Mothers across the borough will be protesting to stop the closure of a vital service.

Campaigners for the award-winning Barnet Breastfeeding Support Service will be protesting at Hope Corner Community Centre on January 18, after they were told their contract would not be renewed this coming April.

The service provides one-to-one support for mothers at play groups, through home visits and via phone or email.

The small team of support workers, some of whom are volunteers, work as part of the Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

Rebekah Smith, a volunteer who utilised the service for all of her children and was inspired to train and help others, said: "It is a lifeline for lots of people who leave hospital and there is not enough support.

"It is a transitional time and they really do need someone to sit with them to watch their feed or be a shoulder to cry on.

"We are also there if there is anything emotional that they need - we try and link in with other health services and work together."

Local mother Natalie Wilson started an online petition, which has already had 1,365 signatures, and the service estimates to have helped 1500 mothers to breastfeed since it opened in 2014.

In 2016, the service won the NHS Trust's Team of the Year Award.

A statement from the campaign said: "The UK has among the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, and Public Health England has emphasised the importance of peer support in helping to raise rates. Unicef UK say the NHS would save millions of pounds if more babies were breastfed as they get ill less often and are less likely to visit the GP or go into hospital.

"Yet Barnet Council have said that they are closing the service in order to save money. They have not said what will replace the service and there has been no public consultation about the proposed cut.

"The consultation on the proposed council budget says there will be no cuts to spending on public health, which includes breastfeeding."

A Barnet Council spokesman said: “We appreciate the concerns raised, however, we want to reassure residents that breastfeeding support services will continue to be provided to mothers in Barnet after the contract with Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust comes to an end in April, and will complement the wider range of support on offer for children and families.

“We are currently working with the existing provider to ensure there is a smooth transition to the new service. This includes providing funding to maintain the role of a service co-ordinator for an additional six month period, to assist with specialist training and development.”

Protesters will meet on January 18 at Hope Corner Community Centre in Mays Lane, High Barnet, between 10.30am and 12.30pm.