Reader recalls how Esther Rantzen's Mama charity supported new mothers

A letter published in the Guardian has paid tribute to the broadcaster Esther Rantzen's role in founding the Meet-a-Mum Association, known as Mama, describing the charity as a vital source of support for new mothers.

The letter, written by a reader named Fiona Lindop, follows the Guardian's obituary of Rantzen, who died on 1 October. While Rantzen is widely remembered for establishing the children's helpline Childline and the later Silver Line service for older people, the letter highlights another of the causes she pioneered: the Meet-a-Mum Association, founded in 1979.

According to the letter, Mama built a network of local groups that offered friendship and support to new mothers across the country. Lindop recounts that in 1984, as a young mother with a toddler and a two-week-old baby who had just moved from South Yorkshire to Hertfordshire, she found the organisation to be "a lifeline" that helped her integrate into a new community and access support. She went on to join her local Mama committee shortly afterwards.

The letter forms part of a wider set of tributes published in the Guardian's letters pages following Rantzen's death, reflecting on the range of charitable work she carried out over her career beyond her television career.

Rantzen, a prominent figure in British broadcasting, was known for combining her media career with sustained charitable and campaigning work, and the response from readers such as Lindop points to the lasting impact of some of the lesser-known organisations she helped establish.