Celebrating Elaine Edwards, MBE: Two Decades of Quiet, Life-Changing Leadership

We’re thrilled to share that our founder and Chair, Elaine Edwards, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s New Year Honours. The honour recognises Elaine’s extraordinary service to breastfeeding mothers and families across the UK, work she began 21 years ago when she set out to make sure no parent felt alone at one of the most vulnerable moments in life. National listings name Elaine as “Founder and Chair, Families and Babies,” honoured for services to breastfeeding mothers, a succinct line that barely hints at the scale of her impact.

Elaine’s story is rooted in lived experience. After struggling to find timely, practical support with her own baby, she did what natural community leaders do: she built what was missing. What began as a small, peer-led group has grown into Families and Babies (F.A.B), a charity that has supported hundreds of thousands of families through breastfeeding peer support, antenatal education, community groups, hospital-based help and a 24-hour helpline. Over the years, F.A.B has worked alongside NHS trusts, local authorities and community partners to create welcoming, evidence-based services that meet families where they are.

The hallmark of Elaine’s leadership is its practicality. She has always insisted that support must be accessible, judgement-free and focused on what helps today, support on the postnatal ward, a calm voice at 3 a.m., a warm welcome at a local drop-in, a clear video or leaflet that answers the question a new parent is too tired to Google. That commitment to care in real life has shaped F.A.B’s approach: peer supporters who listen first; resources that translate evidence into everyday guidance; and services designed for the realities of family life.

Elaine’s influence also extends to the workplace. Under her guidance, F.A.B has developed training and employer support to help HR teams and managers create environments where breastfeeding parents can return to work with dignity and confidence. It is a natural extension of the same vision she had from the start: if the right support exists, and people know how to access it, families thrive. The results are visible not just in feeding outcomes, but in wellbeing, confidence and connection.

Those who have worked with Elaine know her leadership style: steady, human and solution-oriented. She celebrates others, takes the hard calls quietly, and keeps going when challenges appear. That has mattered in recent years, as the funding landscape for community services has shifted. Elaine’s response has been to adapt without losing sight of the mission, protecting the frontline help that parents value most, while building new ways for supporters, partners and employers to get involved.

An honour like an MBE shines a light on the person, but it also reflects the community around them. F.A.B is a tapestry of volunteers, staff, trustees, partners and supporters, many of whom began as service users. Elaine has created the conditions for that community to flourish: a clear purpose, practical tools, high standards and an open door. The countless notes of thanks we receive, mothers and partners who “finally felt heard”, families who “didn’t feel alone anymore”, are the truest measure of what Elaine has built.

Today, we celebrate the national recognition of a local, hands-on legacy. We also look forward. Elaine’s honour is not a full stop; it is a renewed invitation to keep going, to reach more families, train more volunteers, strengthen our helpline and groups, and partner with more organisations that want to make breastfeeding support the norm, not the exception.

On behalf of the Families and Babies community: congratulations, Elaine. Thank you for the compassion, tenacity and vision you have brought to this work for more than two decades. This recognition belongs to you, and to every family whose first days were gentler because you chose to act.

For readers who would like to learn more about Elaine’s honour, you can find coverage of her MBE in the King’s New Year Honours listings and regional media round-ups.