APP September Newsletter
Free APP webinar: Essential knowledge for preventing maternal suicide
Book your place on APP’s free webinar: essential knowledge for preventing maternal suicide – on Wednesday 16th October at 12pm - here.
Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK and rates are increasing nationally. APP’s second annual Alex Baish Memorial webinar is aimed at GPs (but all frontline health professionals are welcome) and will outline the actions needed to support and protect women who develop postpartum psychosis (PP). The webinar, delivered in collaboration with The National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University (NCMH) and General Practitioners Championing Perinatal Mental Health Care (GPCPC) will include a Q&A session with APP’s clinical, academic and lived experience experts.
More than 2,500 health professionals signed up for last year’s webinar. Of the attendees, 92% rated the training as ‘excellent' and 100% agreed they would change their practice as a result.
Book your free place here or register to receive a recording after the event. Please share with your networks to let as many people as possible who work with new mothers know how to join us.
Can you display a poster to promote the webinar where it will be seen by health professionals? Download a poster here.
Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK: 23rd - 29th September
Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK is taking place this week. This important week raises awareness of the maternal mental health challenges faced by Black mothers. The Motherhood Group has organised free webinars throughout the week. You can find more information and sign up for the webinars by visiting The Motherhood Group's website. Follow updates about the week on social media: @TheMotherhoodGroup #BMMHW24.
APP staff and volunteers will be attending the Motivational Mums Club conference in London on Monday 4th November. The conference is about improving mental health outcomes for Black mothers and birthing people. We will be speaking about our lived experience of postpartum psychosis (PP) and raising awareness of the help and support APP offers. For more details about this free conference, please visit this link.
Thank you to our Black storytellers, who have shared their lived experience stories of PP to help raise awareness. You can read APP peer support volunteer Lobeh’s story here.
If you are Black, have experienced PP, and would be interested in volunteering for APP, please get in touch. We would love more Black peer supporters, storytellers, and lived experience speakers so we can reach more Black families affected by PP and offer more specific information and support. Email: ellie@app-network.org
New LGBTQ+ support group
We’re starting a new LGBTQ+ support group for those affected by PP.
This online group is a space to connect, share and support one another. Whether you’ve experienced PP, high mood or mania after childbirth, or if you’re a partner or family member of someone who has, we’re here for you. We also offer peer support and information if you are at high risk of PP because you are pregnant and have bipolar disorder.
The group’s first meeting will be on Monday 7th October. If you’re interested in joining, email us at app@app-network.org. Or book your place here.
The Big Give
Our match funding campaign is back next month – from midday on World Mental Health Day, 10th October, to midday on 17th October, all donations made via this page up to £5,000 will be doubled at no additional cost to you. Funds raised through this campaign will go towards our award winning, life changing, life saving peer support projects.
So if you’ve been thinking about holding a Big Bake event, running a raffle or simply making a one off donation to us, do consider doing it during that week – it means whatever you give will be worth twice as much and have twice the impact! Contact Fliss for more info and support if you’re thinking of holding an event.
If you can’t hold an event or donate this time, please do look out for and share our social media posts about the Big Give so we reach as many people as possible. Thank you!
Please fill out our Peer Support survey
Thank you to everyone who has responded to our peer support survey. If you haven’t done so yet, there’s still time to complete the survey before the end of September.
It’s open to anyone who has used APP's peer support service (online forum, café groups, one to one support via email, video/phone call or face-to-face, NHS partnership projects, or any other contact with an APP peer support volunteer or staff member). We would also like to hear from our volunteers who have delivered peer support.
Your responses will help us improve APP’s peer support and report to our funders on the importance of our work. If you have used our service this year, please complete the survey and help us demonstrate how many people our service is reaching.
The survey can be completed anonymously and is confidential. Any comments or quotes you may wish to add will also remain anonymous. If you haven't used our peer support service but know someone else who has, please forward the link on to them.
World Mental Health Day is coming up on the 10th of October. This year’s theme is "It’s time to prioritise mental health in the workplace."
We’re looking for short quotes to share on APP’s social media on this theme. If you’d like to be involved, please send a short quote/reply to the questions below, to jessie@app-network.org as soon as you can.
How did your experience with postpartum psychosis (PP) affect your return to work (if you went back to work)?
What support helped to make a difference?
What message of hope would you give to someone affected by PP, who is returning to work?
Fabulous fundraisers
We’ve had some incredible fundraising efforts nationwide - from Edinburgh to Cornwall - over the last few months, thank you to everyone who has taken part in an event or who has supported them.
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- Sarah P (pictured above, left) took on a Toughmudder for APP last month - smashing all the obstacles in her way, and raising more than £2,000 in the process!
- Sarah H had an epic skydive experience over the beautiful Cornish coast - check out the incredible video of her here!
- Five amazing APP supporters, Philippa, Owen, Tim (pictured above, right) as well as Rob and Mikyla completed the Great North Run earlier this month, and between them raised more than £5,000!
- Leanne and Stuart took part in the Edinburgh Kiltwalk to raise funds and awareness for APP - so far they’ve raised more than £1,500 and they also shared their story here.
- Matt completed his first ever half marathon in Blackpool in August, then went on to triumph at Fleetwood triathlon this month!
- Last weekend 17 year old Aideen completed the Belfast Half Marathon for APP in memory of her aunt Orlaith. You can support Aideen here.
A massive WELL DONE and thank you to every one of you!
Autumn is always a busy time for runners with loads of events happening - look out for APP supporters out and about in their purple tops - Gemma & Steve at the Torbay Half Marathon, Matt at the Kielder Marathon, Annabel and Emily at the Cardiff Half, Adam at the Whole Hog Toughmudder in Suffolk, Mai at the Great Scottish Run and our four Manchester half marathon runners - Rachel, Amy, Megan and Sophie! Good luck everyone!
We are recruiting runners for the Brighton Marathon, taking place on April 6th next year. Organised by the same people as the London Marathon, Brighton is a fantastic event to be part of - the crowds are amazing, and you end right by the seafront! Run for APP and the reg fee is just £26. We already have two runners signed up so have just three places remaining. Contact us if you’d like one of them.
We’ve also updated the challenge page again with loads of exciting new events for 2025. There’s something for everyone - from Santa fancy dress fun runs to mammoth international bike rides! Check it out here.
Join the next APP Book Club meeting
The next APP Book Club meet-up is on Wednesday, 13th November, from 8-9pm on Zoom.
We’ll be discussing 'Everyone is Here to Help: A healing account of postpartum psychosis and recovery' by Ruth M Stacey.
For more info on the book and to read an extract, visit our website.
Please RSVP for the Book Club via this link.
Don’t forget to join our Facebook Group too.
Dates for your diary
Black Maternal Mental Health Week, Monday 23rd – Sunday 29th September
APP Scotland virtual café group meet-up, Thursday 26th September
APP Manchester face to face café group meet-up, Friday 27th September
APP Yorkshire virtual café group meet-up, Monday 30th September
APP Lancashire and south Cumbria face to face café group meet-up in Blackburn, Friday 4th October
APP Wales face to face café group meet-up, Saturday 5th October
APP LGBTQ+ virtual café group meet-up, Monday 7th October
World Mental Health Day, Thursday 10th October
APP Scotland virtual café group meet-up, Thursday 10th October
APP Lancashire and south Cumbria face to face café group meet-up in Blackpool, Friday 11th October
APP Lancashire and south Cumbria virtual café group meet-up, Monday 14th October
APP dads and co-parents virtual café group meet-up, Wednesday 16th October
APP Lancashire and south Cumbria face to face café group meet-up in Lancaster, Wednesday 16th October
Free APP webinar: Essential knowledge for preventing maternal suicide, Wednesday 16th October
APP Northern Ireland virtual café group meet-up, Thursday 17th October
World Menopause Day, Friday 18th October
APP London face to face café group meet-up, Saturday 19th October
APP Yorkshire virtual café group meet-up, Wednesday 23rd October
APP Manchester face to face café group meet-up, Friday 25th October
APP Book Club virtual meet-up, Wednesday 13th November, 8-9pm. RSVP for the Book Club via this link
Contact information for all APP café groups is available here.
Conferences/Events
Black Maternal Mental Health Week webinar series, September
The Motherhood group is running a series of webinars in support of the week:
- Why Black Maternal Mental Health Matters, Monday 23rd September
- Breaking the Silence: Addressing Stigma and Barriers, Tuesday 24th September
- Birth Trauma and Pregnancy Loss, Wednesday 25th September
- Black Child Mental Health Day: Nurturing the next generation, Thursday 26th September
- Power of Community: Screening Black Maternal Health Conference, Friday 27th September
More information and details of how to book here.
Online workforce training on the importance of Peer Support in suicide ideation prevention in young mums, October
The Mental Health Foundation, in partnership with Maternal Mental Health Alliance, is running free online workforce training focusing on the importance of peer support groups in reducing the key risk factors that lead to suicidal ideation amongst young mums. The training will be run on:
- Tuesday 8th October 2024
- Thursday 10th October 2024
- Tuesday 5th November 2024
- Wednesday 6th November 2024
More information and details of how to book here.
Waiting for Change: how can we reduce suicide and poor mental health on the parenthood journey in Wales? Thursday 17th October
Free webinar run by Samaritans Cymru to launch their new parental mental health project. Guest speakers include Emma Gooding and Neil Ingham from Samaritans Cymru and Mark Wiliams from Fathers Reaching Out. More details and booking link here.
If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.