Anyone remember the Breastfeeding Picnic we organised last year? We're doing another one!! Please add your support here!

[theSuburbanDryad]

I know there's a petition up for people to sign if they don't agree with the new Equality Bill being proposed, but if you'd like to do something more physical then watch this space!

We're hoping to do this on the 21st July, to coincide with the recess of Parliament for the summer break. We're also going to be organising regional events this time, as I know that a lot of people would have liked to be involved but couldn't get to London!

More news as I soon as I know what we're doing - but your support will be invaluable.

We're protesting that we do not want breastfeeding to be included in the Single Equalities Act. We want our own breastfeeding act:

The Single Equalities Act (UK), which has not been put to consultation on breastfeeding, will allow any women who has been asked to leave public premises because she is breastfeeding to SUE the person who threw her out, under the Sex Discrimination Act. As long as the baby is under six months old. So she has to gain evidence that this happened, contact a lawyer, get them to agree to take the case on, and sue them for sexually discrimintating against her.

boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2008/06/breastfeeding-in-public-six-months.html

This is useless.

Breastfeeding is not illegal in the UK. It is not illegal in England and Wales. We don't need breastfeeding to be legal.

We need a law, stating that it is illegal for anyone to harass a mother and baby, for breastfeeding. Which is what Scotland has.

So we're protesting the Single Equalities framework, and asking for protection for actual mothers and children. Protection that they cannot be harrasssed, or asked to stop, breastfeeding. Hungry babies get fed. Mothers safe from feeling fearful.

The right to food when and where the baby is hungry. The right of the mother not to feel intimidated or harrassed, or prevented from feeding the baby.

Not some stupid law that could almost never be called in - who is going to provide written evidence that they threw a mother out for breastfeeding? Not to mention the age bar - will babies have to be 'carded' with little ID cards so we can prove they are young enough to have a feed? The entire thing will make breasfteeding harder. Adn provides absolutely no protection from being harrasssed in the park, for instance.

i dont think we have a bf group and couldnt really organise but can spread word if someone does choose to.

are the nct groups in on this? they seem activw around ales

I might be up for this.
Having trouble getting my nosey 9 month old to feed in public at the moment but happy to bare my breasts in public and try and get her on.
Keep me posted.

Well it's about protecting hungry babies, isn't it? Doesn't matter how they are fed. And protecting mothers. Mothers need to feel safe. So it's the right of the baby for food, and the right of the mother to feel safe. Regardless.

Hopefully, we can avoid mentioning age at all.

I'm up for it.

The six months thing in particular gets my goat. A friend and I were out feeding in a cafe last week and commented that I was being obscene (6 months old baby) and she was not (4 months old baby). FGS.

We must have a picnic ON THE BORDER.

And have Mums breastfeeding in Scotland (protected) and get them to cross to England (unprotected).

Protected/unprotected! I like it! :-)

So, who is in Berwick-Upon-Tweed?

Anything happening in the Wilts/Somerset area?

Just to clarify to everyone - we decided to do this this afternoon. Once Parliament Square is booked, which hopefully will be tomorrow, then we can launch and organise all the other venues.

So right now, we're looking for volunteers and support. If you want to see one somewhere - volunteer to run it, or 'volunteer' a friend!

Wehn we have the date and time at Parliament Square confirmed, we'll go on and make serious plans for the other events. We can't spread too thin. 20 mothers is say, Bristol, is going to make a better impact than 5 in Marlborough, 5 in Avon etc.

We'll also do an events book on facebook etc, so you can sign up to attend, in virtual reality, if one of the regional sites is impossible for you. :-)

Brilliant Morgangee, I thought your earlier post of why we are doing it was well put.

I'm up for organising one on Teesside, I'll talk to my local NCT branch too.

May I suggest Baby Cafe? If there are Baby Cafes in your area, contact them! Certainly mine put on a picnic for National Breastfeeding Week. Also organisers should contact their local press to try and get some coverage.

I've just written the letter to apply for permission. They may well drag their heels over this - although they didn't last time. I think we should just get on and sort the regional events and take the Parliament Square one as read. They have to give permission, by law, and if they don't there are channels we can go through.

So, we need to liase with lacthelpers.net and see what's happening with the regional events, and decide on actual locations.

I'd certainly be up for this - London probably so will keep watching

Am up for the london one too!

Suburbandryad - do you mean these people?

Excellent - I've put the 21st on the letter to Charing X SE dept. I know it's short notice, but I want it before they go away for the summer (and people complain about teachers' summer holidays!) and i think it may give them something to think about - for the first 3 minutes of their sumer break, anyway.

We could also arrange something for when they come back in October, maybe, just to remind them that we're not going to go away, but that's something to discuss later, perhaps.

Um, yes, I think so BT. Tis Morgan's home ground, not mine, so I will leave the liaison to her i think! Unless you're on it?

No, but I thought I would join.

I'll be in London on 21st July, would you all be happy for some support from a pregnant but as yet childless lady?

I would be happy to join in - live in Newcastle now but moving to Co. Durham tomorrow, so anywhere NEastern really.

I have a 7 month old DD....

cyteen - the more the merrier! Bring your partner along as well!

Okay, I'm barely awake here, and I have to get DS to nursery and then go visit Yarl's Wood (shudder) so I won't get to much for a little while. Otherwise, I'll start preparing a blog page, so we have a reference point for people not in communites, and confirm to L-H what we're doing.

You know, we need to find a way of explaining that this is a mother-to-mother support event. That's it's about mothers and babies, and hungry babies, and although it's positioned on breastfeeding as breasfteeding babies get the most grief, it's just about mothers and babies per se.

bump