- Volunteers
We are so proud to share that Amma was named ‘Volunteer of the Year’ at NHS Glasgow’s Women and Children’s Directorate Excellence Awards on March 6, 2026.
The award was presented to Amma’s volunteers as a collective, recognising our entire community of people who give their time, skills and care to support women and families through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.
About the nomination
The nomination came from within the specialist Blossom midwifery team at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, describing Amma’s support as “life-changing”.
They wrote that our volunteers demonstrate “warmth, professionalism and respect in every interaction,” and they bring “an exceptional understanding of the challenges facing women navigating pregnancy alongside immigration issues, poverty and trauma.”
The nomination also described a specific moment that captures what Amma volunteers do every day. When a woman in the Blossom Team’s care suddenly faced giving birth entirely alone, a call was made to Amma. Within two hours, two volunteers were at the hospital, by her side throughout her induction, labour and delivery. The nomination described their care as “immediate, unconditional and deeply human.”
A Blossom Team midwife shared that it Amma’s presence within maternity services is “truly transformative.”
"Within our team, we very much view Amma as indespensible support for the women and families we care for, and it would be very difficult to imagine our caseloads without their vital input. In just a few years since their inception, Amma has grown to become a prominent voice within the third sector and their advocacy work within the complex world of immigration and Home Office rules and regulations is unparalleled."
What our volunteers do
At Amma, we support women and birthing people from migrant backgrounds and other marginalised groups through pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Many of the women we work with are navigating the asylum process, living with No Recourse to Public Funds, or facing language barriers, social isolation and the lasting effects of trauma — often all at once.
Our volunteers are at the heart of this work. They provide birth companionship for women facing labour alone, attend antenatal appointments to offer advocacy and support, and offer the kind of consistent, caring presence that can make an enormous difference to a woman’s experience of pregnancy and birth.
Becoming an Amma volunteer requires commitment, skill and compassion in equal measure. Our volunteers complete thorough training before they begin, and are supported throughout their time with us by Amma’s staff team. They are knowledgeable, trusted advocates who understand both the clinical environment and the complex circumstances of the families they support.
A shared accomplishment
This award belongs to every volunteer who has ever supported a mother in labour, accompanied someone to a hospital appointment, been on-call, made a new mum a cup of tea, held a baby so a parent could rest, and so much more. It belongs to those who have given their time to make sure someone else did not face one of the most important moments of their life alone.
We are endlessly grateful for everything you do, so thank you!