Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine has helped out new mums by making her Manchester tearoom Annies ‘breastfeeding friendly’. The star, who is mum to Albert, two, is proudly showing a sign which says ‘Breastfeeding friendly Manchester’ at the entrance to her restaurant, in a bid to make new mothers feel more comfortable. Now the actress is encouraging other businesses to follow her lead.
Jennie, who plays Fiz in the hit soap, told the Manchester Evening News: “I breastfed Albert for six months before I went back to work and I loved it. But I know what it’s like when you go out and about looking for somewhere to have a coffee and food and you don’t feel comfortable.” She added: “In a way I’m really sad we need these stickers, we shouldn’t need to have a Breastfeeding Mark but hopefully we can get to a stage where mums just do it and don’t feel there’s an issue when they’re out.”
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© Photo: RexJennie plays Fiz in hit TV soap Coronation Street
The star is spearheading the scheme, which is free to join. Taking to her Twitter page, Jennie shared news of the initiative and was met with a great response. She wrote: “I've had such lovely comments about @anniesMCR supporting the #breastfeedingfriendly mark. Thank you.” One fan told the star: “I’ve applied for a badge for our school! Hope it’s accepted. Women shouldn’t have to sheepishly ask if it’s ok to nurse x.”
