POST natal depression can be a tough thing to face for any mum but one Sankey Bridges parent is hoping to turn her experience into a positive one after setting up a group to help others going through the same thing.

Mum-of-four Claire Bracewell has become an ambassador for Pre And Prenatal Depression Advise and Support (PANDAS) and has set up the first of their groups in Warrington with 36 people already regularly attending after many women found they had no where else to turn.

The 36-year-old mum to Summer, aged 15, Lewis, aged 10, Maddy, aged five and Taylor, aged two, said: "You feel quite alienated when you have a baby.

"You're supposed to be on top of the world and want to be a good mum and show people you're coping.

"There's lots of different forms of depression and for me, I got a bit obsessed with caring for my first two children and didn't want anyone else to do anything to help.

"I wanted to be Wonder Woman and juggle being a business woman running my own salon with being a good mum and wife.

"The first time I had post natal depression I didn't do anything about it as it was a bit of taboo subject but when I had my second child I visited the doctor and broke down in tears."

Thanks to the doctor spotting Claire had post natal depression and a strong support network within her family, the Renaissance salon owner said her mindset changed after her second two children were born.

She added: "I had to realise if something wasn't going to get done perfectly it wasn't the end of the world.

"I'm about to start a midwifery degree in September and after doing a bit of research for my course I found years down the line in Warrington there still wasn't much support for post natal depression so I thought I would do something myself.

"The whole point of the group is that everybody is in the same boat and it doesn't matter if you're having a down day as people know how you feel.

"It can be very competitive at mums and tots groups and people do judge post natal mums but in ours no one gives a damn."

The group meet on Tuesdays from 12 to 2pm at 171 Old Liverpool Rd.

For more information, search for the Facebook group Warrington Pandas - Pre/Postnatal Depression Group or call 07988 590444.