Hundreds of mums march through Newcastle as they…

Hundreds of mums march through Newcastle as they demand more help from the Government

Hundreds of mums from the North East demanded more help from the Government as they took part in a national protest.

Roads were closed by police in Newcastle city centre as families and their children marched from the civic centre to monument. Participants were encouraged to wear Halloween fancy dress as they took part in the 'March of the Mummies ' protest on Saturday.

The event, which began at 11am, was also held at 10 other locations across the UK, including Manchester, Leeds and London. It was organised by the charity Pregnant and Screwed to demand Government reform on childcare, parental leave and flexible working.

The group sang songs and chanted as they marched down Northumberland Street with placards. When they reached monument, a number of people stood up and gave speeches.

Beth Hazon is a trustee of Pregnant and Screwed, which is dedicated to ending the motherhood penalty, supporting women and campaigning for change.

The 40-year-old, who is mum to Juno, six, was one of the organisers of the march in Newcastle. She said: "I think women get silenced. The UK have some of the most expensive childcare in the developing world. It's difficult for families to work and be able to afford it."

Beth Hazon was one of the organisers of the March for Mummies demo in Newcastle (Newcastle Chronicle)

Beth, who lives in Heaton, Newcastle, said that people are coming to them all the time about childcare, flexible working and parental leave. She said: "I think people are angry, parents are frustrated and they want their voices to be heard. We've tried writing letters and debates, we have tried a lot of things and now we're here. We will keep going.

"We want the new Prime Minister to take notice. We're never going to let the economy grow if we don't let women add to that."

Mum-of-two Kelly Rickard also took part in the protest. The 41-year-old said she previously worked as a teacher and taught GSCE and A Level drama. However she was unable to go back to her job after she had her first child as she couldn't afford to pay for childcare.

Mum-of-two Kelly Rickard dressed up for the protest (Newcastle Chronicle)

Kelly, who is mum to Lettie, seven, and Jesse, five, said: " I have got a degree in English but I didn't have a PGCE so I wasn't paid the same. I was working part-time four days a week and earning around £400 a week.

"My salary just wasn't going to cover childcare so then I thought about turning to other ways to make money. I was shocked and I kept redoing the maths. It was just disbelief really because a teacher is a good job."

Kelly, who lives in Heaton, said that she ended up starting up her own music and storytelling club. She is now working as a freelance drama teacher.

She said: "It would be great if childcare was more affordable and there was cheaper nursery options.

"What I would love would be proper ring-fenced parental leave where both the mum and dad could work between them so it's not all on the mums. I just think it's really exciting that some countries offer joint parental leave and that parents can work it out between them."

Lucy Savov held up a placard calling for more childcare support (Chronicle Live)

Lucy Savov, who lives in Lemington area of the city, held up a placard urging the Government to help parents with the cost of childcare. The 38-year-old, who has two children aged five and three, said parents who can claim Universal Credit are getting into debt as they have to pay their childcare provider first before claiming back the cost.

She said: "I think the Government need to make working three days more affordable. They need to change the Universal Credit childcare element. They should be paying a childcare provider straight away like they do with students."

Stagecoach reported how the march had caused delays to their bus services. They tweeted: "March of the Mummies causing delays in the city centre for all services. Apologies for any inconvenience."

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