The Happy Mums Foundation, a Cumbria-based charity supporting women with postpartum mental health challenges, says it is "terrified" that new mothers experiencing suicidal thoughts will be left with nowhere to turn if its group sessions end due to funding pressures. The organisation, set up in 2015, has helped more than 1,000 families across Cumbria - a number that apparently wasn't enough to convince the funding gods to keep the lights on.

Director Lucinda Bray fears the loss of the in-person "safe place" could worsen the mental health of vulnerable women in the county. The charity would be forced to move online only - because nothing says "safe space for suicidal thinking" quite like a buffering video call.

Women who have attended the sessions describe the charity as offering "no judgement" peer support that helps mums feel less isolated when experiencing trauma. Bray put it bluntly: "I'm terrified, if we don't have in-person groups for mums, where will they go? What will they do? Being able to talk about suicidal thinking is actually quite a good preventative factor - if that doesn't have an outlet and you don't have a safe space to talk about those things, where might they go?" A question that, ideally, someone with a budget would answer.

First-time mum Amy described motherhood as "absolutely wonderful" while also admitting it could be stressful and overwhelming - a duality every parent recognises and no one warns you about. "The long nights, the crying and not knowing what it is they want, you've just been handed a tiny human being and you're meant to just know what to do and having the expectations of mum knows best," she said. "I didn't have a clue and I think a lot of mums are in the same boat." At first, Amy found it difficult to leave the house with her daughter, who was born prematurely. Now she attends the teen-to-25 group, which has helped her build confidence.

"Obviously everyone absolutely adores the babies here, but it's called Happy Mums for a reason," she said. "There's plenty of support out there for babies, but it's nice to have something that is more about the mums." Amy said without the group's support she would struggle more to get out and about. "When I'm feeling low with my depression or anxiety and more anxious about going out, I know that I can come to Happy Mums, I look forward to it," she said. "Without it I'd struggle more with speaking to people and asking for the help."

The Happy Mums Foundation had previously received funding from Comic Relief, The National Lottery, The Cumbria Foundation and the NHS. Over the last year, however, funding for preventative mental health services has become increasingly difficult to secure. Bray said the 13 weekly support groups have already been reduced to five, and without investment the charity will be forced to move groups online or close completely - a funding trajectory that reads less like a budget line and more like a countdown.

Growing financial pressures across the charity sector have been evident in recent months, including the closure of suicide prevention charity Papyrus in September. Leigh Brimicombe, chief influencing officer at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said the current financial climate was "tough" for organisations. He noted the cost of living crisis meant there was a "growing need for support in communities but also less money available for donors or funders to give, compounded by increased running costs for charities themselves" - the charitable equivalent of needing more fuel while the tank is draining.

Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, Markus Campbell-Savours, sent a letter of concern about the foundation's future to the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust. In reply, chief executive James Duncan said "peer-led and community-based support can form a valuable part of the wider network for support available to women and families." He added that although formal joint working with the NHS was not possible due to the distinction between peer-led and clinical services, the potential closure was "particularly concerning given the relatively limited number of voluntary and community sector organisations providing this type of support across Cumbria." The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.

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