Local mum rallies Torbay for Special Care Baby Unit fundraiser

A group of local businesses have come together to support a ‘self-care’ inspired event to raise funds for Torbay Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit.

Mother-of-three Hannah from Torbay mum’s group Mumfulness has organised a giant raffle and activities day to raise money for the unit.

She says: “I have been totally blown away by people's generosity and now Christmas is out of the way, I’m fully focused on spreading the word so we are able to reach as many people as possible.”

She launched Mumfulness at the beginning of 2025 with the vision of providing small groups of parents a quiet and calm space to tune in to themselves, practise some breathwork and enjoy a meditation, in a place where they can bring their babies. 

Over the course of last year, Mumfulness now provides a variety of different offerings, from parent and baby classes to craft events for children. 

Hannah says: “One of my favourites is a monthly self-care day, as not only does this give space for the participants to really unwind and reflect on their own needs, but also allows me to relax. As a busy mum of three, finding that time for me can be hard at times.”

That led to the fund-raising event.

Hannah says: “Blue Monday was the original inspiration for the event.

“January on a whole is a difficult time for most and this event gives people to look forward and they can leave feeling truly nourished for the final push. 

“I knew that by offering this as a charitable event there was no pressure in profiting or even having to factor in charging for the time it takes to organise events like this. 

“”I reached out to other local wellness practitioners and was blown away with everyone's generosity. Everyone involved is offering their time and resources for free, The Seaside Studios SW has so kindly offered their premises free of charge and all the raffle donations have been provided for free. This means that 100 per cent of the donations are able to support Torbay’s SCBU and we’ve already raised £300.”

She revealed: “I chose Torbay Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit as this is the charity that was selected as The Mothership’s charity of the year. I hold my parent and baby group as well as running Mumfulness Sling Library at The Mothership Hub in Seale Hayne so I wanted to do my part to contribute to this cause.

“My eldest spent a short time in Torbay's SCBU when he was born and they were lovely and so reassuring. I know a couple of the other people involved have had similar experiences with SCBU and it’s a cause that definitely holds a place in the hearts of so many local families.”

Besides the raffle, Wild At Heart is there between 2.30pm and 3.30pm offering a nature inspired indoor play for children aged 0-5. Mama Writes is offering a guided journaling and creative writing workshop at the same time. 

Luminate are offering free antioxidant and nutritional health scans, Birth Happy Devon is giving a Q&A on all things hypnobirthing and there’s still a couple of massage slots available with Ashley Rose Massage and Wellbeing. 

The day is being held at the Seaside Studios in Paignton on Sunday, January 18 from 10.45am to 3.30pm with dozens of raffle prizes up for grabs.