SERVICES provides by a vital breastfeeding support group in Basingstoke have been saved for a year after Hampshire County Council agreed to provide funding.

Hampshire Breastfeeding Counselling was set up in June 2013 after being awarded funding from Hampshire County Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Test Valley Borough Council to provide eight breastfeeding drop-in sessions.

The sessions, which run in Chineham, Brookvale, Kingsclere, Tadley, Whitchurch and Overton, were set up following a request from Action for Children – a charity which manages children’s centres across the country and provides specialist advice to breastfeeding mothers.

As previously reported by The Gazette, the grants have now run out and the group is looking for £40,000-a-year funding to ensure the important service is not lost.

But following a meeting on June 19, which was attended by Hampshire Breastfeeding Counselling, county councillors Anna McNair-Scott and Elaine Still and the county council’s executive member for health and public health, Councillor Patricia Stallard, the county council has agreed to fund the sessions for the remainder of the year to the tune of around £27,000.

Councillor Elaine Still said: “After meeting the counsellors and mothers using the service I asked for an urgent review. I am very pleased to report the outcome of the meeting was a positive one.

“Hampshire County Council will be working with health visitors, maternity services and local breastfeeding support services to identify a sustainable future service model.

“To allow this to happen the current service availability will be maintained for the remainder of the financial year. It was also agreed to establish a small working group to include breastfeeding counsellors to help identify a sustainable future model of support for women to breastfeed across all of Hampshire.”

According to an evaluation completed by the group, 93 per cent of mothers felt their issues were fully or partially resolved after attending a session and 87 per cent said their confidence had improved as a result of attending a session.

Breastfeeding counsellor Fiona Robertson said: "Following a meeting with the Public Health Team at Hampshire County Council, we are delighted that the breastfeeding drop-ins in Andover, Chineham, Brookvale, Overton, Whitchurch and Kingsclere will now remain open until the end of March 2016.

"Hampshire County Council has agreed to support these drop-ins for the next eight months at a cost of around £27,000. Local mothers and babies will see real benefits as the support remains in place."

Cllr Stallard said: "I can confirm that the county council will continue to work with health visitors, maternity services, local breastfeeding support groups and Hampshire mothers to identify a sustainable way for these services to be delivered in the future.

"Services currently available to support mothers in the local area will be maintained for the remainder of the financial year.

"As a county council we want to encourage and help Hampshire mums with breastfeeding as we know that the longer a baby is breastfed, the greater the benefits."