A GROUP that started as just a few mums going for a walk together has now become a community across the county and opened a clubhouse to offer busy parents a safe space to support each other.
The idea for East Lothian Mums Club was the brainchild of Sarah Noon, a new parent who wanted to meet others and swap advice.
It started with weekly walks around Haddington, meeting in the Tesco car park and fuelled by tea and coffee from the back of Sarah’s car.
Within a month, about 50 mums had joined the WhatsApp group and it soon grew so wide that it was split by location, with more than 300 people now involved.
It has grown to now offering a range of events each week: casual coffee and craft sessions, Pilates classes, a book club – sometimes involving wine, and sometimes pyjamas and pizza – as well as regular walks, breastfeeding support sessions, a monthly brunch club, swims and sleep coaching.
There is also the ‘I can’t even club’ which runs every second Sunday, giving people the chance to “just moan” and get everything off their chest, accompanied by Diet Coke, alcohol-free wine and coffee.
Sarah said: “I thought it would be a good idea to make a group where we look after the physical and mental wellbeing of mums more from a holistic approach - just giving mums the opportunity to build community and build villages, but also give them access to local experts.”
She became a mum herself in 2020, after a long IVF journey, and now is a stay-at-home parent to Sylvie, five, and Hamish, two.
The club, now formally registered as a community interest company, operates on a non-profit basis and mums can choose how involved to be, just keeping up to date with the WhatsApp chat or attending multiple sessions throughout the month.
Suggested donations and a planned 'pay-it-forward' scheme are intended to keep activities accessible.
Members are welcome to bring their children along but Sarah stressed that it was “not a mum and baby club”, focused instead on supporting the parent.
After East Lothian Mums Club grew, Sarah brought on board Meg, a mum of two, and between them they manage what has become a busy schedule.
The pair recently secured just under £14,000 from the National Lottery to help cover running costs and have tackled their ultimate goal of opening a clubhouse in the area.
Located at Joe’s Gym on Hospital Road, Haddington, the space has been fitted out with sofas, tables and craft materials to create a relaxed environment.
A Thursday ‘table club’ is aimed at mums who work from home or simply want a change of scene in the evening, offering the chance to just sit on the sofa, put earphones in and finish off any tasks that need done.
Meg, a former art student, is leading on creative activities, with crochet, knitting and candle painting available for mums to try during drop-ins.
The pair also hope to donate handmade blankets to neonatal and high-dependency units.
Sarah said: “It’s just a home from home.
“If your baby’s had a nap and you’ve walked from your house and you just don’t have to spend £4.60 on a small Americano at Costa, just come to us, come and colour in, have a coffee, have a chat - or just sit in the corner and drink your coffee and scroll through Instagram.”
Anyone wishing to join the WhatsApp groups and get involved can go to the social media pages of the website at eastlothianmumsclub.co.uk where they fill out a form.
Sarah added: “It's quite hard to make friends as a mum. And we did used to bring children up in an environment where it took a village and we've kind of stopped doing that.
"We need to move back into that.”
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