Women, Children, Young People and Families

The Women, Children, Young People and Families (WCYPF) team at Public Services Delivery Scotland were delighted to host the Cancer and Pregnancy webinar.

We were delighted to welcome Pete Wallroth (Hon MBE), Founder and CEO of Mummy’s Star - the UK and Ireland charity supporting women and birthing people diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy, within 12 months after birth, or following pregnancy or baby loss. 

The webinar aimed to:

‘Unpick the unknowns’ surrounding cancer in pregnancy, exploring this through the work of the charity, case studies, the experiences of partners and fathers, the impact on perinatal mental health and creating positive outcomes in pregnancy, infant feeding and postnatal care. 

Presenter:
 

Pete Wallroth is the founder and CEO of Mummy’s Star, the UK and Ireland charity supporting women and birthing people diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy, within 12 months after birth, or following pregnancy or baby loss. He founded the charity in 2013 in memory of his late wife, Mair, whose experience shaped its mission: to ensure that no family faces cancer in and around pregnancy alone.

Pete is deeply committed to equity in maternity care, advocating for women and birthing people with cancer to receive the same informed choices during pregnancy as they would without a diagnosis. Through his work with universities, hospitals and cancer centres across the country, he shares case studies and examples of good practice that help improve support for the families Mummy’s Star works with every day.

His work brings together personal experience, frontline charity leadership and cross-sector collaboration, giving him a distinctive perspective on how services can respond more compassionately and consistently to families affected by cancer in and around pregnancy.

Pete is also a strong advocate for partners’ mental health, particularly for those supporting a seriously ill loved one or coping with grief. He challenges assumptions about the role of partners, especially fathers, in pregnancy, care and loss, and highlights the need for their experiences to be recognised as part of family-centred support.

Before founding Mummy’s Star, Pete spent a decade in housing and regeneration, delivering youth, health and environmental projects in some of Greater Manchester’s most deprived communities.

Pete lives with his wife, Nic, and their three children, Martha, Merlin and Flynn. Outside work, he is a keen wild swimmer and walker, and sports fan.