Apply for an Iolanthe Midwives Award to help you fund professional education or a project that helps to improve midwifery practice
2027 Applications open Dec 1st, 2026
About the Iolanthe Midwives Awards
Each year, the Iolanthe Midwifery Trusts grants a number of financial awards to midwives. Funding is available for midwifery-based projects and plans and will lead to improvements in care through practice, education, research or management studies. Each application is judged on its individual merits.
- Awarded annually
- Available for midwives registered with the UK NMC
- Maximum award available £1,500
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Midwives of Black or Asian ethnicity can apply for a Dora Opoku Midwives Diversity and Equity Award at the same time
Is your project eligible?
These awards are made to enable midwives to undergo self-development or training, to undertake research or to make improvements to local services.
This could include:
- Training courses to develop specialist skills
- Travel to conferences, either as an attendee or to share research findings
- Developing services to pregnant women/birthing persons in a local hospital or in the community
- Assistance with academic fees for Masters or PhD studies
- Organising study days for local midwives
- Undertaking research which will benefit midwives or women/birthing persons, babies and/or families
See What do we fund? for more information
Applications are made online. Please read the Application Guidance (link above or see our general video guidance) and our Privacy Policy carefully before applying.
2026 winners
Kate Hampson, a practice development midwife at University Hospital of Wales, who will use her funding to train midwives in the creation of HOPE (hold on, pain eases) boxes developed for mothers about to have a baby removed from their care, by those who have already experienced this, as a new initiative for the Cardiff area.
Professor Laura Abbott, Professor of Maternal Health and Criminal Justice, who will use her funding to deliver a one-day, in-person national learning and reflective retreat for the Prison Midwives Action Group (PMAG), a UK-wide network of midwives working in custodial settings that she founded in 2021.
Alexandra Fisher, a community midwife in Swansea, whose funds will go towards tuition fees for her Masters in Integrative counselling and Psychotherapy, enabling her to become a BACP accredited psychotherapist.
Dr Ella Caine, consultant midwife at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, who will use her award to access Birthrights Core Training for Healthcare Professionals for her Trust's midwives, aiming to facilitate equitable, rights based, respectful conversations with women about their maternity care choices.
Fiona Gibb, Director of Midwifery at the Royal College of Midwives, whose funding supports a PhD in Informatics: Artificial Intelligence and its Applications; her work investigates how midwives across the UK experience continuous professional development, leadership opportunities and career progression, and examines whether generative artificial intelligence (AI) could provide practical, ethical, and equitable support in these areas.
Samantha Griffin, a research midwife at Imperial College London, who will use her award to access British Sign Language Level 3 training, to deepen her fluency, confidence and cultural understanding within the Deaf community.#
Professor Alison Cooke, Associate Chief Nurse for Research and Education at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, who will team with colleagues Drs Angela Hanock and Hazel Smith, to organise a "Research into Practice" learning event for Trust midwives, to encourage the use of research in everyday clinical practice, highlight real-world midwife-led research that has evolved from clinical practice, and increase awareness of research opportunities and midwifery clinical academic career pathways.
Dr Angela Kerrigan, a consultant midwife, who, along with colleague Caitlin Wilson, will research women's experiences of Midwifery Continuity of Carer at Wirral University Teaching Hospital and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals, after both Trusts have successfully implemented this for the majority of their maternity population.
Rebekah Arthur, Consultant Midwife for Population Health and Quality Improvement Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, who will use her award to create protected midwife time to develop the clinical pathways and guidelines required to establish a consistent, evidence‐based model of care for women and pregnant people with social complexities.
Siobhan Callaghan, a community midwife at the Vale of Leven Hospital, to facilitate a one-day restorative workshop for 30 newly qualified midwives from across Scotland, entitled Continuity, Compassion and Culture: Reconnecting with Midwifery Values, followed by sustained peer support and the creation of a reflective resource pack. Siobhan has also received the 2026 Mary Cronk Award.
Dr Harriet Ruysen, a research fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and a midwife at Dumfries and Galloway NHS Trust, who will attend the International Confederation of Midwives 34th Triennial Congress, to present her work, Missed measures for midwives' use: A qualitative study exploring routine data by mode of birth in Bangladesh and Tanzania.
2025 winners
Sophia Hatfield, a clinical education facilitator at North Bristol Trust, who will invite the Physiological Breech Birth Network to deliver a study day for 40-60 staff, enabling them to learn about and facilitate physiological breech birth in a safe and supported manner, using a research-based and evidenced method. Sophia is also the winner of the 2025 Mary Cronk Award
Jude Field, a research adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, who will complete systematic review training followed by undertaking a systematic review of the published literature about providing maternity care to survivors of sexual violence.
Zoe Page, integrated midwife and midwife sonographer at the Balfour Hospital, whose funds will enable 18 NHS Orkney midwives to attend Biomechanics for Birth online training, to explore and consolidate understanding of the biomechanics of the pelvis, empowering them to confidently apply evidence based techniques to support labour progress.
Lucy Nelson, a midwife at Kettering General Hospital, who will attend the 2 day Spinning Babies workshop, designed to enhance midwives' skills in optimising fetal positioning, reducing birth interventions, and promoting physiological birth.
Zoi Vardavaki, a midwifery lecturer at City St George's University of London, who will use her funding to pursue her PhD research: "MiROG - Midwifery Research on Out of Guidance birth choices Clinics and services: a mixed method study" which aims to identity best practices and enhance service delivery.
Sarah Coiffait, lead midwife for the Pathway to Excellence programme at Northampton General Hospital, supported by colleague Samukeliso Sibanda, who will run a year-long project entitled "Birthing a positive culture - using a shared decision making approach to promote psychological safety amongst the maternity team".
Eve Cottingham, infant feeding specialist midwife at North Bristol NHS Trust, who will use her funding to train and qualify as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), deepening her knowledge and understanding of lactation, maternal and infant relationship building, and infant feeding.
Bryany Tweedale, a consultant midwife at Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, who, as part of the Consultant Midwives Cymru (CMC) group, will organise the inaugural 'Consultant Midwives Cymru' Conference 2025. This will bring together midwives, maternity support workers, service users and other maternity stakeholders, with a focus on developing knowledge and giving profile to the evidence base around the benefits of midwifery care, particularly for those who experience health inequalities, and vulnerable or marginalised groups.
2024 winners
Maria Velo Higueras, a Midwifery Lecturer at Robert Gordon University, whose award will support her engagement with service users, birth workers, and midwives as part of her PhD study “A feminist mixed-methods exploration of UK midwives’ attitudes and experiences on freebirth”.
Amy Lewis, a Perinatal Mental Health Midwife at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, who will use her funding to undertake the Perinatal Mental Health Postgraduate Module at Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, to support her specialist role.
Zoi Vardavaki, Senior Midwifery Lecturer at London South Bank University, who will use her funding to pursue her PhD research: "MiROG - Midwifery Research on Out of Guidance birth choices Clinics and services: a mixed method study" at the University of Hertfordshire.
Alix Aitken-Arbuckle, Clinical Academic Senior Midwife with NHS Lothian/Edinburgh Napier University, who will use her award to pursue a Cultural Change in Maternity Services project, including the development of Midwifery Advocate roles to support positive cultural change within the workplace.
Claire Parkin, Clinical Supervisor for Midwives and Royal College of Midwives Learning Representative at Singleton Hospital, who will use her funds to offer a Biomechanics for Birth Professionals workshop to her midwifery team, enabling midwives to embed a biomechanics focus in their care of birthing families.
Kirsty Smith, a Midwife and aquanatal teacher with Lorn and Islands Hospital, Oban, whose Award will fund swimming pool hire, enabling her to offer free aquanatal classes to pregnant women in her rural community.
2023 winners
Adeyemi Johnson, an Undergraduate Teaching Fellow/Perineal clinic midwife at Croyden University Hospital, whose award will support her Masters research into the experience of women with perineal wound infections who access a hospital based perineal clinic.
Emilie Edwards, a midwifery lecturer at Middlesex University, will use her funding to undertake the Calibre Leadership Programme at Imperial College London, to support her advocacy role for Neurodivergent people in Higher Education Institutions and the NHS.
Hannah King, Birth Suite Leader at East Lancashire Hospital Trust, will use her funding to provide a Human Rights in Birth study day for her colleagues, covering reproductive justice and a rights-based approach to care delivery.
Katie Heath, Assistant Service Manager for Maternity and Neonates at East Lothian NHS, will use her award to offer a Biomechanics for Birth Professionals workshop to her colleagues, aiming to embed a biomechanics focus in supporting women and birthing people with challenging labours.
Leonie Wintercrane, a community midwife with North Bristol NHS Trust, who will use her funds to improve accessible antenatal education for Migrant women, by creating a set of translated resources that will assist midwives to provide women with vital information about pregnancy, childbirth and looking after their babies.
Rebecca Heorton, Safeguarding Midwife at Guys and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, will use her award to fund the final year of her MSC in Advanced Child Protection.
2022 winners
Kelda Folliard, of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the University of East Anglia, who will put her funding towards completing her fourth year of her Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care.
Mary Lynch, of Southmead Hospital, Bristol, who will use her award to take the "Essential Knowledge for Obstetric Medicine Short Course", Kings College Hospital, London.
Kate Mackay, of Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS, who will use her funding to create trauma informed and culturally safe antenatal education for birthing people in the immigration system.
Emma Booth, who will use her award to offer 20 part-funded places for Bronglais Hospital's midwives on Sara Wickham’s virtual course exploring evidence surrounding induction of labour and woman-centred planning.
Zahra Khan, of King's College, London, who will put her award towards her Life Course Science PhD in Health Inequalities.
Nora Seager-Wilkendorf, who works at Royal United Hospital's Birthing Centre in Bath, and will put her funding towards completing RCM-accredited Birth Trauma Resolution Practitioner Training.
Amina Hatia, of London North West NHS and Tommy's Baby Charity, who will be completing a Diploma In Clinical and Pastoral Counselling.
Jenny Cunningham, who is taking her doctorate at Kingston University London, and will present a poster on understanding weight stigma and its impact on women's experiences of maternity care, at the International Weight Stigma Conference 2022.
Jenise Jarvis, who will use her award to put on a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Women's Pregnancy Support Network Study Day for her colleagues at Bart's NHS Trust.
Nichola Bainbridge, who will use her funding to put on two "LGBT+ Competency in Birth and Beyond" online workshops for 25 of her colleagues at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
