Shropshire Star

Telford Shopping Centre is one of the best places in the whole country for breastfeeding mums

Telford Shopping Centre has been named one of the best places in the UK for breastfeeding mums, as a national awards scheme reopens.

Published
A young mother breastfeeding her baby

According to a survey by maternal health experts, Lansinoh, Telford Shopping Centre was considered the fourth most breastfeeding-friendly centre in the UK.

It comes as part of its national Feed With Confidence awards, to uncover the most and least challenging places for mums to breastfeed in public.

Katie Broome, marketing manager at Telford Centre said: "To rank 4th in the top 10 of the UK's most breastfeeding friendly shopping centre's is something we are very proud of at Telford Centre.

"We strive to provide the best customer experience for all the family to enjoy our large range of stores and fashion brands.

"Provision of suitable feeding facilities is just one element of our family friendly services that are available which also include a dedicated quiet hour each week."

Research by Lansinoh has suggested that 13 per cent of new mums have been openly criticised whilst breastfeeding in public.

And the company aim to change this, by helping mums feel more empowered to breastfeed outside of their home.

The 'Feed with Confidence' awards have been running since 2017 and are designed to celebrate the places and individuals who actively support breastfeeding mums.

The awards are open to mums themselves to nominate either a person or place that has gone above and beyond to support them.

This is the first year that the awards have run since the pandemic, when restrictions meant that restaurants, cafés and shops had to close.

Lisa Craven, marketing manager at Lansinoh Laboratories UK Ltd, said: “Not only does the UK have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, but nearly one in seven new mums in our survey said they’ve been openly criticised whilst breastfeeding in public.

"Therefore, we want to champion mums to feel more comfortable breastfeeding whilst away from home.

“At Lansinoh, we are committed to supporting mums to feed confidently, wherever they are.

"We know that some new mums might not have had a chance to breastfeed in public yet, so these awards – voted for by mums – will hopefully support their journey and empower them to breastfeed confidently in public."