THE postnatal ward at the QE2 Hospital has been given a huge boost thanks to mums who took part in a sponsored walk.

To mark last week’s National Breastfeeding Week, which ended on Sunday, a series of events including the sponsored parent and baby walk at Stanborough Park, were arranged in Welwyn Hatfield.

A support drop-in session for mums was also held in Hatfield, as well as a coffee morning and tea and cake afternoon in WGC.

The main aim of the group was to help raise funds for a breastpump at the WGC hospital.

Organiser Rona Moss, breastfeeding peer supporter at the QE2, said the week’s events helped raise more than �150.

The mum to one-year-old Ellen added: “Most of the children who took part in the walk were born at the QE2 and it is therefore something the parents wanted to show their support for.

“The walk is a great way to raise money for a really worthwhile cause while at the same time increasing awareness of local breastfeeding support available to new mums.

“In the last year, two groups of mum-to-mum breastfeeding peer supporters have been trained through the local NHS trust and these volunteers, along with the many breastfeeding support drop-in sessions across Hertfordshire, are really helping mums breastfeed happily for longer.”

The week was originally set-up by the Department of Health in 1993, the main aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the health benefits of breastfeeding, increase social acceptance of breastfeeding and promote support for breastfeeding.