MN tea ladies have landed in the House of Commons...

[policywonk]

... and we all look pretty silly

Just waiting for the slebs and worthies to show up so that we can spill hot liquids on them

[CMOTdibbler]

OK - have emailed HQ to ask what they would think.

GG already do midwife bicycles, safe birth kits, traditional birth attendant training, and degree sponsorship, so it would seem to be something that they would be interested in.

[morningpaper]

Yes let's do it

[KeithTalent]

Lovely to meet you all and Carries Mumsnet's lovely Lancastrian family

Annie Lennox was ON FIRE with her speech, and it was great to hear someone being angry in public about stuff that actually matters for a change.

On a more frivolous note dd2 (6) is well pleased with having been able to send a postcard from INSIDE the House of Commons.

[onebatmother]

Ah - she was lovely Keith. In fact, may I just congratulate everyone on having SUCH delightful children? You done us proud.

[onebatmother]

Trying to get some photos now so that you can all laugh at us.

[mrsbaldwin]

Morningpaper that is a really great idea about a Mumsnet sponsored midwife... Maybe in Malawi where Carrie MN visited?? Somewhere where UK aid money is going in would be good.

Great to meet everyone today

[Heathcliffscathy]

onebat was fantastic to meet you today...i am properly inspired, have started a thread and everything...am going to be proper activist from this day forward

[Carriemumsnet]

Can I give a vote of thanks to the completely fabulous Mumsnet Tea ladies - they were amazing. The whole event was just great and made you think, just for a moment, that working together with partners like Amnesty, Oxfam, Save the Children and the WRA we could actually make a difference. Let's hope it does.

Agree with onebatmother it was the first time I've heard people talk about sisters and solidarity without anyone shying away for ages - but it really did feel like a sisterhood and there really was a feeling of solidarity. And I was so proud of the Mumsnetters and the fact that we were able to say that Mumsnetters do care about their sisters giving birth all over the world and will hold the politicians to account.

So well done all and thanks to CMOTDibbler for sussing out GoodGifts - have also asked Oxfam what opportunities they can offer and will see what, if anything, I can do with the folks I met in Malawi.

Meantime if anyone is itching to take action and has already signed up for Million Mums and sent their Sam Taylor Wood Mother's Day Card they can always email their MP and /or prospective MP's and ask if they are supporting the Manifesto for Motherhood And do feedback if you get a response!

Thanks all, and happy mother's day to y'all

[citybranch]

Hi, just got home. I had a fantastic morning and everyone was very lovely. KeithTalent - we didn't say goodbye, it was nice to meet you and your DCs are angels!

Speeches have given me a lot to think about.

[Heathcliffscathy]

carrie you really were fantastic...i've written about it on my annie lennox thread but the level to which what you saw in malawi moved you was the most powerful thing...that spoke more than a thousand statistics.

if there is anything I can ever do again for this amazing cause please please count me in.

[Heathcliffscathy]

carrie you really were fantastic...i've written about it on my annie lennox thread but the level to which what you saw in malawi moved you was the most powerful thing...that spoke more than a thousand statistics.

if there is anything I can ever do again for this amazing cause please please count me in.

[onebatmother]

yes, Happy MOther's Day to all

Lovely to meet you to Soph!

[onebatmother]

lol Aberdeen upper arms aitch. She was certainly very toned all over

[domesticslattern]

Here's the Amnesty film that was introduced by Annie Lennox. Powerful stuff.

Every day should be mothers' day

Well worth watching.

[Heathcliffscathy]

hope you've all linked to millionmums on your facebook pages ladies...and emailed all your friends about this incredibly important cause..

[KeithTalent]

Citybranch, lovely to meet you too! Hope all ok at your cm's house!

Will get on with emailing mp and the like.

Great idea about an mn midwife!

[Heathcliffscathy]

do you know what really wasn't great about that film: keira knightly! i have nothing against her, but had never seen her apart from acting before...the whole head on one side 6th formeresqueness was quite cringey i thought...every time she came on I thought 'oh god get off, leave this to annie, and that fantastic actor that starts it, who delivers his script incredibly powerfully, and jonathan pryce'

[InmyheadIminParis]

Just got home (okay, just got home, given DC their tea, tidied up, put on beebies...) Such a great event, felt proud to be there and proud of MN for getting involved with such an important campaign.

Carrie , your speech really brought it home about the conditions some women have to endure when giving birth - a 3 hour bike ride when in labour . Thought Annie Lennox was amazing - on fire is the right word. And great to hear people saying 'sisterhood' and feeling not .

So good to meet some RL MNers too - slightly disappointed that no-one was as scary as I'd expected - even Sophable , but very impressed with OneBatMother's pinny making skills. Move over Ms. Kidston. And to cap it all, bumped into a long, lost friend I'd shared a flat with 15 years ago... Thanks for a great morning.

[CMOTdibbler]

I have spoken with the Charities Advisory Trust (aka Goodgifts), and they are v enthusiastic :
Thank you for contacting us at Good Gifts.
The Charities Advisory Trust, the charity behind the Good Gifts Catalogue, both through Good Gifts and Card Aid, fund various projects to improve maternal health. This includes training for midwives and birth attendants and providing care for women suffering from damage caused during childbirth, for example fistula.
We have partners who provide midwifery training in a wide range of African countries, and in various states in India. They would be thrilled to get extra funding so they could expand their work.
Providing shelters for women, and their families, is something we have done in a hospital in Malawi, and we have funded a maternity ward in a community hospital in India.
I read the reports of the trip with great interest, and thought Carrie?s suggestions very sensible. We?d be happy to consider training for midwives as a Good Gift in the next catalogue. We could try to think up a way of funding the shelters, they are really long stay maternity wards, without the equipment, aren?t they? As one of your bloggers pointed out, here at Good Gifts the money goes on the specific gift. It isn?t pooled, as in Oxfam Unwrapped. Our running costs come from the handling charge and recovered Gift Aid.
We would be delighted to work with the Mumsnet group to give practical help to prevent the startlingly high, and needless, maternal deaths in the developing world. How would you like to proceed. would a meeting be helpful? Or a phone call?

Anyone want to talk to them with me ?

[onebatmother]

I think - unless I've got wrong end of stick CMOT - that the midwife-training idea is now underway. Brilliant. We'll keep everyone updated.

In the meantime, here are some new photies of the Mum's Cafe to look at!

[CMOTdibbler]

Yes - have spoken to Carrie, and Oxfam are sorting something