PANDAS are so pleased to now be in our third year of sponsorship from our amazing corporate partners, Huggies.

Our relationship initially began in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, where Perinatal health was sadly very adversely affected. Cancellations to prenatal courses and adjustments to birth plans paired with the social isolation and loneliness during the perinatal period had very much increased anxiety generally in the population. The impact was directly seen by us as a charity. In 2021, we provided support for over 10,000 parents through our free helpline and email support service, the highest number on record. This figure has been climbing year on year ever since. So far in 2024 we have seen a rise of 30% in demand for our services, up from 2023 as a whole. 

As part of its purpose to help parents across the UK navigate the unknowns of babyhood, Huggies has worked with PANDAS to launch a free, accessible, confidential WhatsApp support service for any parent or carer struggling to cope, as well as worked together on other campaigns to get Perinatal Mental Health talked about more. 

Since January 2023, this service has connected parents and carers to our trained PANDAS volunteers by WhatsApping 07903 508334. The service is available every day from 8am – 10pm via WhatsApp. 

The WhatsApp service seeks to provide solutions for anyone feeling anxious, stressed, lonely, depressed, suicidal or overwhelmed.

Stephanie Madrell, Marketing Manager at Huggies, said: “We are proud to be working with The PANDAS Foundation – their mission to support families aligns perfectly with our Huggies purpose of helping parents navigate the unknowns of babyhood. We know parenting is hard, there is no manual and we want to support families through their journey, and working with PANDAS to launch their new WhatsApp service will enable us to do that.”

At the beginning of our launch, Sally Bunkham, Communications and Development Manager at PANDAS, said: “We are delighted to be able to launch this service, and know it will help so many. We know that WhatsApp messaging is a medium parents and carers are keen to engage on and delighted that we can now add this to the portfolio of in-house, free, support services we can offer. We are so grateful for the support we’ve received from Huggies, which has allowed us to get this project off the ground. We know that this will help us in our mission to help ensure that no parent or carer feels alone.”

The WhatsApp service overall is a huge success, and is fast becoming our most popular support service as a charity, and PANDAS would like to thank Huggies so much for allowing us to take this leap. The feedback from users of this service is brilliant, and we are so proud to be helping so many. As one person says 

“The WhatsApp option is so helpful for people who might not have the time to call. It helped me feel less lonely and when you’re feeling low just knowing someone is there to chat to makes all the difference.”

Last year we proudly worked with Huggies on our Walk and Talk Campaign encouraging open conversations about mental health throughout the parental journey.

PANDAS are so delighted to be sponsored by Huggies, and thank them so much for their ongoing support.