DEDICATED fundraisers as young as five-years-old walked the Test Way in aid of Andover’s breastfeeding drop-in sessions.

The service gives feeding support, information and encouragement to parents, and is funded through grants, donations and families running fundraising events.

A group including breastfeeding counsellors from the service walked the Test Way on October 14, raising nearly £1,200 towards the ‘vital’ service.

Katherine Bird, mother-of-two whose son Dexter was the youngest walker of the day, said: “It [the drop-in] was a lifeline and helped me avoid the worst of post-natal depression, knowing there was someone to talk to without judgement, with care and kindness.

“The funding for this vital support has been cut, and is totally reliant on donations and grants, anything that you can give will help another mum feed her baby, access information and support, and be part of a community in those crucial first weeks.”

Organiser of the drop-in sessions Paula Martin also walked the full 25.5 miles in torrential rain, which was also something of a personal achievement as she had a hip replacement three years ago.

She added: “I have been involved with running this drop-in for over 20 years.

“During that time we have supported thousands of mums and babies in the area.

“We now have a team of trained breastfeeding counsellors supporting parents every week.

“This service is highly valued by parents and health professionals, giving feeding support, information and encouragement to parents when they most need it.

“Breastfeeding improves health outcomes for both mums and babies (fewer GP and hospital visits for babies as lower rates of chest infection and diarrhoea, lower incidence of breast cancer and hypertension in mums who breastfeed). So, in the long term breastfeeding improves health outcomes and keeps NHS spending down.”

To donate to the drop-in cause, go to justgiving.com/fundraising/paula-martin23.