16202/1THE Mayor of Marlborough Hilary Cripps has made a number of new friends bosom pals they could be called after visiting the town's breastfeeding group.

During her year in office Coun Cripps has vowed to visit as many of town's organisations, particularly the lesser-known groups.

Last Wednesday she visited BOSOM (Breast Feeding Ourselves Supporting Other Mothers) that meets weekly at Marlborough Town FC clubhouse in Elcot Lane.

The group was formed in March by a group of local mums who are or have been breastfeeding.

They meet every Wednesday afternoon at the football club to share ideas and discuss any problems, said Maria Watson, one of the founder members.

One topic they discussed with Coun Cripps, who is a grandmother herself, was whether a more central venue could be found for meetings. Ms Watson said: "The mayor was very interested in what we do and said she would see if there could be a room in the town hall where we could met and that she would help us apply for funding."

Ms Watson said the group discussed the town's lack of public places for breastfeeding. She said: "The only place we are aware of where mothers can breastfeed is in Waitrose where they let you use a first aid room."

The group was set up with the help of health visitor Lin Miles, whose support was praised by Ms Watson. Mrs Miles ran a UNICEF Peer Support Training for Breastfeeding Mothers course for the group. Ms Watson said a lot of young couples moved to the area and could not turn to their families for support or advice because they were in other parts of the country. Mums interested in joining BOSOM can contact Ms Watson on (01672) 511868.