New Charity Partnership Launched in Lowestoft

Thursday, 10 July 2025 19:00

A new charity partnership has been launched in Lowestoft - and it’s the first of its kind in Suffolk.

Lowestoft and Waveney Breastfeeding Support and the Human Milk Foundation - have joined forces to bring a new donor human milk hub in the town.

It means that babies and families will benefit from a new donor milk hub in Lowestoft, as The Human Milk Foundation (HMF) and Lowestoft and Waveney Breastfeeding Support (LWBS) have announced a partnership to open a new donor human milk hub in Suffolk for the first time.

The Human Milk Foundation provides donor human milk to sick premature babies in hospital neonatal intensive care units across England & Wales and supports families at home through the Hearts Milk Bank. LWBS provide breastfeeding support to local families through community breastfeeding cafes, home visits from specialists (IBCLCs) and the loan of breast pumps.

The hub launched at Waterlane Leisure Centre was opened by representatives from HMF and LWBS along with healthcare professionals, volunteers, families who have been supported with donor milk, milk donors and Blood Bikers. The Mayor of Lowestoft Councillor Nasima Begum and Kate Quilton - TV presenter who has supported the HMF since its inception, officially cut the ribbon to open the hub.

You can hear more now from Felicity Webster, talking to East Suffolk One about the partnership.:

Established in 2017, The Hearts Milk Bank is the largest non-profit human milk bank in the country, supplying donor milk to over 50 NHS Trusts and supporting hundreds of families in the community. The donor milk hub in Lowestoft will be the seventh Hearts Milk Bank hub to open in the UK, located at Waterlane Leisure Centre. The hub will enable more local parents to donate their surplus breast milk to the Hearts Milk Bank, which will help other families in need. Donor human milk can now be efficiently transported from the hub to local hospital neonatal intensive care units such as James Paget Hospital, where it is used to feed sick, premature babies who do not have access to their own mother’s milk.

Much like donated human blood, donor human milk can help save lives. When babies are born prematurely, receiving their own mother’s milk helps protect them against life-threatening infections and supports their growth and development. However, if a baby is born early, sometimes their mother may be unable to provide enough of her own milk straight away. In this situation, donor human milk can act as a bridge, giving mum time and support to establish her own milk supply, and enabling baby to be fed with exclusively human milk which can help save lives.

Milk donors are breastfeeding mothers with more milk than their own baby needs. All milk donors undergo blood tests and lifestyle screening before their donated milk can be accepted. The Hearts Milk Bank works in partnership with the SERV ‘Blood Biker’ Volunteer network, who collect donor milk from donors at home and bring it to the Hearts Milk Bank laboratory in Herefordshire, where it is pasteurised and screened by microbiology to ensure it is safe for the most vulnerable babies in the hospital. Once the donor milk has passed these checks, it will then be transported back to the hub in Lowestoft where it will be stored in special medical grade freezers, ready to go out to babies in need.
These specialist freezers were purchased with the generous support of a grant from The Alexa Trust. Founded in memory of Alexa James, a premature baby born in 2015. Driven by their personal experience of loss, the charity’s mission is to turn this heartbreaking loss into something positive by providing practical help and financial support to families navigating the challenges of having a baby in neonatal care. Dennis Whitmore - Chairman of the Alexa Trust attended the launch event at Water Lane Leisure Centre.

Felicity Webster, Director of Communications at the Human Milk Foundation said, “We are grateful to LWBS, Waterlane Leisure Centre, The Alexa Trust and James Paget University Hospital for their support which has enabled our Lowestoft donor milk hub to open. The Human Milk Foundation's mission is to build a truly equitable service to enable families to donate and access donor human milk for their babies, free at the point of need, wherever they live within England & Wales. We are delighted to be working in partnership with LWBS to support more families in East Anglia.”

Kaya, CEO at LWBS said “We are grateful for the support given by the James Paget University Hospital, The Alexa Trust and Waterlane Leisure Centre to enable this collaboration. We are excited for the benefits this will bring to local families and continue committed to supporting all families who wish to donate breastmilk to have equal access to support and the tools they need. We are looking forward to launching the hub and working with the Human Milk Foundation going forward.”

Donna Taylor, Everyone Ac1ve’s general manager at Waterlane Leisure Centre, said: “We are so proud to be the hub for this initiative and to play a key role in helping families in local communities who need support. We are excited to welcome everyone to the launch and I hope the hub will go from strength to strength in the coming years.”

To find out more about the Hearts Milk Bank and Human Milk Foundation charity go to: