Victoria Square in Belfast has been listed among the top 10 breastfeeding-friendly shopping centres in the UK.
With many new mums returning to shopping centres since Covid, breastfeeding and maternal health brand, Lansinoh, has created a map to show the 10 most breastfeeding-friendly shopping centres in the UK.
The brand analysed over 40 of the largest shopping centres in the UK, taking into account factors such as the number of breastfeeding areas and parenting facilities per visitors, the number of cafés per shops, and the accessibility of parenting services information on centre websites.
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Victoria Square, was listed as number 9 on the list and was the only centre in Northern Ireland to make the top ten.
The top 10 centres were revealed as:
- Silverburn Centre, Glasgow
- Eden, Buckinghamshire
- White Rose Centre, Leeds
- Telford Shopping Centre, Telford
- Cabot Circus, Bristol
- Lakeside Shopping Centre, Essex
- Metrocentre, Gateshead
- Brent Cross, London
- Victoria Square, Belfast
- Queensgate, Peterborough
Speaking about being named in the top ten, Victoria Square Centre Manager, Michelle Greeves said: “Victoria Square prides itself on providing a world-class shopping experience in the heart of Belfast. We are dedicated to providing an all-inclusive, comfortable environment for our diverse range of customers and welcome breastfeeding throughout the centre.
"We understand though that there are times when some privacy or quiet space is important, especially in a busy city, so our facilities include private feeding rooms for those who wish to use them.
"We are thrilled that our ongoing commitment to inclusivity has been recognised by the feed with confidence campaign.”
Lisa Craven, Marketing Manager at Lansinoh Laboratories UK Ltd, said: “We’re delighted to be able to recognise these shopping centres for their efforts in supporting new mums.
“At Lansinoh, we are committed to supporting mums to feed confidently, wherever they are, and as the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, we want to champion the public places where breastfeeding is encouraged and mums are made to feel comfortable. This ties in with our annual Feed with Confidence awards, which we have been running since 2017, to encourage breastfeeding outside of the home and ultimately, to support mums to breastfeed for longer.
“Many new mums who have given birth recently may not have as much experience breastfeeding in public places, due to the pandemic. As rules relax and mums may be returning to shopping centres with their little ones, it can be daunting knowing where to go to breastfeed. It’s important that mums have access to comfortable breastfeeding facilities whilst doing their shopping, and just as importantly, that they know what these facilities are.
“We hope that the findings will help mums feel more confident whilst planning their shopping trips, and also encourage shopping centres across the UK to consider ways in which they can further support breastfeeding mums.”
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