amma uk visit 2022

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Amma – Mata Amritanandamayi

Online retreat with swami amritaswarupananda march 29-31.

Amriteswari Society is organising Swamiji’s first Asia-Pacific Spiritual Retreat. Amma will join the retreat and personally interact with the participants. All are welcome to join online .

Swami Shubamritananda in Europe

Swamiji will be visiting several centers throughout Europe in spring 2024. Dates will be announced soon.

News around Amma

When women arise, no force can stop them: amma on international women’s day, honouring lord shiva is a reminder to awaken the inner eye, building inner strength: amrita university trains telangana police officers to support mental health.

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2022-23 Impact Report

Message from our ceo.

I joined Amma just over a year ago —and what a year it has been! A year that brought with it unprecedented challenges, but also showcased the remarkable strength and resilience of our organisation. Throughout this exceptional period, we faced numerous hurdles and uncertainties. As our clients’ needs intensified, we also grappled with the aftermath of the pandemic, a deepening political shift towards anti-migrant policies, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. In the face of such adversity, we were compelled to adapt swiftly and creatively. We expanded our services, grew our staff team, increased our advocacy efforts, and innovated our approach to income generation. This year has truly been a testament to the dedication, resourcefulness, and resilience of our team, and I’m so proud of all that we have achieved. Looking ahead, we remain committed to advancing our mission, extending our reach, and enhancing the impact we have on the lives of parents and families. The lessons we learned this year will guide our path forward as we strive to meet the evolving needs of our community and champion the rights and wellbeing of all those we serve. I extend my deepest thanks to our stakeholders, supporters, and the wider community for standing alongside us during this remarkable year. Together, we have demonstrated our shared commitment to ensuring that no one — regardless of where they come from, or how they got here — should be left to navigate childbirth alone. ‍ Maree Aldam, CEO

We strive to create a nurturing, inclusive community where support during pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood is accessible to all.

At Amma, we provide emotional, practical, and informational support to foster a positive and empowering childbirth experience for every woman and birthing person we serve. Our services include birth and postnatal companionship, antenatal education, and peer support.

Who we support

We assist those who experience structural and systemic obstacles to advocacy, care, and information throughout the perinatal period..

In 2022-23:

Clients were from 45 countries of origin including 13% from Nigeria, 12% from Vietnam, 7% from Namibia, 6% from Iraq, 5% from Sierra Leone, and 5% from Sudan.
They spoke 41 different languages. 26% spoke no English, 21% spoke basic English.

Languages spoken:

Albanian Amharic Arabic* BeninIgbo Bulgarian Chinese Mandarin* Creole Dari Ego English

Farsi* French Hindi Indonesian Krio Kurdish Badini Kurdish Kirmanji Kurdish Sorani* Lithuanian Mandinka

Oromo Oshiwambo Otjiherero Pashto Polish Portuguese Potwari Romanian Russian Shona

Slovakian Somali Swahili Tigrinya Turkish Ukrainian Urdu* Vietnamese* Wolof Yoruba

Situations and experiences

Of the clients we supported last year:

46% were first-time parents
77% had no friends or family to support during birth
63% were new to Glasgow
23% were known survivors of trafficking (number likely underreported)
83% were scared or anxious about pregnancy/birth
50% experienced barriers to accessing maternity services
18% had children not residing with them (number likely underreported)

We're needed more than ever

Last year, we supported 194 individuals across all our services— building upon a consistent pattern of doubling the number of clients served annually since our inception in 2019. This ongoing trend reflects the growing reach and significance of our organisation in meeting the increasing needs of our community. In 2022-23, we received 186 new referrals. Of these, 19% were self-referrals, with the remaining 81% spanning 40 different agencies. Our main referrers were the NHS (34%), British Red Cross (10%), and Scottish RefugeeCouncil (7%).

Birth & postnatal companionship

At Amma, our dedicated team of birth and postnatal companions plays a crucial role in supporting women and birthing people throughout their entire childbirth journey, from pregnancy to the postpartum period.

2022-23 Companionship in Numbers

Perinatal Team Leaders

In June 2022, we welcomed Linzi Glen,Sam Morgan-Hutchings, and Morag Riddet into three newly created Perinatal Team Leader roles. This small but mighty team, led by Helen Sheriff, Perinatal Services Manager, brings a wealth of expertise and experience to our organisation. Together, they oversee the work of our volunteer companions and provide direct support to clients throughout the perinatal period. Thanks to their valuable contributions, we have been able to support more clients, improve service delivery, and reduce pressure on volunteer capacity. Last year, this team delivered more than 1,800 hours of direct support to our clients.

‍ Companionship Outcomes

2022-23 results.

Parents have increased access to specialist services through onward referrals and signposting

83% of clients were accessing all the services they need, compared to 14% at the point of initial assessment

We made 137 referrals to 26 different agencies

Parents feel less isolated and better able to build supportive networks

81% had increased social support (20% average increase) 73% felt less isolated (20% average decrease)

“They stopped me feeling lonely and I don’t have support from familyso much. I can’t share everything with friends and family, but Amma made mefeel like I have a bigger family who I can talk to.” “Amma family is now my family. I feel like I belong to Scotland. I know I can find help and advice and friendship there.” “Amma felt like my first family in Glasgow. They gave me power and knowledge and hope - I feel like a person who has rights and choices now and I am not afraid of anything.”

Parents are better able to meet the needs of their child(ren)

96% of clients felt better able to meet their baby’s needs

“I received advice about baby temperature, sleeping and feeding, It has all helped me feel more confident.” “They did all the things that a family would do, it was lovely. (The companion) asked me what I wanted her to cook for me, and they tidied my house, sterilised bottles and looked after the babies so I could rest which was so important for me and my mental health.” “They came to visit. I felt cared for, and they found me things for my baby like a pram and nappies that I would not have known how to get for myself. This really helped me feel I could care for my baby.” “Coming from a different place with all the barriers we have, I was alone, Amma guided me – none of this info is provided where I come from, and it really helped me make good decisions about the birth and care of my baby.”

Parents have increased confidence and sense of control during the perinatal period

92% gained a better understanding of rights and choices around childbirth (40% average increase) 84% felt more confident to express their choices(20% average increase)

“I can honestly say that the information they gave me, especially around pain relief, made a great difference to my confidence and this confidence continues even now they have finished.” “I did not know anything about the UK system so having this information enabled me to understand what to expect, and that it was okay to ask questions and say when I did not understand something. This made me feel a lot less afraid.” “The Parent Guide was especially good, very easy to understand, even if you couldn’t read, the visuals and layout are very accessible.” “Having a birth companion there at the birth was very special, it made me feel safe and able to speak.”

Parents have reduced fear and anxiety around pregnancy and childbirth

96% of clients felt less afraid of pregnancy and birth

“All the information I got from Amma was very helpful. It was reassuring and made me feel cared for. [Birth companion] was amazing —she held my hand so tightly and smoothed my head during the birth and this really felt like I had a mum with me.” “Coming to appointments with me improved my confidence and anxiety so much. It was so useful to have someone there who was not blind, who understood the system and could explain it to us and know what questions to ask.” “The whole team was amazing. Before meeting them, I felt very emotional and uncertain about everything. Amma changed that, they made me feel less anxious, less worried, less depressed, more relaxed.” “They changed my life. They made me feel like I could cope, that Idid not feel I had to worry. I felt safe and that everything would be okay. My thanks to God for (birth companion). She felt like a mother to me. This was unexpected and amazing.”

What's next?

We are actively exploring training opportunities to equip our team with the necessary skills and competencies to work effectively with a more diverse group of clients. By enhancing our understanding of different backgrounds and experiences, and learning about other support services in place, we hope to expand our reach to include more underserved groups (e.g., individuals who are care experienced).

Mariam and Jenny's story

Volunteering

It’s been a transformative year for our volunteer programme, with a new approach to nurturing the compassionate and skilled volunteers who make our work possible

In July 2022, we welcomed Jenny Block into the newly created role of Volunteer Manager. Over the past year, Jenny led many changes aimed at developing the overall effectiveness and sustainability of our volunteer network. These include:

More flexible roles

The addition of new volunteer roles (Parent Supporter, Language Supporter, and Volunteer Driver) provided opportunities for individuals with limited hours to contribute to volunteering. Perinatal Team Leaders have supported a more team-based approach, alleviating pressure on volunteers.

Improving learning outcomes

We created a new six-week blended learning programme, combining online and in-person sessions. This extended training period encourages critical thinking, deeper understanding of topics, and stronger connections among participants through experiential and discussion-based learning.

Building volunteers' confidence

To ensure new volunteers feel confident in their roles, we formalised and developed shadowing as a core component of our training programme. This allows new volunteers to observe experienced team members, witness practical applications of training, and build confidence in handling real-life scenarios.

Addressing reduced volunteer capacity

The cost-of-living crisis contributed to an overall decrease in volunteer capacity. In response, we focused on creating a sustainable volunteer programme that includes a rolling recruitment model and three training intakes per year.

Increased focus on volunteer wellbeing

We enhanced our focus on volunteer wellbeing. With a dedicated volunteer manager, volunteers have increased access to support through group coffee mornings and 1:1 manager check-ins. We also introduced additional training on wellbeing and burnout prevention, equipping volunteers with the coping strategies needed to handle the challenges of the role.

“It's the best training I have ever experienced in terms of the quality of the trainers and their resources, and in terms of the opportunity for personal growth and development. All the trainers were kind and caring, while also being very inspiring.”

“I feel sufficiently challenged to find the role exciting and potentially rewarding, without feeling overburdened in terms of time or emotional commitment. I feel very well supported and know that help is available if I experience difficulties in carrying out my role.’"

“I feel supported in the teams I am in, with supervision and know I can contact staff if I need.”

“It’s so lovely to support clients following the birth of their babies. It’s a really precious time and I hope that offering support enables them to feel safe and comfortable and empowered.”

What's next

Moving forward, we will continue to improve our training and support initiatives to create an even more impactful and rewarding volunteer experience. Our focus in the year ahead will be on exploring new volunteer roles, creating opportunities to socialise and learn together, and developing amore diverse team of volunteers.

Amma Family Peer Support Programme

From its humble beginnings as a weekly zoom meeting at the height of the pandemic, amma family has grown into a thriving peer support programme.

Last year saw the significant growth of our Amma Family peer support programme, bolstered by the addition of two new staff members, Clara Irvine and Atinuke Olagunju. More than 70 individuals and their babies were welcomed to our office for our weekly peer support group, and many others took part in our gardening club, postnatal fitness class, social outings, and monthly parenting workshops. Our Amma Family WhatsApp group grew to more than 150 members and is very active. With increased team capacity, we were able to prioritise the co-creation of peer support activities that authentically align with our clients' interests, needs, skills, and experiences. This resulted in the addition of five new Peer Supporter volunteers, who each bring their valuable experiences as group participants to the team. We also renewed our focus on gathering participant feedback to help shape our activities. In keeping with our co-creative approach, peer supporters took the lead in conducting evaluations with other participants. This inclusive evaluation process ensures that the program's success is measured from the perspective of those directly involved. Here are just a few of the highlights from last year’s activities:

Parenting workshops

Singing, storytelling, and dancing

Amma Family playlist

Encouraging personal growth

Delicious potlucks

Celebrating milestones

Partnership with charity shop

Mother's Day photography sessions

Positive feedback on infant feeding support

Outings & events

Wellbeing activities

Amma family spotify playlist, amma family outcomes.

82% felt that Amma Family helped them to learn about other community activities

We made 54 external referrals to 20 different agencies. This included North Glasgow Baby Foodbank, British Red Cross ‘Mums Project’, Number 1 Baby Bank, Birth Baby and Beyond, and more.

93% made friends through Amma Family

“The family group brought me out from my comfort zone and I also made new friends.” "It gives me time to come out of the house and I also do not have to worry about the transportation because it’s been paid for.” “Despite the fact that I am new to Amma, Amma family has been supportive. They have helped me easy the stress of thinking I'm alone with my pregnancy.”

87% learned new parenting skills through Amma Family 77% felt their baby benefited from attending Amma Family Activities

“I enjoy that my little one has a place to come play with other babies, and chatting with other mothers also and Amma Family group is a free space where there is no judgement.” “All our friends eat lunch together, different foods brought by friends, and the children who are very lonely at home get to play with their friends.” “[Amma Family feeding support] helped me to learn to position baby and be able to feed him. I saw a big difference and improvement in my son.” “Playing with others helps him to develop brain and he enjoys it.” “I can now also use different strategies that I learn from sleep workshops to make my baby sleep easily and effectively.”

93% gained more confident in their parenting abilities by attending Amma Family 96% felt able to reach out to other Amma Family members for support and advice

“I am a first time mom, and now I am more confident in being a motherand strong also.” "When we come to visit the group, we leave happier. This ismotivating for my son and me. I was inspired to take a calmer demeanor.” “When I was attending [Amma Family], I became less anxious as I was talking to other mums and we shared ideas and such, so I also became less worried if my child was going through something.”

In the year ahead, our planned activities within Amma Family include:

Welcoming a new manager to our team to strengthen our leadership and support
Streamlining communications with Amma Family members to make information clearer and more accessible
Facilitating links between our clients and community activities in their areas, especially for older kids approaching the age of two
Establishing a garden partnership with Peek and Washhouse Garden to continue our gardening club
Further emphasising co-creation by encouraging our participants to take on facilitation and leadership roles
Creating a welcoming, family-friendly space in our new office where Amma Family will meet weekly
Putting babies and children at the centre of our service design and delivery

Fariba's story

Antenatal Education

Our antenatal education helps parents prepare for birth and life with a new baby, while also building knowledge about rights and choices.

Antenatal education is particularly important for migrant women who may face challenges in understanding their rights and choices during pregnancy and childbirth. For many migrant women, language barriers, cultural differences, and limited access to information are obstacles to making informed decisions about their care. Facilitated by midwife, Kate McKay, and birth educator, Rohese Devereux-Taylor, our group antenatal classes were tailored to the unique needs of the women and birthing people we serve. Our aim was to provide participants with the knowledge and confidence needed to ask questions and self-advocate for a safe, dignified birthing experience. We also do this through 1:1 birth preparation and bespoke birth planning resources, with interpreter support as needed. From April 2022-January 2023, we delivered 20 group antenatal classes to 31 people.

Antenatal Education Outcomes

100% of class participants felt less afraid of childbirth

“I had loads of fear before the class, but when I came to the class it was amazing and my stress has gone down so much. I have an idea of what to expect and what to do, how to move, how to reduce the pain — brilliant! After the class I am so much less nervous about natural birth — my thinking is now completely changed. I now realise I can manage natural birth and I am not scared of it now.”

100% of class participants felt better prepared to meet their baby’s needs upon completion of the course

“Learning about how to care for the baby was important -I do not have my mother here to help and advise me, so now I know things to help myself and my baby, about washing and feeding. It was very useful.” “Yes, this was very helpful — all the practical things about feeding and holding safely makes me feel more confident about the baby coming and how I will manage.”

100% of class participants improved their knowledge about rights and choices in relation to pregnancy & birth 95% of class participants completed the course with increased confidence to self-advocate

“It is so important for us to get this information - nowhere else tells us so much or demonstrates it so clearly. How else would we know all of this if not for these classes?’’ “I think I could put this into practice now by myself.” “I feel safer with this knowledge.” “It helped me speak more knowledgeably to the doctors about things and about what I want." “The most important thing was to learn my rights and that I am able to say ‘no’ to things. Nothing is compulsory. This is very different to my country where you cannot say no to the medical staff. You do not have a choice, and I would not have known this.” “I realised there are many things I need to discuss with the midwife. I could go through the book and make a list of questions I now know I can ask.” “The experience I had with my first baby was not happy, I just accepted everything that was happening even though I didn’t want it. But coming to the antenatal class and doing birth planning helped me see I am allowed to have a choice, to have time to think about it, because the hospital make it sound like something bad will happen if you don’t choose their way. Because of the of the support from Amma, I was able to stick to my choices and believe in my rights and feel confident to keep saying that right up until the birth, and I got the birth I wanted because I stood up for myself.”

In early 2023, we set out to create amore flexible education model that would be accessible to even more clients. Facilitated by Kate and Rohese, our drop-in pregnancy group will be an inclusive and welcoming space for pregnant individuals to ask questions, share concerns, and discuss issues related to pregnancy.

Kate and Rohese

Advocacy & Research

Through advocacy and research, we seek to understand and dismantle the systemic inequalities that lead to poorer birth and parenting outcomes and experiences.

Our advocacy and research efforts over the past year demonstrate an increasing sense of responsibility to amplify the experiences of our clients as a powerful catalyst for change. Our activities also signal a growing awareness of our work, with a rising number of requests to participate in advisory roles and academic research. ‍ Over the past year, our research and advocacy activities were focused on:

Tackling disparities in perinatal care

We have established strong links with senior management within Greater Glasgow & Clyde’s maternity services, public health improvement bodies, and the Equalities Team. We regularly raise issues of concern and advocate for changes aimed at addressing disparities in perinatal care.

In December last year, we shared our monitoring of interpreter issues with the Equalities Team and a senior charge midwife. In both Glasgow hospitals, maternity assessment staff thought it was not possible to use telephone interpreters which resulted in clients not being able to communicate their issues by phone. The Equalities Team agreed to offer training to this department as well as labour ward staff.
Following issues we raised about the use of the ‘red pathway’ (the highest risk classification for pregnancies) based on social reasons, the Special Needs in Pregnancy Team offered to do an audit of cases as an exercise for their obstetric students. This process is underway.
We were commissioned by the Equalities Team to take part in its maternity services review. This will involve testing a new maternity approach to patient engagement and provide input into other projects. This work is ongoing.

Research collaboration with Durham University

In December 2022, we began collaborating with the Durham University Infancy & Sleep Centre on a research project focused on understanding the experiences of infant care within temporary Home Office accommodation. Research will be conducted by six community researchers, drawing on the lived experiences of Amma’s clients. The project will culminate with a report that will be used as an advocacy and influencing tool.

City of Sanctuary Steering Group

After being awarded Maternity Service of Sanctuary status in June 2022, we joined the City of Sanctuary Maternity Stream steering group. The purpose of this group is to increase awareness of the issues facing migrant women accessing maternity services at a national level.

Hotel accommodation

In March 2023, we facilitated a visit from Dr. Helen Ball, Director of the Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre, to McLays Hotel, where she gathered evidence from several mothers and families about their experiences of hotel accommodation. This visit was commissioned by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner’s Office as part of a developing legal challenge around the unsuitability of hotel accommodation for babies/children.

‘Finding Your Voice’ workshop

In March 2023, trustees, Vongayi Mufara and Comfort Anjorin, worked alongside academic researchers, Sarah Shemery and Dr. Lucy Lowe, to develop a ‘Finding your Voice’ research and advocacy workshop for clients. The focus was on helping clients understand the value of this work and how they can contribute, with an emphasis on feeling empowered to self-advocate. The goal of this was to develop an ‘Experts by Experience’ group.

MAMAH Project

In February 2023, we joined the MAMAH Study steering group. The MAMAH Study is led by Dr. Kerrie Stevenson, who was awarded doctoral fellowship funding from UCL to identify clinical and policy interventions to improve maternity care for underserved migrant women in the UK. Our role in the steering group will be to provide input on the progress and direction of the MAMAH study and to ensure the study’s research and outputs are directly relevant to the work of the stakeholders represented.

Midwifery education

In the past year, we delivered two lectures focused on caring for pregnant people in the asylum process to midwifery students at Robert Gordon University and the University of the West of Scotland. We discussed everything from medical racism to intersectionality to human rights in childbirth and were pleased to engage in such open and honest conversation with these aspiring midwives. In May 2023, we attended the International Day of the Midwife celebrations at the University ofthe West of Scotland, where we presented about our work to around 200 student midwives.

Over the coming year, our focus will be on the following activities:

Birth Outcomes & Experiences Report

Last year, we began work on the latest version of our Birth Outcomes & Experiences Report. This report will evidence the disparities in care our clients experience and trends we have observed from data collected over the past couple of years. We intend to share this with the NHS and other key decision makers, as well as the wider public.

Amplifying lived experience

We plan to create a new role, Advocacy & Community Engagement Manager, focused on amplifying our clients’ voices and promoting Amma’s work within the community. The new post holder will ideally be someone with lived experience, who will be responsible for leading our ‘Experts by Experience’ group and helping to embed the views and experiences of our clients across every area of our work.

Reducing breastfeeding disparities

We will soon begin working alongside researchers from the University of Edinburgh and a team of experts by experience to launch ‘Nurture Together’ — a project aimed at promoting, supporting, and sustaining breastfeeding amongst individuals who face multiple barriers to accessing support.

Responding to the Illegal Migration Bill

We are deeply concerned about the impact of the Illegal Migration Bill and will continue to advocate against its implementation. Read our full statement here .

Amma in the Community

In April 2022, a group of brave souls took on the ultimate fundraising challenge for Amma: the Firewalk. Together they achieved the impossible by walking over burning coals in the ultimate test of mind over matter. Thanks to their efforts, we raised £2300.

Awards nominations

We were selected as a finalist in both the Tackling Health Inequalities & Volunteers award categories at the 2022 Scottish Health Awards. We were also shortlisted for the Glasgow Times Community Champion Awards and the National Lottery Awards Projects of the Year.

City of Sanctuary Maternity Service Awards

In June 2022, we were awarded Maternity Service of Sanctuary status in recognition of our support for people seeking sanctuary. The title, the first of its kind in Scotland, was awarded by City of Sanctuary UK, a nationally coordinated network of organisations and services, including councils, universities, theatres and libraries that welcome and support refugees and people seeking asylum.

Black motherhood mural project

In November 2022, Amma participated in the unveiling of a mural outside Glasgow’s Princess Royal Maternity Hospital. The mural artist, Frank Carty, beautifully captured the special bond between Amma Family member, Albright, and her daughter, Adalia. The idea for the mural was developed by concept artist and campaigner, RachelDallas, who is the driving force behind several Black Lives Matter murals throughout Glasgow. Whilst the aim of this project was to celebrate Black motherhood, it was also intended to draw attention to the significant racial health disparities in perinatal care across the UK.

#SeasonofCare

Aspart of our #seasonofcare Big Give holiday fundraising appeal in December 2022, we teamed up with Radio Buena Vida to host a lovely fundraising event in their new café in Govanhill. A group of mothers supported by Amma were invited to share their favourite music and stories live on the air. Community members were invited to join in a family-friendly party at the Café with food, music, and generously donated raffle prizes. Over the course of the campaign, we raised an incredible £15,000.

Online shop

In March 2023, we launched an online shop to coincide with our Mother’s Day fundraising campaign to create and sell herbal care packages. There are many potential benefits to including e-commerce as part of our fundraising strategy, and this is something we will continue to develop. Visit the shop .

Supernova Run

In March 2023, a small team of Amma supporters took part in the Supernova Run around the Kelpies. Lit by glow sticks and headlamps, the route was an immersive journey of light and sound that made for a brilliant evening. We were thrilled that #TeamAmma raised more than £3000 as part of this event.

Honouring Women's Day

To mark International Women’s Day in March 2023, we hosted a series of conversations focused on the intersections of reproductive justice. We heard from an array of birth workers, activists, scholars and people with lived experience all working to support, care, and advocate for women & birthing people. We also took part in the Govanhill Women’s Day March

Media mentions

Migrant women press, maternity & midwifery forum, greater govanhill, glasgow live.

The Guardian

Looking Ahead

In the year ahead, we are committed to:

We are deeply concerned about the impact of the Illegal Migration Bill , especially on pregnant women and their children seeking safety in the UK. The Bill criminalises those seeking asylum, leading to potential indefinite detention, removal to other countries, and a lack of safety-nets for survivors of human trafficking.As we seek to understand and respond to the full implications of this Bill, and its specific impact here in Scotland, we’ll continue to adapt to the needs of our clients and provide unconditional support for all those who need our service.

Putting children at the centre of our work

We are increasingly seeking ways to actively involve children in the design and delivery of our services. As we develop our new office space — including our Amma Family event room — we plan to create a child-friendly environment that fosters the healthy development of both infants and toddlers. By offering child-led activities and tailoring our surroundings to be appropriate for children, we aim to create a welcoming and nurturing space that encourages exploration, learning, and a sense of belonging for children and their families. This child-inclusive approach aligns with our aim to provide holistic care and support for the entire family unit.

Amma Family event room

We are looking forward to having a new, larger office where our staff, volunteers, and clients can gather, collaborate, and connect. This new space will enhance our ability to foster relationships, share resources, and build community.

Amma Family training room

Developing a new strategic plan

We began a new three-year strategic plan in August 2021, and since then we have successfully implemented various key priorities for development. Work is now underway to develop our vision, mission, aims and values and over the coming year, we will engage our staff, board, clients, volunteers and partners in the development of a new strategic plan, which will enable us to sustain and grow our organisation.

Focussing on sustainability

We will embed a strategy for sustainability into our new strategic plan. Following the Lasting Difference toolkit, we will develop our capabilities and capacity focussing on involvement, income generation, innovation, improvement and impact measurement. This work will ensure that we can retain a focus on our core purpose and services, evolve and adapt purposefully, involve our community and partners in a meaningful way, as well as to take a holistic approach to income generation.

Enhancing our approach to equity and inclusion

We will strengthen our commitment to equity and inclusion by embedding an intersectional approach. This means not only acknowledging how the experiences of our staff members, volunteers, and clients are shaped by the interaction of their different identities, but also creating a culture of inclusion that values the diverse perspectives each individuals brings to Amma. It also means actively seeking to remove barriers to participation and creating more opportunities for individuals to meaningfully contribute to the design and delivery of our work.

Developing our online shop

Strengthening links with partner organisations

We are actively seeking to strengthen links with partner organisations to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and promote joined-up working. This will enable us to implement more holistic solutions to the complex challenges our clients face. It will also help us to understand more about the intersecting barriers experienced by other marginalised identities and how we might fill gaps in support.

Raising our profile

We are actively seeking to raise our profile within the community by engaging in outreach activities and fostering strategic partnerships. Through community engagement and the powerful medium of storytelling, we aim to amplify the lived experiences of our clients and highlight the impact of our work.

We are incredibly fortunate to have a skilled, hard-working, and dedicated Board of Trustees, staff team, and group of volunteers who are committed to helping us achieve our mission.

We are also hugely grateful to all our volunteers who make our work possible. Their kindness, dedication, and passion never ceases to amaze us. From April 2022-March 2023, these individuals included:

Board of Trustees

Sarah-Jane Linton, Chair (appointed in August 2022) Vongayi Mufara (appointed Vice-Chair in August 2022) Comfort Anjorin Pauline McCulloch Sarah Scarlett Jamie Kinlochan Sangeeta Kalia (appointed August 2022) Leah Hazard (appointed December 2022) Geraldine Butcher (resigned December 2022) Shogufta Haq (resigned August 2022) Ross Purdie, Treasurer (resigned August 2022) Hannah Pearson (resigned August 2022) Emma Simpson (resigned August 2022) Belinda McElhinney (resigned June 2022) ‍ ‍Outside of this reporting period, Siobhan Moon was appointed Treasurerin June 2023. For more information about our current Board of Trustees, visit our website .

Alvina Chibhamu Amy Tucker Angelina Edwin Angelina Sheridon Anna Beesley Anna Castilla Anna Clark Annette Kelly Antonia Wardrope Audrey Kerr Becha Bowler Elly Coughlin Emma Williamson Fiona Halliday Gemma Dool Geraldine Butcher Hayat Mahmud Helen Charman Irene Waters Jasmine Kennedy Jessica Cox Joanna Peace Kate Mackay Kim Moore Leigh Storey Louise Dunn Lucy Lowe Mairi McLachlan Margaret Van Der Hoeven Mary Kennedy Maureen Gallagher Mussarrah Shaheen Pat Robertson Bex Sik Rohese Devereux-Taylor Rosie Roberts Sarah Shemery Vongayi Mufara

Current Staff Team

Maree Aldam Miana Badd Jenny Block Christelle Boten Beti Brown Ema Čulík Linzi Glen Clara Irvine Leah Lochan Karen Phillips Amanda Purdie Helen Sheriff Morag Riddet Abigail Stein Sarah Zadik Atinuke Olagunju Sam Morgan-Hutchings For more information about our current staff team, visit our website .

Sessional Workers

Rohese Devereux-Taylor Kate McKay Satinder Panesar

Our supporters

Our work is enabled by the generosity of our supporters. We would like to recognise the following funders for the contributions they made to Amma in 2022-23.

Major donors and grant makers

Big Give Cattanach Corra Comic Relief Durham University Glasgow Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund Good Things Foundation Henry Smith Charity Hospital Saturday Fund James T Howat Charitable Trust Magic Little Grants Marks and Spencer Charitable Foundation Morrisons Foundation Movement for Good Mugdock Children’s Trust National Lottery Community Fund Orcome Trust Rayne Foundation Robertson Trust Safer Beginnings Scottish Government PIMH Fund The Fore Trusthouse Charity Foundation Volunteering Support Fund Wellbeing for Longer in Glasgow Fund Women’s Fund Scotland Woodward Charitable Fund

In-kind supporters

Alice Dansey-Wright Cash for Kids Cecilia Stamp Jewellery Curious Liquids Digital Murph Fiona Thomas Fitforit Training Systems Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity Glasgow Spirit of Christmas Hairy Violet Herbal Hey Girls Itison Karlye Intuitive Kin Kitchen, The Vegan Kind Lily Anna Armstrong Jewellery Little Cherubs Mighty Mama Coach National Records of Scotland Radio Buena Vida Silk Road Deli Some Great Reward Record Cafe The Haberdashery The Osteopaths Top Drawer Construction Yoga Ema

We are incredibly grateful for the generous donations we have received from both individuals and businesses. Your contributions help us create even greater impact for the people we support.

Annual Report 2022-23

Registered office and operational address: Amma Birth Companions 5 th Floor, 1 Cadogan Square, 51 Cadogan Street, Glasgow, G2 7HF United Kingdom [email protected] ammabirthcompanions.org Facebook Instagram YouTube X (formerly Twitter) Amma Birth Companions is a charity registered in Scotland (SC049280) Designed by Skein Agency in Glasgow All content © Amma Birth Companions 2023

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Someone Like You

Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, "Someone Like You" is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young archit... Read all Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, "Someone Like You" is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young architect launches a search for her secret twin sister. Based on the novel by #1 NYTimes bestselling author Karen Kingsbury, "Someone Like You" is an achingly beautiful love story. After the tragic loss of his best friend, a grieving young architect launches a search for her secret twin sister.