The Nest Southwest is a not-for-profit, social enterprise, Community Interest Company. It was set up in Devon by local women to support women and menstruators through the major life transitions of menstruation, pregnancy, birth and menopause by providing social, emotional and informational support.
From left to right: Nancy, Jodie & Hazel are The Nest’s 3 co-directors. Scroll down the page to read more about them and The Nest team.
Our Vision & Mission
Our vision is to live in a world where women, girls and all people who menstruate feel empowered and fulfilled at each stage of their life. We want to be part of creating a cohesive society where these rites of passage are honoured as gateways of personal development as well as biological milestones.
Our mission is to support women and people who menstruate through menstruation, pregnancy, birth and menopause by providing social, emotional and educational support to improve well-being and self-esteem.
We believe in intersectional feminism by promoting gender justice and racial justice. We are anti-racist and pro-trans rights. We believe in equality for all genders.
We offer compassionate peer support, and provide a safe, nurturing environment to explore emotional and physical literacy as we pass through these rites of passage. There is no right or wrong way to go through these gateways, they are as individual as we are. But we don’t have to do it alone.
What a different place our world will be if we felt belonging, supported, and respected as we welcomed ourselves to the next stage of life!
Our History
The seeds of this dream had been swirling for some years before finding a place to land. The Nest was officially registered as Community Interest Company in October 2019 by Hazel Acland, Jodie Wilkerson and Nancy Osborne. Together they launched their first project in March 2020 just as the covid-19 pandemic was sweeping the world. Plans quickly adapted to this new reality and became a weekly online wellbeing group to bring together pregnant and birthing people in the Exeter and East Devon area. The group has evolved to create a perinatal peer support network, training mums to support other mums through matrescence from pregnancy to parenting. The Nest has grown in other areas as well – starting to deliver services around menstruation and menopause support, with much more in the pipeline!
Equality
We aim to create a safe and welcoming atmosphere. We want to challenge all forms of oppression including those based on race, ethnicity, nationality, faith, gender, sexuality, learning ability, physical impairment, age, occupation, income, or wealth. We aim to design our activities, services and decision making processes specifically to encourage and support participation from people who face disadvantage in society, including women, girls, people of colour, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+, and people on low incomes.
Safeguarding
The Nest Southwest CIC is fully committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults. We believe that safeguarding is of paramount importance and that everyone has the right to be safe. We work hard to ensure that The Nest protects and promotes the safety and well-being of all children, young people and adults we work with. All our team members are trained in safeguarding and child protection and have valid DBS checks. The Nest has a designated safeguarding lead who oversees and regularly reviews our training requirements and safeguarding policies. The Nest’s Safeguarding Lead is Jodie Wilkerson (jodie.thenestsw@gmail.com).
Get to know us better
Our Team in Numbers
3
Co-directors
2
Period Empowerment Volunteers
9
Perinatal Peer Supporter volunteers
3
Nest Friends – Menopause Peer Supporters
Meet The Nest Team
Office Team
Hazel
Co-directorHazel is the Nest team coordinator, admin lead, menopause and menstruation projects lead, group facilitator and trainer. She lives on a smallholding, loves making sourdough bread and keeping bees. hazel.thenestsw@gmail.com
Jodie
Co-directorJodie is a breastfeeding peer support lead and antenatal educator. She is safeguarding lead, Nesters antenatal and Nestlings new parent peer support groups facilitator. and Perinatal Peer Support Network trainer. jodie.thenestsw@gmail.com
Nancy
Co-directorNancy is a chartered physiotherapist, yoga teacher and massage therapist. She offers pregnancy yoga and post natal core restore sessions , supports the Nestling new parent and baby group. nancy.thenestsw@gmail.com
Millie
Social Media CoordinatorMillie is a freelance marketer who helps to manage The Nest’s Facebook and Instagram channels, and she is keen to help spread the word about The Nest and what it has to offer. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and baking, as well as listening to Taylor Swift.
Perinatal Peer Support Volunteer Network
Becky
Perinatal Peer Supporter - Nestlings & Baby Loss CaféBecky volunteers as part of The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network. She lives in Devon with her husband and 3 children. Her favourite place is by the sea, exploring a rocky beach with her children as well as National Trust walks with the family. Becky works for the NHS as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner.
Emma
Perinatal Peer Supporter - Walking Group Leader & Baby Loss CaféEmma volunteers as a Walk Leader within The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network. She grew up in Devon and loves living near the moor and sea. She enjoys being outdoors with her young family. She spends her 'me time' at choir singing her heart out.
Zoe
Perinatal Peer Supporter - NestersZoë volunteers as part of The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network, to support pregnant mums and birthing people as they become parents. She lives in Exeter with her husband and daughter. She loves spending time with friends and family, sewing, and curling up on the sofa with a good box set.
Jen
Perinatal Peer Supporter - NestersJen volunteers as part of The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network. She lives in Exeter with her husband and son. She enjoys helping new and expectant mums at Nesters, which is very different to her day job working for Devon County Council Highways.
Lucie
Perinatal Peer Supporter - Nesters & NestlingsOriginally from France, Lucie has lived in the UK since 2007. She loves yoga, knitting while watching series and board games nights with friends and family. She lives in Exeter with her partner and three children.
Nikki
Perinatal Peer Supporter - Nestlings & YogaNikki is a mother of two, home educator, yoga teacher, breastfeeding peer supporter and avid gardener! Passionate about women receiving the best support and information possible, she is so excited to be joining the Nest as a perinatal peer supporter and yoga teacher providing the monthly New Moon relaxation class.
Abi
Perinatal Peer Supporter - NestersAbi volunteers as part of The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network. She grew up in Devon and lives in Exeter with her wife and daughter. She enjoys exploring new places with her family, playing team sports and cuddling up on the sofa with her cats.
Sinead
Perinatal Peer Supporter - Nesters & Baby Loss CaféSinead volunteers as part of The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network and is especially keen to support those navigating pregnancy and parenting after loss. She grew up in Devon and is enjoying being back near the sea after living in Birmingham for several years, which is rather lacking in sea. Sinead is an aspiring lawyer and linguist, and enjoys gardening and watching Bluey.
Kirsten
Perinatal Peer Supporter - Nesters & Walking GroupKirsten volunteers as part of The Nest Perinatal Peer Support Network, to support pregnant mums and birthing people as they become parents. She lives in Exeter with her partner and son. She enjoys long walks on the coast path with her dog, and is a keen baker.
Menstrual Peer Support Team
Lara
Lara volunteers as a facilitator of our Menstruation Support Group. She lives in Exeter with her partner and loves to explore Dartmoor. She works as a PhD researcher at the University of Exeter as well as a teaching assistant at the uni and at Exeter College. She is passionate about reproductive health and justice and loves foraging, dancing, knitting and cooking.
Emily
Emily volunteers as part of our Menstruation work, regularly attending events with a variety of period products to share informational support. She is passionate about reproductive justice and works as a doula. She lives in Exeter with her family.
Nest Friends – Menopause Peer Supporters
