Seven charities supporting babies and families have been awarded grants totalling more than £1.5m from the 1001 Critical Days Foundation.

The successful organisations are Parents 1st UK, Heads Up Leicester, Home-Start Cymru, Nurture the Borders, PEEK (Possibilities for Each and Every Kid), The Sleep Charity and Trelya.

The funding will support frontline projects across England, Scotland and Wales, focusing on areas including young parent peer support, therapeutic playgroups, parent-infant mental health, early communication, sleep, language development and infant feeding.

Collectively, the projects will support families in Essex, Leicester, Gwent, the Scottish Borders, Glasgow, Doncaster and West Cornwall.

The foundation said the charities were selected through a rigorous assessment process based on their ability to reach babies and families early through trusted local relationships, family hubs, health partnerships and home-based support.

The grants will fund direct support for families as well as practitioner training, volunteer development, evaluation and the development of models that can be shared more widely across the early years sector.

Founder and executive chair of the 1001 Critial Days Foundation, Dame Andrea Leadsom said:
"The 1,001 days from pregnancy to age two are when the building blocks for good lifelong physical and emotional health are laid down.

"These seven charities are doing exactly the kind of practical, relationship-based work the Foundation wants to champion around the world. They are trusted by families, rooted in their communities and focused on delivering better outcomes for babies and their families when support matters most."

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