Breastfeeding Places, Spaces and Stories
Visual artist Lisa Creagh and Improving Me, the Cheshire and Merseyside Women’s Health and Maternity (WhaM) are pleased to announce an Audio Tour of Liverpool using the voices of mothers from/ The Holding Time Project, to guide visitors and families around the breastfeeding-friendly spaces across the city. With an emphasis on places where families can rest, sit, feed and participate in either free or low-cost activities, the Audio Tour is both a healthy way to explore the city as a new parent and a novel way to learn about breastfeeding.
“John Lewis have a really nice feeding room. They’ve got a separate screen, and there’s like hot water and stuff there. And it’s just really nice, comfy chairs.”
– Kelly on John Lewis
To coincide the touring exhibition of breastfeeding portraits, created in 2022 by Lisa Creagh and mothers from the Cheshire and Merseyside area, the Audio Tour is an opportunity for organisations to come together to support and celebrate breastfeeding.
Each location will feature a single mother’s story about her journey through the trials and tribulations of breastfeeding. With an emphasis on the importance of family, community and government funding for support, the audio content is original and very local.
“Liverpool Cathedral is a welcoming place of encounter and as such we are proud to be part of this project. We aim to offer a peaceful environment in which women feel they can feed their babies, gather some quiet time and soothe souls.“
– Rev Canon Dr Ellen Loudon, Director of Social Justice & Canon Chancellor
Diocese of Liverpool
“It’s quite dark and there’s two beautiful like benches where you can sit and just not be fussed and not in the way of anybody and then you get to look around the museum afterwards”
– Ellen on the Maritime Museum
Venues include Lime Street Station, National Museums Liverpool, the TATE, both cathedrals and Central Libraries. Launching on the first day of Baby Week Liverpool on Monday 14 November, the audio tour will be available for ten months until September 2023.
Each venue has a single portrait from the Cheshire and Merseyside series. Mothers are sometimes situated in their favourite breastfeeding spot.
Holding Time Audio Tour details:
- Participation is free
- Either scan a QR code at a participating venue or download the Echoes.xyz on the App Store or Play Store
- Once you’ve got the APP go to Liverpool Holding Time Tour
- For further information please see our BLOG
The Audio Tour is part of a programme of exhibitions of breastfeeding portraits by visual artist, Lisa Creagh who photographed and interviewed mothers across the Cheshire and Merseyside area for her photographic project, Holding Time. Holding Time is a visual art project designed to address breastfeeding preconceptions and myths, challenge stereotypes, and – above all else – improve breastfeeding rates by harnessing women’s knowledge and wisdom.
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