He brings kindness, honesty, passion, thoughtfulness and sensitivity to each interaction. It's difficult overstate the impact his fundraising has already had - tens of thousands of people have seen his campaign video (below), and nearly 1,500 individuals have given sponsorship, most of them previously unknown to him having been moved to support Richard after seeing a tweet or a Facebook post. We can't imagine a better way to remember Alex and honour her memory. We're so grateful to Richard for the incredible, dedicated work he is doing for Action on Postpartum Psychosis, during the most difficult period of his life. His story is truly inspirational but it can be a difficult one to read, so please take care visiting his fundraising page or watching the video below. You can add your support to his campaign here: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/richardbaish Richard has already done so much to raise awareness of PP with coverage on BBC Radio Oxford and in the Daily Record as well as via his social media feeds. You can follow his updates on Twitter and Instagram. If you're a journalist interested in covering Richard's incredible story, please contact media@app-network.org Becky's epic #milesformumsandbabies challenge! Becky took on this challenge as part of our #milesformumsandbabies campaign, choosing 43 miles as it's the distance from her home to her closest mother and baby unit. She also gave herself the target of raising £2400 - representing the number of mums who would have been diagnosed with PP in the two years since Becky herself was diagnosed after the birth of her twin daughters in May 2021. She's actually gone on to totally smash her fundraising target, reaching an incredible £3100! She told us: Becky has also bravely shared her PP story and her family's journey on her GoFundMe page, helping to raise awareness of the illness. Do check it out and add your support to congratulate her on this amazing achievement. A huge thank you from all of us here at APP to Becky for undertaking such a huge challenge and being such an inspirational fundraiser! We're thrilled to be part of The Big Give's Kind2Mind campaign this Mental Health Awareness Week. This means every single donation we receive on our Big Give campaign page between 12noon on Monday 15th May and 12noon on Monday 22nd May will be DOUBLED, at no additional cost to our donors. Every donation we receive will have DOUBLE the impact – if you donate £5, Action on Postpartum Psychosis will receive £10, if you donate £25, we'll receive £50, and so on. We have a target of £5,000 for the week which could help us significantly increase our offer of help and support for dads and co-parents in families affected by postpartum psychosis - a treatable medical emergency that affects 1-2 in every 1,000 new mums. Will you donate today and get your donation doubled? For many families, postpartum psychosis comes as a shock. Many dads and co-parents have never heard of this illness before, and the symptoms can be distressing. At a time in their life when they were expecting to have the joy of a new baby, it can feel as if life has been turned completely upside down. Simon and the APP team are here to help and support dads and co-parents through this traumatic experience. Simon says: ' Peer support really does make a difference. It can be life changing, and life saving. A dad we supported told us: "I don't think I would have been here if it wasn't for finding APP". Look out for our posts on our social media pages - please share so we can reach more people. Thank you for helping to support our campaign so we can be there for even more families. Miles for Mums and Babies 2023! A big shout out to everyone who has signed up for our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge so far! We’ve got more people than ever before ready to run, walk, swim and cycle hundreds of miles to raise awareness of PP and funds for APP. In Wales the BCUHB perinatal mental health team in North Wales who have a team of 18 aiming to cover 154 miles during May; Laura in Cardiff who is planning to walk 50 miles over the month; and Heidi, a perinatal mental health nurse in Monmouthshire who is taking on a huge 1400 miles by the end of 2023 to represent the number of women who experience PP each year. We’re delighted to have lots going on in Northern Ireland too, with Justine and Shelley getting friends and family on board to take part in their hiking and running challenges. And across England there are individuals and teams taking part in all sorts of different ways, including… Jennifer Dawson who’s taking on TWO challenges – one walking 26 miles with her husband Lee and another with her Rattle and Rhyme group – who'll be getting together to toddle 5k! Jenny and Lee aren’t the only husband and wife team working together to reach a Miles for Mums and Babies target though, we also have Hannah and Ryan in Leeds planning to walk and run 156 miles - 120 miles for the distance their family travelled to the MBU and 36 miles for each day Hannah was in the unit; and Georgina and Chris who are aiming for 108 miles - the distance to and from their nearest MBU. Most of those taking part have chosen a number of miles that has a meaning to them - Natalie has chosen to walk 60 miles as that represents the distance to and from her home and the MBU she spent time in - the journey her husband had to make to be able to come and see her and their baby. Rebecca is planning a mammoth 43 mile walk in a single day, with the aim of raising £2400 - the number of mums who will have been diagnosed with PP in the two years since she herself was diagnosed. And she's very close to her huge target goal already! We’re also really delighted to have the Blue Minds and BleepKind network involved this year, taking on an epic 318 mile challenge, which is already underway! And having whole teams getting on board is just wonderful - including the Leicester Partnership Trust Perinatal Mental Health Team who are doing a mix of walking, running and swimming; and the Margaret Oates MBU in Nottingham who will be walking, pushing buggies, toddling, running, cycling and even getting their four legged furry friends involved to reach 318 miles (which is the distance from the most westerly MBU in the UK to the most easterly). And this isn't even everyone who has planned to get involved - we'll keep posting updates throughout the month. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has signed up so far and to everyone who has supported them already. It's never too late to get involved in you'd still like to, just email fundraising@app-network.org and we'll send you a free Miles for Mums and Babies pack. A focus on fundraisers in Northern Ireland Claire's half marathon in memory of her friend, Orlaith Claire says: Also taking part in the Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Running Festival is APP volunteer Lucy who will be challenging herself to complete the 10K event on the day. Find out more and add your support for Lucy here. Miles for Mums and Babies in Northern Ireland We have two teams taking on our #MilesforMumsandBabies Challenge in Northern Ireland this year. On the 13th May, Justine Lewis and a team of friends will be attempting to climb Cavehill - a challenging 1,207ft peak just outside Belfast. Justine was diagnosed with PP after the birth of her baby in 2019, and due to the lack of MBU in NI, she was separated from her newborn for 12 days. She is undertaking this challenge to raise awareness of the need for an MBU in the area. You can add your support for Justine here. Then, later in the month, Shelley Browne and a group of friends will be running 5k at Stormont to highlight the fact that 1 in 5 women will experience some form of mental health issue in the postnatal period. Shelley had PP in 2021 and really wants to raise awareness of the need for an MBU in NI. She says: 'I truly believe with this facility, my treatment would of been less traumatic and I would have not have needed to be separated from my baby so early on.' Support Shelley and her team here. Not only are our NI APP volunteers getting out and about fundraising for us this year, they're also helping to raise awareness of PP: Tara helps to raise awareness in Garvargh On Wednesday 22nd March, one of our Northern Ireland based APP volunteers arranged for an awareness-raising session at a local Women’s Group she attends. She didn’t want to talk about her own experiences with PP herself, as not everyone is comfortable or finds it helpful to do that, which is fine. So, working with APP's events and fundraising staff, she invited along another local APP volunteer who very bravely talked to the group about her experiences of PP. Staff from APP HQ also zoomed in to the session to explain more generally about PP, the work of APP and the need for an MBU in Northern Ireland. The Women’s Group, which included both local women and health & social care professionals, were very interested and moved to hear the first-hand account of a real women’s experience of PP, as many were previously unaware of the condition. Very positive feedback was received from the group: “…she is a brave young woman, speaking out to help others. Thank you.” “Very brave lady to be able to talk about everything she has been through. Can’t have been easy to do that” “…she was lovely and very good at speaking about her experience.” “…she definitely was very good and spoke well, and we got a lot of knowledge about this condition.” “…it’s such a hard thing to talk about. It’s helped me understand a lot better and what to keep an eye out for.” “…she is amazing and to be able to come and speak about her experiences so honestly will truly help women as there is still stigma around mental health.” The local health visitor and social worker were invited to the session and already are asking if further sessions can be put on around the area for other teams of professionals and women around Northern Ireland. **** If you'd like to find out more about raising awareness or fundraising in Northern Ireland, or accessing our peer support group, please contact app@app-network.org A Brother and Sister's Story - Natalie and Rob Thank you so much to siblings Natalie and Rob for sharing their story with us. We were so inspired after speaking to both Rob and Nat that we asked them to share a few words about their experiences and what they mean to each other. APP is a charity that means a lot to our family as I was diagnosed with Postpartum Psychosis six years ago. After a very happy and healthy pregnancy I gave birth to my son Finn in May of 2017. Seven days later I was admitted to the mother and baby unit at Royal Bethlam hospital and stayed there for three months. It was a scary time for us all as we had never heard of Postpartum Psychosis and I was subsequently diagnosed with bipolar, but I’m pleased to say that with treatment and tremendous support I have made a full recovery and lead a very happy life. APP are doing a great job of raising awareness of this illness that so many have never heard of. They provide amazing support to affected mums and families when they need it most and I want my story to provide hope to those reading this.' Rob: It’s so important that we raise awareness for Postpartum Psychosis as it affects families without any warning. My sister was the last person I expected to be visiting in hospital but I’m so happy to say that she’s now living her best life and is the best version of herself that I’ve ever seen. It goes to show how important the right support and treatment is and that everyone affected by Postpartum Psychosis should have hope for a healthy and happy future. My sister’s strength and resilience inspires me every day and will be fuelling me on my run; can’t wait!' You can add your support to Rob as he runs the Brighton Marathon this weekend by visiting his JustGiving page. Mother's Day is just around the corner and you might be trying to think of the perfect gift for someone special in your life. We may have the answer! We have a limited collection of these beautiful handmade glass suncatchers, lovingly made for APP by a very kind and talented supporter. We're asking for a suggested donation (details below), and all the proceeds will come directly to APP to help us continue to support mums and families affected by postpartum psychosis. Robin - 18cm by 14cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p Kingfisher - 13cm by 20cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p Angel - 20cm by 20cm - suggested donation £40 including p&p To buy yours, email fundraising@app-network.org - stock is very limited so be quick! And make sure your order is with us by Monday 13th March if you want it to arrive in time for Mother's Day.
Kingfisher - 13cm by 20cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p
Angel - 20cm by 20cm - suggested donation £35 including p&p
Robin - 18cm by 14cm - suggested donation £25 including p&p
Afra completed a 21k race in early May, and Sinead is taking part in the Edinburgh marathon at the end of the month - what fantastic friends!
Last weekend, APP volunteer Hazel Oates from Perth in Scotland took on a huge #milesformumsandbabies challenge for APP. 
At the end of May, Richard Baish and a team of friends will be completing an epic 475 mile bike ride over five days to raise money for APP in memory of his amazing wife Alex who tragically died last year.
If you have been affected by Richard's story, need any support, or want to meet others affected by postpartum psychosis, we're here for you. Find out more at www.app-network.org/peer-support or email us: app@app-network.org
At 4am last Saturday, 12th May, mum of three Becky Styles set out on an epic 43 mile walk/run to raise funds for, and awareness of APP.
'Partner support is so vitally important, when your life feels like it's being torn apart and you may be feeling so isolated, even if you have family around you, to find the wealth of information APP provide and to be able to talk with other partners who have lived experience, that understand what it's like, "who get it", can provide the hope that things will get better.
We see partners from every stage of the postpartum psychosis journey, be that in crisis, right through recovery and out of the other side. It doesn't matter when they come to APP.'
'It’s hard for partners – and men generally – to admit there’s a problem that they just can’t fix themselves... Peer support makes you know you’re not alone.'
Alex - peer support beneficiary
I’ve been put in touch with another female couple and we’ve been in contact regularly, texting back and forth, and it’s been a lifeline. It’s just so good to have someone you can actually relate to.'
Nicola - peer support beneficiary
Fundraisers all over the UK are taking part – here’s just a little taste of what’s going on during May…In Scotland, Alice in Dundee will be swimming 71km in 28 days, and Hazel in Perthshire will be cycling 65 miles in a single day later this month.
Claire Tennyson is taking on the Hillsborough Castle & Gardens Half Marathon this July, in memory of her dear friend Orlaith Quinn.
'This October will mark five years since Orlaith left us.
Orlaith was charismatic, compassionate, fiercely loyal, full of sass and an absolute stunner. There are people in life you instantly connect with, and for me, she was one of them.
Orlaith’s passing was found by a court to be 'foreseeable and preventable' and at the time of the hearing the coroner also called for a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) to be established in Northern Ireland.
In the absence of a functioning Executive, the possibility of this being developed in the near future is very slim but APP are continuing to do all they can to push for reform.
In that context, I want to raise money in the interim for this very worthwhile charity to assist in the support they give mothers, mothers-to-be and mothers yet to come.
It is the biggest honour of my life to be a mother and for that privilege to have been so cruelly cut short for Orlaith, and her children, is heart breaking.
So please donate if you can, share to raise awareness, and most importantly of all spare a thought for Orlaith. She is missed.'
Rob is running his first ever marathon this weekend in Brighton to help raise funds for and awareness of APP.
Nat:
'I am Natalie, Rob’s sister. I’m so proud and thrilled for Rob to be running the 2023 Brighton Marathon. He has dug deep in his physical and mental limits during his dedicated training and it has been inspiring for me to see.
'I’m so excited to be running my first marathon this week and feel really proud to be representing APP.
'I set off at 4am from my home in Wolverton and walked most of the route alongside the canal. It took 13 hrs 20 mins including stops.
My dad biked the whole way with me, my brother started the first 16 miles with me, then went in the car with my mum until 6 miles left which helped me at the end.
The last 17 miles I decided to try and run as much as I could. By 7 miles left I was in tears a few times like, feeling like - I can't do this! I couldn’t have done it without the support.'
With support though, she completed the full 43 miles and the whole family was there to celebrate with her as she crossed the finish line!