Christian Mothers Charity on Brink of Collapse After NHS Slashes Funding by £150,000

Christian Charity Acacia Family Support Faces Funding Crisis as Vulnerable Mothers Left Without Help

Acacia Family Support, a Birmingham based Christian charity that provides free mental health support to mothers suffering from prenatal and postnatal depression, has launched an urgent Mother's Day campaign amid fears that severe funding cuts could leave vulnerable women without vital services.

The charity, founded in 2003 by two local mothers Emma Borg and Rachel Gregory who both experienced postnatal depression, now faces a staggering £150,000 funding shortfall, roughly 20% of its annual budget, after NHS funding reductions and declining donations and grants.

The campaign, titled "Motherhood: Not What You Expected?", features five videos shared on social media in the lead up to Mother's Day on March 15, 2026. Each video features a mother who received support from Acacia sharing her personal experience of isolation, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

Mother's Day is framed as joyful, but the reality is very different for many women who are struggling with their mental health.

Acting Director Becky Douglas Jones told Christian Today.

According to Acacia, one in four mothers experience anxiety, depression, or serious mental health problems during pregnancy or after birth. Birmingham has the second highest rate of perinatal mental health conditions nationally, and suicide remains the leading cause of death in the first year after pregnancy.

Head of Fundraising Vicki Hook emphasized that early intervention prevents crisis escalation, warning that without adequate funding, more women will fall through the cracks of an already overstretched system.

Birmingham Mothers at Risk as Christian Mental Health Charity Faces £150,000 Budget Shortfall

Emma Elmas, a mother supported by Acacia, delivered a powerful testimony about the charity's impact on her life.

Without Acacia, I wouldn't be here today.

Elmas said.

The charity offers one to one sessions, group programmes, and on site childcare so parents can attend support appointments while their children are cared for. It works alongside NHS services to provide a safe, non judgmental environment for mothers battling perinatal mental illness.

Acacia has also expanded to include three additional parenting programmes: Watch Me Play, Triple P for Baby, and PIIOS, shifting the emphasis from a single focus on maternal mental health to a dual focus on bonding and wellbeing for both parent and baby.

The Crusader's Opinion

A Christian charity that has spent over two decades pulling mothers back from the brink of despair is now being starved of the funding it needs to survive. Let that sink in. Our government finds billions for foreign aid programmes and diversity initiatives, but a charity keeping mothers alive and families together in one of England's most deprived cities is left begging for donations on social media. This is what happens when a nation turns its back on its Christian foundations. The Church has always been the first responder for the broken, the desperate, and the forgotten. When the state fails, it is always the Body of Christ that steps into the gap. Acacia Family Support is proof of that, and we cannot let it fall.

Take Action

• Donate: Support Acacia Family Support directly at www.acacia.org.uk/fundraising to help keep vital maternal mental health services running in Birmingham.
• Donate: Support Christian charitable work globally through www.TheShepherdsShield.org.
• Share: Share Acacia's "Motherhood: Not What You Expected?" campaign videos on your social media to raise awareness of perinatal mental health and the charity's funding crisis.
• Pray: Pray for the mothers and families Acacia serves, and for the charity's leadership as they navigate this financial crisis.
• Contact: Write to your local MP and demand that NHS funding for community mental health charities be restored. Find your MP at members.parliament.uk.