The London Maternity & Midwifery Festival 2026, held on Wednesday 11 February at the Royal National Hotel, London, brought together midwives, maternity support workers, student midwives, policy leaders and service users from across the UK. A highlight of the programme was the Trailblazer Awards, recognising individuals and teams who are challenging inequalities, transforming care and shaping the future of midwifery.
This year’s winners showcased innovation, compassion and determined leadership at every level of the system – from national policy change to deeply personal, trauma‑informed frontline care.
Midwife Trailblazer Award
Winner: Sharon Bunford, Named Midwife for Safeguarding Vulnerable Women and Babies, Perinatal Mental Health and Teenage Services, PMA, Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
In the last decade, nearly 3,000 babies in the UK have been described as being “born into care”. Many of the women and birthing people whose babies are taken at birth have their own history of childhood adversity and abuse. Midwives working in these circumstances carry an immense emotional and professional responsibility.
As lead midwife for safeguarding, Sharon Bunford has championed a unique photography project designed to create meaningful, lasting memories for families facing separation. The initiative offers a sensitive photo session, using digital cameras operated by midwives who are also photographers, for women waiting in hospital prior to removal or placement to a mother and baby unit and identified as being at high risk of separation.
Sharon ensured robust governance, secured funding and personally coordinates sessions so that all eligible families are offered this opportunity. Importantly, the midwives taking the photographs do not need to know the case details, allowing them to focus solely on creating non‑judgemental, unbiased and compassionate images that capture those first moments of “being held”.
She has embedded the project across both Trust and ICB levels, negotiating and influencing with a calm, steady presence. Sharon is described as the last person who would ever promote herself or seek recognition – yet her tireless commitment has helped keep countless women and babies safer and more supported over many years. The Midwife Trailblazer Award acknowledges both this innovative project and her sustained, quiet leadership in safeguarding practice.
Practice Education Trailblazer Award
Winner: The Birth & Beyond Team, Parent Education Midwife Team, Royal Surrey Hospital
The Birth & Beyond Team – a small, highly skilled group of two registered midwives and a maternity matron – has transformed how families access information and support during pregnancy and early parenthood.
Working in close collaboration with web developers, the Patient Experience Midwife, service users and the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), the team co‑designed a bespoke maternity Parent Portal that is clinically safe and genuinely user‑centred.
The Parent Portal was developed in response to significant communication and accessibility challenges, particularly for pregnant women and birthing people with limited English, neurodivergence or reduced digital literacy. It provides a trusted, centralised digital hub across the entire maternity pathway, replacing fragmented, inefficient systems.
Since launch, the portal has had measurable impact and now provides a clear model for replication across other NHS Trusts. One striking outcome is a 90% reduction in complaints related to induction of labour. Staff report markedly improved communication and efficiency, especially community and continuity midwives who use the portal to signpost families to classes, clinical guidance and postnatal resources.
The team overcame multiple challenges to bring the portal to life – investing many hours uploading content alongside their usual clinical and educational responsibilities, and delivering staff training and launch within just nine months. With little prior digital development experience, they demonstrated tenacity, passion and a powerful commitment to improving practice education and information for families.
Student Midwife Trailblazer Award
Winner: Emily Kent, Bedfordshire Hospitals
Emily Kent is recognised for her outstanding national advocacy to address the critical lack of employment opportunities for newly qualified midwives in 2025, and for her pivotal role in securing meaningful policy change.
As a student midwife, Emily identified a deeply concerning disconnect: third‑year midwives were graduating into a workforce crisis, with NHS trusts unable to offer posts – leaving new midwives unemployed at a time when services are under immense pressure. This situation threatened morale, retention and patient safety, yet student voices were largely absent from policy conversations.
In response, Emily led a national petition calling for urgent action to protect newly qualified midwives and ensure safe workforce planning. She coordinated engagement across social media, mobilised students and professionals, and worked collaboratively with organisations such as the Royal College of Midwives and the Nursing & Midwifery Council.
The petition gained significant national media coverage, bringing public attention to an issue previously under‑recognised outside the profession. As a direct result of this advocacy, the government announced the Graduate Guarantee Scheme for Newly Qualified Midwives, committing to support employment pathways and protect the future midwifery workforce.
Emily’s achievement demonstrates the power of student leadership and evidence‑based campaigning to influence national policy and create lasting change. Her work challenges systemic barriers, advocates for colleagues and service users, and shows that student midwives are not only learners, but leaders shaping the future of maternity services. This award honours her individual contribution and the collective voice of student midwives determined to secure a sustainable, supported and safe profession.
Maternity Care Trailblazer Award
Winner: Belinda Ngugi, Perinatal Programme Manager, NCT
Belinda Ngugi is honoured for her exceptional leadership in improving pregnancy and maternity outcomes for some of Newham’s most marginalised women.
As the founding lead of Newham Nurture (NCT) – a partnership with Alternatives Trust East London and The Magpie Project – Belinda has transformed access to perinatal support for migrant, refugee and asylum‑seeking women since 2020. Newham Nurture works with women experiencing some of the deepest health and economic inequalities, including homelessness, poverty, insecure immigration status, trauma and social isolation.
Co‑production sits at the heart of the programme. Women with lived experience shape every aspect of service design and delivery, helping to build deep trust with families who are often least engaged with statutory maternity services and at greatest risk of poor maternal and infant outcomes.
Belinda’s leadership is rooted in community building, cultural humility and equity. She works closely with maternity professionals, public health teams, commissioners, social care, early help and voluntary sector partners. A key focus is supporting women to understand their UK maternity rights, navigate complex systems and advocate for safe, informed and positive birth experiences that improve maternal and infant wellbeing.
What distinguishes Belinda is her unwavering commitment both to families and to system‑level change. She consistently engages with local authorities, commissioners and decision‑makers, recognising that influencing policy and investing in relationships amplifies the impact of frontline work. Newham Nurture removes practical and emotional barriers through culturally safe, trauma‑informed, holistic care. Mothers report feeling “heard, respected and valued” – often for the first time – with positive effects on maternal wellbeing, infant health, bonding and community resilience.
Under Belinda’s leadership, Newham Nurture has become a national model for equitable, accessible, community‑led perinatal care.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Verena Wallace MBE, Senior Midwifery Advisor (Policy), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Verena Wallace MBE in recognition of a remarkable career dedicated to advancing midwifery and maternity services across the UK and Ireland.
Verena has announced her retirement from the Nursing and Midwifery Council after eight years as Senior Midwifery Advisor (Policy). Before joining the NMC, she served as Midwifery and Children’s Nursing Officer at the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and spent nine years as the Local Supervising Authority Midwifery Officer (LSAMO) until 2015. Her career has also included senior roles as Deputy Chief Nurse, Head of Midwifery and Consultant Midwife for Public Health.
She trained as a general nurse in Belfast and has practised as a midwife in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland – frequently remarking that she still holds an ambition to work in Wales one day.
Colleagues and friends remember Verena not only for her deep knowledge and policy expertise, but also for her warmth, kindness, wit and unforgettable storytelling. Her soft Belfast lilt and her ability to share extraordinary – and often hilarious – experiences from practice have inspired and encouraged generations of midwives.
Although stepping back from full‑time work, Verena is not leaving midwifery behind. After a short period of rest and recuperation, she plans to begin a full‑time PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, focusing on the impact of the loss of statutory midwifery supervision. Her continued commitment to research and professional development underlines a lifelong dedication to improving safety, supervision and support within maternity care.
Honouring trailblazers and inspiring the future
The Trailblazer Awards at the London Maternity & Midwifery Festival 2026 highlight the creativity, courage and determination driving improvement across maternity services – from safeguarding and digital innovation to national workforce policy, community‑based equity programmes and decades of leadership at the highest levels.
By celebrating these winners, the festival shines a light on the everyday and extraordinary efforts of midwives, student midwives, educators and leaders who are working to ensure that every woman, birthing person and baby receives safe, respectful and compassionate care.
Watch the award presentation ceremony here:
Maternity & Midwifery Forum
February 2026