Would it put you off going to a BF support group if it was upstairs?

[QueenOfFeckingEverything]

In the process of trying to start a peer support group in my nearest town. Currently the nearest one is 22 miles away and inaccessible on public transport.

Anyway, we have been trying to find a venue for a while (several months, due to protracted faffing from local Sure Start equivalent [not in England]) with no joy, but today I found one that is big enough, and available at a good time, and very central to town - but it is upstairs in a building with no lift [rolleyes]. Obviously this is far from ideal.

Would you go for it? Or would it be daft to even try it out for a few weeks?

I'd be more than happy to host a group here, but unfortunately we are three miles out of town with a crap infrequent bus service, and a mile long untarmacced drive that goes up the side of a mountain steep hill. Suspect that would pose even more access issues than the upstairs venue

lizzytee - I like your thinking and will see what I can do along those lines!

Have you tried your local branch of LINK? Mine is very helpful at providing information.

And try state/private schools as well as nurseries. Many will lend/hire a hall. Children in Need and NatWest do grants and please approach NCT. They may well have a bfing counsellor nearby plus grant options.

Heh heh heh

Seriously though, in securing the venue I've got, it took months. A big thing was convincing them that I really, really would run the group on a voluntary basis week after week, which I have done, with advance notice for holidays and that sort of thing and completing all the paperwork they ask me to do. The other was communicating that the support I was offering was mother-centred and my smelly old judgey-pants were at the bottom of the laundry pile non-judgemental, and in tune with the centre's aims. I think I did write a sort of mission statement for discussion.

What about mothers with disabilities?

It wouldn't have put me off first time round as I was very fit and healthy but having had godawful SPD etc all the way through this pg then an overnight recovery is unlikely and the stairs thing would put me off. For those using a wheelchair etc or with more permanent conditions it would be impossible and given that so many baby groups / activities are not particularly accessible already it would be a shame to add yours to the long list of things that disabled parents would be excluded from...

I know Grumpla... I can see it is faaaaar from ideal, like I say I just wondered if it would be better than nothing whilst I carried on working on a better venue.

Sounds weird but have you considered a local pub?!? If they have a suitable space they might be happy to rent it out before their licence starts - most pubs have staff and cleaners in before the bar opens and they would have a supply of soft drinks on tap!

There is a Wetherspoons and I did think about it the other day! But then I thought it wouldn't be great for mobile babies/toddlers - DS is 18mo and it is a totally unsuitable space for him already. We almost had it running in the local soft play centre/cafe, but then it went bust and closed down [sigh]

Was just about to say, there's a bf support group who meets at a cafe near where I live, they just section an area off. Obviously it means mums have got to keep an eye on their toddlers but cafe gets extra business (I bf'd for the first time in public there and none of the staff batted an eye, always recommend it to people now!) the meetings aren't over lunchtime so it's fairly quiet, and can occupy older babies/toddlers with cake! Would mean you would only be out of pocket by the cost of your brew.