Let's have it all please - The National Childbirth Trust

[Rhiannon]

Lil, Croppy et al. The NCT is a national organisation there are over 400 branches. New branches being set up in Northern Ireland and Dundee at the moment. They are all over London. Everyone at your local NCT is a volunteer if you volunteer your services to set up a working Mum's group or any other type of group within the branch, I know they will be very grateful. If you don't like the women at the local branch go to the next one up the road it's not a problem. If you are having problems let me know where you are and I'll find out the contact names and numbers for you. Ask if they have Bumps and Babes which is a group especially to introduce people. As you can tell I am passionate about the NCT (I am not left wing or a veggie, I don't wear beads and I didn't even breast feed!). We welcome all newcomers so if you live near junction 25 of the M25 you are very welcome. Phew! Or just call head office on 0208 992 8637 for more advice.

As Chair of our little branch,I can honestly say I have worked non stop to try to improve things in this area for over 5 years. We have a very small membership list but we have a Bumps and Babes group, we invite people here there and everywhere, we are very conscious of a so called 'clique' and we make sure that everyone at Bumps and Babes is aware that if people do know each other, they will only have met once or twice before.

We organise all sorts of fundraisers and Nearly New Sales but we still only have 40 members! I have advertised in our mag. (200 print) for someone to come forward to resurrect the Working Mum's group or even to join it but there have been no replies.

We keep going by 'inviting' non members to all our functions. Our members don't attend for some very strange reason! We raised £300 at our Easter Party last Friday and we hope to donate some of that to help other branches out with volunteer training costs.

click here to mail suew

whoo hoo! it worked. The thingy for the email link is:
a href=mailto:[email protected] (this bit enclosed by the less than and greater than signs)
suew's email
/a (surrounded by the signs again)

For some reason that was really fun!

When I first moved to this area with my 9mth old DD and made contact with NCT I was invited to a coffee morning for new members/prospective members only.

The idea was that everyone was new, so there would be no cliques, real or perceived, and everyone was in the same boat. Two or three comittee members or postnatal supporters would attend and they helped integrate you into Bumps and Babies or whatever you were interested in.

Meetings for new members were held every few months, depending on how many newcomers came into the area. It was a good ice breaker and a nice way of welcoming people.

Inspired by Jj's intrepidity and Suew's sacrifice in giving up Mickey Blue Eyes, here goes. This is the site that encouraged me to try and set up a Weekender Parents' Group, hopefully under the auspices of my local NCT branch...

Sandhurst & Crowthorne Working Parents Group

Doh! CORRECTLY typed link now follows.
Sandhurst & Crowthorne Working Parents' Group
Apologies...

I'm a SAHM and met lots of other Mums through NCT. My experience was that most of them went back to work, and I was left high and dry. So watch out, try to get to know a mixture.

On the subject of cliques, I know that it can be hard to leave your group to welcome a new person, you might even feel officious doing it, but I try to do so if I'm at something where I know the ropes. I've felt very hurt sometimes when the same hasn't been done for me in a new situation.

Can anyone speak up for cliques? What is it like to be in one? Is it a real pain to talk to someone new or does it feel uncomfortable to do so?

Marina, I've made some enquiries and Lewisham & Greenwich NCT are now aware of your existance. ;-)

Only problem is, so far no one of your name is on any of the lists they've received. (That could be because you're using a nickname here.) I can't post any private phone numbers here but if you have a local contact number, do use that or you can find a number by calling NCT on 020 8992 2616

They have had low numbers of volunteers helping with membership and support, so that could be why you've not heard from them yet.
HTH

Thanks Chairmum! It is a nickname I use because someone else had nicked my name before I signed up here. I'll look forward to hearing from them when they get a chance. I know it is no fun being hassled when you are an under-resourced person doing things for nothing.

PS Suew and Chairmum - don't you think it's a shame that the NCT don't offer a chat/forum facility for members and non-members on their otherwise excellent new website? It's very informative, but not very inclusive, if you know what I mean. There has been some thought-provoking discussion on the organisation here and in other mumsnet threads, but perhaps it would have been helpful to NCT head office to be aware of our varying reactions/experiences.
Suew put me in touch with a Yahoo Groups NCT talk list but I would not have known about its existence from the official website.