High street nursery brand, Mamas & Papas has launched a new partnership with the UK’s leading pregnancy research charity, Tommy’s.
It comes as the charity – which aims to stop the heartbreak of baby loss and to make pregnancy and birth safe – highlights that half of us in the UK have experienced baby loss or know someone who has.
Launched ahead of Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October), the partnership includes a range of initiatives to ensure that expert support and information is available to all Mamas & Papas customers who need it.
As part of the partnership, the Mamas & Papas Customer Care team will be trained by Tommy’s experts to make sure that every customer who is faced with the experience of pregnancy and baby loss receives the care and treatment they need during that time. By the end of 2025, every customer facing colleague will have been trained.
To help raise vital funds for the charity, for the first time, the nursery brand is working with fintech charity Pennies, to offer customers the option to ‘top-up’ and donate when making purchases in store. It is also selling Plum & Ashby’s Wave of Light candle, with 100% of the profits going to Tommy’s in support of Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Mamas & Papas will also use Tommy’s expertise to identify people and communities who are likely to need more support during pregnancy and will support the charity in campaigning for vital government policy changes to make pregnancy and birth safe for all.
The partnership builds upon the changes Mamas & Papas made to its internal People Agenda in 2023, improving the benefits for colleagues who, in the difficult event of pregnancy or baby loss, now receive fully paid leave.
“Our purpose at Mamas & Papas is to inspire and support parents in feeling confident, capable and loving life with their little ones,” commented Claire Rayner, marketing director at Mamas & Papas. “But we know that the journey to parenthood can sometimes be challenging. Heartbreakingly, every day we receive a call or a visit into one of our stores from a parent who has sadly suffered pregnancy or baby loss and, with Tommy’s, we can better help them to navigate through the difficult time and personal adjustment.
“While our colleagues are always sensitive to these situations, the training with Tommy’s means we’re better equipped to offer more support. We’ll also work in partnership with Tommy’s to reach more groups who need extra support during pregnancy or who are deemed most at risk.”
Claire continued: “Ultimately, we want the partnership to contribute to a much-needed step forward in removing the stigma around pregnancy and baby loss to help make sure that every parent who experiences loss receives the support they deserve.”
Jacqui Clinton, fundraising director at Tommy’s, added: “We know we can achieve more by working with others who share that goal. Our partnership with Mamas & Papas perfectly reflects that shared commitment. We’re thrilled to have their support, which will help us make a real difference for people affected by pregnancy and baby loss and help fund the research needed to save babies’ lives.”
Alison Hutchinson CBE, ceo at Pennies, concluded: “We are so pleased to welcome Mamas & Papas to the Pennies’ micro-donation family. We just know their customers will be generous and appreciate being asked to contribute a few pennies to such a fantastic cause. We look forward to the months and years ahead making great contributions in our communities.”
