ISOLATED new mothers and pregnant women are the focus of a new group launched in Oxford yesterday.

The Oxford Perinatal Support Project, based in Blackbird Leys, provides volunteers to help support mums in the county.

Coordinator Trish Moore, 43, said: “What we are aiming to do is provide trained volunteers to become befrienders to pregnant women and mums with babies aged up to one-year-old.

“They will go into mums’ houses, or meet up with them at a neutral place, and their role is to offer a high degree of emotional or practical support.”

Mothers can be referred by other health services or can contact the project for help.

It already has six trained volunteers, who have all been mothers or are about to be mums.

Ms Moore, a mother of four, said: “They can take the mum to the shops, take her out and about or look after the baby while she takes a bath or gets her hair done.”

She added: “Oxford is fairly well covered for mums that are poorly and need hospital treatment.

“But there is a real gap in support for mums who do not fit into that, but may feel socially isolated, on their own, or just very tearful and tired.

“We are hoping to plug that gap.”

Volunteers range from a pregnant woman to a young mum and another is a grandmother. Some have experience of post-natal depression.

Ms Moore said: “The befriender can just give a mum the reassurance that she is doing a good job.

“Things don’t necessarily come easily to everyone and sometimes it is just nice to have someone who is not a friend or family member, but someone who will come in and give attention to you.”

She added: “Everyone is really excited. It’s been quite a learning curve, but it’s going really well.”

Becci Whitehead, 21, from Abingdon, is amongst the volunteers.

She fell pregnant with daughter Gracie Neale when she was 17.

She said: “Babies don’t come with a manual.

“A lot of times you feel a bit anxious about asking questions because you feel inadequate, so it is nice to have someone to talk to.

“I did feel a bit let down at the time because I never had any antenatal classes. I was afraid to ask. This is a brilliant project.”

  • to find out more about the project, call Trish Moore on 07585 790633 or email perinatal.oxford@family-action.org.uk