Blackpool mum's chat with Duchess of Cambridge

Sarah Peers, from Blackpool Better Start, was invited to take part in the online discussion following the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to the resort last year to find out more about work to improve the lives of pre-school children.

Since the launch of The Royal Foundation, the Duchess has dedicated herself to helping the youngest people in society, and is spearheading work on early years intervention.

Sarah, who is a community connector with Better Start, told the Duchess about her own experiences of peer support, and the impact this has had on her life.

She said: “It was incredible to be able to share my experiences with the Duchess of Cambridge and I’m honoured to have had this opportunity.”

Sarah started volunteering with Better Start, which is Lottery funded and supported by Blackpool Council, in 2016 before becoming a community connector the following year.

She said: “For me peer support is about parents working with parents to empower each other and help us all grow strong and be proud of the things we can achieve together.

“Sometimes parents can be distrusting of professionals, and this is when parent-to-parent support really works as they are more likely to open up and trust us as we are just like them.

“It’s my role to engage communities, ensure meaningful contact with families and maintain the connections for families with children under the age of four to help give them a better start in life.

“Being from the Blackpool community helps me to really understand the issues facing parents here and it also helps them relate to you much better too.”

As well as having 14 community connectors, Blackpool Better Start also offers other peer-to-peer services to support families including ‘Learning to Feed’ volunteers, while two connectors provide specific support for dads.