A charity that supports the mental health of new and expecting parents has received a major financial boost.

Smile Group has received a £20,000 donation from Omaze, a for-profit fundraising company.

This funding enables the Cheshire-based charity to launch a new 12-week Perinatal Zone Comfort programme.

James Oakes, president of Omaze, said: "Smile Group has such an incredible impact because the team know exactly what the families they help are going through.

"It's fantastic that they want to give back and help others, and we're delighted that this donation on behalf of the Omaze community will support their vital work for two years."

Smile Group's operational director Ruth Williams added: "Being a new parent can be isolating and lonely, this programme will be a safe space where people can feel supported."

Smile Group was founded in 2011 (Credit: Omaze)

Ruth founded Smile Group in 2011 alongside Natalie Nuttall, both of whom have lived experience of perinatal mental health challenges.

In the weeks after giving birth to her first daughter, Ruth struggled with her mental health and at one point stood on a bridge wondering if she could carry on.

She said: "I didn't want to talk about how I felt for fear of judgement, I'd put a smile on my face at baby groups but, behind closed doors, I was a wreck.

"We started Smile Group because we wanted people to know they had somewhere to turn, that they are not alone and it will get better."

The charity supports parents with a range of mental health challenges, including prenatal and postnatal depression, anxiety and birth trauma (Credit: Omaze)

Today, Smile Group runs peer support groups in Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe as well as offering one-to-one home visits, talk therapy and monthly family sessions at Ruby's Fund in Congleton.

The new Perinatal Zone Comfort programme will run twice a year for two years with trained team members covering a range of issues from mental health to exercise and nutrition.

Participants will also benefit from the peer-support network the course creates, reducing isolation.

Ruth said: "We have wanted to provide this Perinatal Zone Comfort programme for a few years but haven't had the funding to do so.

"This fantastic donation from Omaze will really help us expand our services and reach more people who really need our support."

Smile Group's co-founder Ruth Williams (Credit: Omaze)