WYE Valley NHS Trust has been recognised by Unicef for its work with mothers and newborn babies, showing best practice standards are in place.

The trust have been handed the Baby Friendly Award, which is part of the Baby Friendly Initiative set up by Unicef and the World Health Organisation. The global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies.

In the UK, the initiative works to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding and to strengthen mother-baby and family relationships.

Wye Valley NHS Trust said they are committed to helping new mothers breastfeed.

Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, Sue Ashmore, said: "We are delighted that Wye Valley NHS Trust has achieved full Baby Friendly status.

"Surveys show us that most mothers want to breastfeed but don't always get the support they need. Mothers at Wye Valley NHS Trust can be confident that their midwife and Health Visiting teams will provide high standards of care."

As part of International Breastfeeding week in August, there will be an event called 'The Big Latch On' at the Courtyard from 10am-1pm on August 2. Global Big Latch On events take place at registered locations around the world, where people gather together to breastfeed and offer peer support to each other.

Herefordshire now has more than 20 volunteer breastfeeding peer supporters, offering support to mums across all of Herefordshire, support being available every week day somewhere across the county.

The Courtyard will be launching its Babes in Arms film screenings which aim to offer new parents or child carers the opportunity to get out of the house, socialise and enjoy great films whilst with their baby in a comfortable setting, without having to worry about disturbing others.