If someone had told Elaine Edwards back in 2004 — during the sleepless nights and uncertainty of new motherhood — that one day she would receive an MBE at Windsor Castle from HRH The Prince of Wales and see her story featured in a best-selling book, she would probably have laughed in disbelief.
At the time, Elaine, born in Bolton, was simply a single mum trying to navigate the overwhelming early days of motherhood while breastfeeding her baby daughter, Jessica. But from those difficult beginnings came something extraordinary.
Determined that no mother should ever feel as isolated as she once had, Elaine set out to create a safe and supportive space for women struggling with feeding, confidence and the emotional realities of becoming a parent. What began as one mother wanting to help others soon grew into something far bigger than she could ever have imagined.
Driven by compassion, grit and an unstoppable belief in the power of community, Elaine secured funding to launch a breastfeeding support project in Blackburn with Darwen, offering mums practical help, emotional reassurance and evidence-based advice at a time when many felt they had nowhere to turn.
That small grassroots initiative would later become Families and Babies (FAB) — a life-changing organisation now supporting thousands of families across the country.
After leaving behind her career as a mortgage adviser, Elaine retrained as a La Leche League Trainer and began building a network of peer supporters, many of whom had experienced similar struggles themselves. Together, they created a service rooted in empathy: home visits, late-night phone calls, hospital ward support and a listening ear whenever it was needed most.
FAB grew into a nationwide charity with 120 of staff and more than 150 volunteers, supporting over 8,500 families every year across some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities. To date FAB has supported 250,00 families.
But while the organisation has thrived, Elaine’s mission has remained beautifully simple — making mothers feel seen, supported and never alone.
Elaine’s story is Chapter Nine in ‘The Empowerment Effect’ Volume Two written by Sarah Hulme & Co. Sarah is founder of the women-only networking community COVEM and the book amplifies the stories of 24 remarkable women “where adversity became fuel and resilience shaped leadership.” Launched on this year’s International Women’s Day – which happens to be Elaine’s birthday; it sped straight to number one in the ‘Amazon’ book charts.
Elaine has since become part of the COVEM community and holds her COVEM meeting in Parbold Lancs.
Elaine tells me that she received a letter announcing that she had been chosen to become a ‘Member of the British Empire’ in November last year “The Christmas post was in full swing, and the letter had been delayed. I had only 24 hours to respond to say I wished to accept the honour!”
So how was the day at Windsor Castle.?“I was very nervous especially when it came to recipients leaving their families to be briefed in how the ceremony would unfold and what we required to do,” says Elaine. “I needn’t have worried, we were taken through the whole process, in a welcoming and warm way. Once we had been taken through every step we were escorted into the beautiful banqueting room. Our families had already been seated behind us, and we recipients were called by name one by one to receive our insignia from HRH Prince William Prince of Wales. Being told by His Royal Highness that his wife Catherine was very interested to hear of my work was one of my proudest moments ever. Joining my husband, son and fiancé following my Investiture was an emotional moment for us all. I rang my daughter Jessica who was at home with our first grandchild, Noah, to tell her all about it!”
Elaine’s passion for helping families extends far beyond breastfeeding support. Elaine has championed inclusive infant care, encouraging fathers, grandparents and partners to feel connected and confident in those precious early weeks of a baby’s life.
And despite receiving national recognition, including the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, even winning eBay Business of the Year and now an MBE, Elaine remains deeply connected to her community roots.
This year Elaine will become the President of the Turton Rotary Club 2026. She will be their first female president in their history.
Elaine Edwards has become far more than a charity founder. She is proof that one person’s difficult experience can become the spark that changes thousands of lives.
Through kindness, determination and an unwavering belief in the strength of women supporting women, Elaine hasn’t just helped transform services for families across the UK — she has helped transform the experience of motherhood itself.
Elaine joins the increasing number of people who have received recognition for transforming other people’s lives and communities for the better. There are however many unsung heroes and unless they are nominated for an honour, they have no chance whatsoever of being chosen.
So how can we nominate that special person? I asked Melanie Bryan OBE DL, Chair of the Reward and Recognition Committee at the Greater Manchester Lieutenancy for her advice.
“The great thing,” Melanie says, “is that anyone can nominate anyone for an honour and I really do mean anyone. The youngest recipient so far was just nine years old, and the oldest was over a hundred.
“The process is simpler than you might think. You can do it online at gov.uk/honours, or download a form if that’s easier.
“One thing to remember is that the Honours Committee probably won’t know your person. So it’s important that you help them to understand why your person is so special. The Committee wants to know about the difference they make in people’s lives and all the reasons why they are so outstanding at what they do.
“The key thing is to draw out why they stand out from anyone else. Facts and figures really help with this. You could talk about how many people they have helped. Or how many years they have volunteered for. Or how far their impact reaches. This type of evidence makes your nomination stronger.
“You’ll also need two letters of support from people who can speak about your person’s achievements in their own words. So do have a think about who’d be best placed to do this.
“Oh, and one very important golden rule, you must keep it a secret! The process is completely confidential, and your nominee can’t know they’re being put forward. Apart from anything else, you really wouldn’t want to spoil that amazing moment when they open that letter!
So if you’re reading this and thinking about somebody you think is worthy, perhaps that quietly dedicated volunteer who just gets on with it, the one your community simply couldn’t do without, then please do them the honour of making a nomination.”