BANGOR has been named the most breastfeeding-friendly city in the UK, following a study by London-based baby store Bella Baby.

Using data collected from TripAdvisor and breastfeeding friendly schemes across the country, Bangor in Gwynedd was voted the ideal spot for mothers to rear their children, heartening news just a few weeks before Mother’s Day.

Caoimhe McGonagle, spokesperson for Bella Baby, said: “Ahead of Mother’s Day 2022, we wanted to celebrate all mums - including those who are currently breastfeeding.”

“We were unsettled when we saw a 2015 report from Public Health England that revealed that a third of women feel embarrassed when breastfeeding in public, and because of this, we wanted to highlight and celebrate breastfeeding mums this year in order to break the stigma.

“We also wanted all women - including those who are currently breastfeeding - to feel comfortable out and about this Mother’s Day, “

“Finally, when conducting our study, we realised that there are hundreds of venues throughout the UK that are not currently registered to a breastfeeding-friendly scheme and have the facilities and designated areas for breastfeeding women.

“We hope by highlighting this that many of these venues will begin to display stickers on their doors and windows, along with information online to highlight their inclusion of breastfeeding mums.”

The study was conducted using data from reviews on TripAdvisor, which tracked positive mentions, negative mentions, and registered breastfeeding friendly listings.

Bangor topped the list on 404 points, comfortably clear of second-placed Newry.

St Asaph in Denbighshire also made the list, finishing in eighth place.

For more information on Bella Baby, and for additional advice, visit https://www.bellababy.co.uk/.

 

North Wales Chronicle: A graph showing the most friendly cities for breastfeeding mothers. Picture: Bella BabyA graph showing the most friendly cities for breastfeeding mothers. Picture: Bella Baby