Brighton charity for mothers at risk of closing due to funds

Mothers Uncovered was founded in 2008 by Maggie Gordon-Walker to support women through every stage of motherhood in Brighton and Hove and the surrounding areas.

Sessions held by the charity allow mothers to “talk openly and honestly, without fear of judgement” and to celebrate being a mother, in a bid to tackle mental health issues such as postnatal depression and loneliness.

However, the charity is under threat due to difficulties in securing funding.

Maggie reported that over the past year, the charity has applied for at least 50 different funding grants, but with very little success.

She said: “It is grim. Charities are folding all the time. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, the poor being the charities.

Maggie Gordon-Walker, the founder of the charity (Image: Maggie Gordon-Walker)“Something needs to be done. We are down to our last £3,000 now and then we cannot run. I have not been on the pay I should be on for months now.

“We are pretty badly served in Brighton and Hove. It is progressively getting worse as the years go by."

Maggie is concerned that without the support offered by the charity, mothers will be left with nowhere to turn.

She said: “We have had so many women say this is what has saved them.

“At least one in five women experience poor maternal mental health, with hidden levels of isolation, loneliness and anxiety or depression costing the UK millions per year and with unknown longer term effects on children and families.

One of the charity's support groups (Image: Maggie Gordon-Walker)"We believe the true number is higher, but many women do not report their feelings, so they are undocumented.

“Mothers Uncovered runs several groups a year and while there would be many tears shed in the groups, we only occasionally felt very concerned about a mother’s wellbeing.

“Now that has escalated worryingly, from about one woman every eighteen months, to almost one per group.”

A link to the charity’s donation page can be found here. People can also support the charity for free through their EasyFundraising scheme involving brand partners.