Women Changemakers Rewriting Family Support: Firstport’s Mother’s Day Tribute
This Mother’s Day, we celebrate four inspiring organisations supported by Firstport, each dedicated to empowering mothers, families, and caregivers through innovative services and community-driven initiatives.
These four visionary founders – Amanda Greig (Oakley), Starkeeper Morton (The Haven), Gemma Hamilton (Glasgow Sling Library), and Kathryn Lawrence (Kin Collective) – have transformed personal experiences into powerful social enterprises. Supported by Firstport, their ventures are creating new models of family support across Scotland.
A Mother’s Vision: The Oakley Play & Therapy Centre
Introduction
What started as a mother’s determination to find better support for her autistic son has now become an ambitious vision for a play and therapy centre in Aberdeen. Amanda Greig, founder of Oakley, channelled her lived experience into creating a sanctuary where children with additional support needs (ASN) can thrive.
After struggling to find local daily services for her son, driving hours weekly to Edinburgh’s The Yard for rest, she turned frustration into action. Her grassroots movement, sparked by a single Facebook post, rallied 156 families to its first meeting, proving the desperate need for such a space.
Tailored Support for Families
Oakley’s services reflect Amanda’s intimate understanding of ASN challenges:
- Early Intervention Programmes: Designed to equip toddlers and young children with critical skills before school challenges arise.
- Parent Advocacy Training: Empowers caregivers to navigate complex education and healthcare systems.
- Respite Drop-In Sessions: Safe, joyful spaces where children play freely, giving parents much-needed breaks.
- Family Bonding Activities: Guided play therapy strengthens connections and combats isolation.
Firstport’s Support
The Start It (2022) grant from Firstport proved crucial to cover costs such as architectural plans, marketing, and the centre’s website. This support laid the groundwork for Oakley’s purpose-built facility complemented with sensory zones, life-skills kitchens, and outdoor learning spaces. It is also become an Aberdeenshire landmark too.
More Than a Centre: A Movement
Blending Amanda’s journey with community collaboration showcases what’s possible when gaps in care are met with determination. To learn more about the organisation, visit their page.
The Haven: Nurturing Wellbeing from Motherhood to Community Growth
Introduction
Founded in 2017 by Starkeeper Morton, the Haven was created to inspire social change and help individuals reconnect with themselves and their surroundings.
From a single yoga class to a thriving wellbeing hub, The Haven (Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire) has evolved since 2017 into a holistic sanctuary offering yoga studios, healing rooms, and community-led projects including the Community Fridge and Haven Kitchen skills classes. But its most transformative work? Empowering mothers.
Motherhood at the Heart
The Haven’s tailored programmes address every stage of motherhood:
- Pregnancy: Hypnobirthing cafés, midwife-led birth prep, and prenatal yoga.
- Postnatal: Breastfeeding support, physio-led Pilates, and New Mums’ Wellbeing Groups
- Beyond: Women’s circles, social enterprise training, and free drop-in groups like Warrior Women for those facing challenges.
Their deep engagement with the community is evident- they have delivered 50 events, totalling 332 sessions, all in response to community needs.
Scaling Impact with Firstport
The Haven recently joined LaunchMe, Firstport’s investment readiness programme to scale their impact. With Firstport’s guidance, they are preparing to raise investment, with an ambitious plan to replicate their successful model in multiple locations across Scotland.
To sum up,
By expanding its holistic programmes, The Haven is set to impact maternal wellbeing and community support nationwide. To find out more about their community programmes and services, visit this page.
Glasgow Sling Library: Empowering Families Through Babywearing
Introduction
What began as a simple peer-to-peer support group has evolved into a thriving social enterprise. Founded by Gemma Hamilton, a qualified sling consultant with over 14 years of experience, Glasgow Sling Library (GSL) was officially established in 2019 to support parents and caregivers in discovering the benefits of babywearing.
By promoting stronger parent-child bonds, increased breastfeeding rates, and improved mental and physical health, GSL provides affordable sling hire and expert consultations, helping families gain the skills and confidence to carry their babies safely and comfortably.
Firstport’s Support: Fueling Growth
With Firstport’s Start It Award (2019), GSL was formalised as a social enterprise, covering essential costs like insurance and marketing. This allowed them to expand their reach and serve more families.
Later, the Build It Award (2021) helped them broaden their services, offering workshops on weaning, sleep support, and child behaviour and training healthcare workers to promote babywearing in their practice.
To Conclude
At its core, Glasgow Sling Library is more than just a sling hire service; it is a movement advocating for attachment-style parenting, which has been proven to enhance both parent and child wellbeing. You can explore their amazing collection of slings, here.
Kin Collective: A Family Wellbeing Hub
Kin Collective, founded in 2020, is a family wellbeing hub in Edinburgh dedicated to empowering parents through support and connection. Founded in 2020 by Kathryn Lawrence (a mother with lived perinatal mental health experience), it combats isolation through:
- Antenatal & postnatal courses to support new parents.
- Peer support groups to combat loneliness and offer guidance.
- Kin Swap & Share is a community-led initiative to exchange baby essentials.
The initiative focuses on improving parental and infant wellbeing, ensuring parents feel supported, connected, and empowered during their journey.
Firstport’s Support & Growth
With Firstport’s Start It awards in 2021, Kin Collective established its online presence, secured premises, and expanded services. Renting its space to other organisations diversified income and increased community engagement.
In 2023, the Build It award allowed Kin Collective to hire staff and further expand its reach, ensuring long-term sustainability.
What’s Next?
Kin Collective’s Leith studio hosts parenting and wellbeing activities daily. Stay updated by following them on Facebook & Instagram or explore their sessions here.