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John Lewis secures breast feeding charter
mark
DEPARTMENT store John Lewis
has become the latest venue in Liverpool to secure a charter mark for being
breast feeding friendly. The City Council's 'breastfeeding Mayoral Quality
Mark' aims to make Liverpool a place where mums can breastfeed in comfort
when they are out and about.
Successful businesses sign up to a 10 point plan which includes:-
► Allow breastfeeding in all public areas.
► Making private areas available for feeding where possible.
► Offering mums a free drink of water or tea/coffee.
► Promoting support services for breastfeeding.
Since the scheme was launched in September, more than 50 cafes, shops and
restaurants across Liverpool have achieved the Quality Mark.
Each venue receives a certificate and a badge that they can place in their
window or door to let customers know they are breast feeding friendly.
Deputy Mayor, Cllr Ann O'Byrne, who handed over the Quality Mark certificate to
staff at the Liverpool ONE store, said:- "I am absolutely delighted that
John Lewis have secured the breastfeeding Mayoral Quality Mark. The store
is hugely popular with mums with young children, and the Quality Mark will let
them be assured that they can feed their child without being disturbed." Liverpool is seeing an increase in breastfeeding rates, but still lags behind
the national average, and the Quality Mark is aimed at making sure they are many
venues where mums feel comfortable breastfeeding.
A total of 53% of new mums feed naturally, compared to 74% elsewhere, dropping
to 32% at 6 to 8 weeks against 44% across the rest of the country.
John Lewis Liverpool Head of Branch, Mark Blundell, said:- "We are
extremely thankful for receiving the breastfeeding Mayoral Quality Mark from
Liverpool Bambi's. It is great for our existing customers and new customers to
know that they are able to feel comfortable and at ease feeding their child
within our store." To mark the accreditation, the 1st 30 mums to visit with babies, on Tuesday
received a special John Lewis gift bag.
The City's peer support group for breastfeeding, Liverpool Bambis, who are
based at and managed by Wavertree, Childwall and Woolton Children's Centre, has
supported 16,000 mums over the last 5 years.
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