Mothers and babies gathered to protest against the cuts of a breastfeeding support service.

Hope Corner Community Centre in High Barnet was full to the brim with mothers and their babies showing support for the Barnet Breastfeeding Support Service, run by Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

Service staff were told in November, as reported in the Barnet Borough Times, that their contract with Barnet Council was being terminated from April 2018.

Rebekah Smith, who began volunteering with the service about a year and a half ago, was once a client with the service and received support while breastfeeding two of her three children.

She said: "We all cried when we heard the news.

"The original announcement said it was going to be cut, and they [Barnet Council] have been very unclear about their exit strategy and what they plan to put in place.

"They say it will be reconfigured to be a voluntary service, which will be untenable."

Mrs Smith said all those that volunteer with the current service are highly trained to identify and diagnose specific needs, and fears a new version of the service will not be able to do the same.

She continued: "It is a lifeline for the mothers - they really are so grateful.

"We have so many testimonies from mothers about the help they have received and how thankful they are. They would really be left alone without it."

Local mum Zoe Cooley used the service with her now 18-month old daughter, Naomi, after she found she was struggling to breastfeed.

She said: "I was in a lot of pain and Naomi was clearly uncomfortable and grouchy.

"Although the midwives were lovely they were in a real rush and could not help so told me about the drop in.

"She [Naomi] was only three or four days old but it was such a relief because there was some help."

Mrs Cooley said the experts from the support centre sat with her and watched her breastfeed, giving professional advice on how to do it, and were there to help once again after more difficulties surfaced a few weeks later.

Laura Newberry used the service for her three children, now aged seven, four, and eight months, and found for the first two she was given encouragement in what she was doing.

For her youngest son, Elliot, there were more difficulties which she was able to combat with help from the service.

She said: "I just think it is really sad - breastfeeding is hard anyway and if you have not had children before you think it is natural. But it is a very hard and painful and we do need people to help.

"It can be very isolating and lonely to not have anyone to say we are doing it right or wrong.

"I think a lot more people would be tempted to give up sooner without support."

Iman Hikal, who manages the nine groups run across the borough, said their focus is on giving equal care no matter what background a person has or their circumstances.

She said: "It is not a postcode lottery - everyone will get the same care and support, and what is happening will make an inequality and it is an inequality to women that it is a women's service being cut."

Mrs Smith added that, at this stage, they are calling for a public consultation into the changes to the service.

A Barnet Council spokesperson said: "We appreciate the concerns raised, however, we want to reassure residents that breastfeeding support services will continue to be provided to mothers in Barnet after the contract with Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust comes to an end in April, and will complement the wider range of support on offer for children and families.

"We are currently working with the existing provider to ensure there is a smooth transition to the new service. This includes providing funding to maintain the role of a service co-ordinator for an additional six month period, to assist with specialist training and development."

To support Barnet Breastfeeding Support's petition, which already has 1,600 signatures, visit https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-barnet-breastfeeding-support-service