National Breastfeeding Week

23 June 2010

It’s been an incredibly busy few weeks since I wrote my last blog. There is a lot to update you on, so I’ll try and keep each bit brief.

First, we had our official office launch. Actor Leon Ockenden and TV Presenter Charlie Webster kicked off the event with a training session, then actress Celia Imrie gave a lovely speech and cut the ribbon.

I was so delighted that Theo Walcott’s parents Lynn and Don came to the launch. And I've since been gutted that Theo hasn’t joined team England for the World Cup. Here's hoping his team mates pull it out the bag today.

Back to our new office. Being at 112 Mill Lane has already made a huge difference to our work. We've got a meeting table so we are frequenting the local cafes slightly less! We've also got more desk space for volunteers. Our move was made possible thanks to the support of the Tedworth Charitable Trust, who have supported us from our beginnings. Thank you to James Sainsbury and the other Trustees of the Trust for enabling Best Beginnings to take this big step.

Since I last blogged I've given a few talks. In early May I spoke at the Primary Care 2010 conference in Birmingham to about 1000 midwives and health visitors. I also got to speak to many of them afterwards - the feedback on our From Bump to Breastfeeding DVD was excellent. You can see my speech here.

Also in May, I spoke at a Queen Charlotte’s Hospital event organised by Gillian Weaver to celebrate 75 years of the milk bank there. It’s a cause particularly close to my heart because my uncle, Professor David Baum, developed milk banking in the UK. A commitment to continue my uncle's work after his untimely death in 1999 was one of the key motivators behind setting up Best Beginnings.

Uncle David was the President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) when he died. It was therefore a real honour to speak at the House of Commons yesterday alongside Consultant Paediatrician Dr Judith Meek who, as well as being a Trustee of Best Beginnings, is the official RCPCH Representative on the Steering Group of the Breastfeeding Manifesto. Yesterday's Parliamentary event was a great opportunity to get more MPs to sign up to the Manifesto.

If you've not yet signed up click here to add your support.

9642 regular people like you and me have added their names to the Manifesto already; with your help we can get 10,000 this week, during National Breastfeeding Week.

I am hoping to get more sign-ups today when I give a talk in Brent.

Wherever you live in the UK you can click here to email your MP and ask them to add their support to the Manifesto. Together we can make a real and lasting difference for future generations.

Meanwhile, our team for the Asics 10K run in July is growing fast as is our team for the London to Paris bike ride in September.

A couple of weeks ago I had the immense pleasure of watching three actors and Charlie Webster being trained in the pouring rain in Soho Square - by Benjy, my cousin's seven-year-old boy! We all got soaked but had great fun - thanks so much to Charlie and the actors and a special thank you to Benjy!

You can see the videos from the day over on our Vimeo channel or on their individual pages.

We still have places left for the run and the ride, so if you would like to join us I’d love to see you there.

You can do what I do and fit in cycle rides on the way to and from meetings. I did 12.5 miles yesterday cycling to and from Chelsea and I made it back quicker than Tom Walker, our fantastic new Head of Fundraising who took the Tube!

I'll blog again sometime soon. In the meantime, wish me luck for my talk today!