Brave Black Country mum faces her biggest fear to raise awareness and funds for perinatal mental health
•Black Country mum Alyson Alcorn completes skydive to raise funds for Black Country Brighter Lives, the charity of Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. •The money raised by Alyson will go to the Black Country Perinatal Mental Health team at Black Country Healthcare. The team specialise in supporting those affected by moderate to severe mental health illness in the preconception, antenatal and postnatal period. •The team supported Alyson during one of the most difficult times of her life, inspiring her to raise awareness of perinatal mental health and help others.
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On 10 May 2025, brave Black Country mum Alyson Alcorn took to the skies to face her biggest fear, jumping out of a plane to raise money for the perinatal mental health team who helped her during one of the most difficult times of her life.
In 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, Alyson gave birth to her beautiful twin girls. However, the occasion was marred by the onset of postnatal depression. Isolated due to Covid restrictions, Alyson struggled alone on a hospital ward with her newborns. Returning home, her mental health deteriorated further, leading to feelings of despair and detachment from her children.
Alyson describes how she felt at that time:
“I begged my mum to ‘take the girls back where they came from’ and would say ‘I don’t want them!’ without a hint of hesitation. As hard as that is to think about now, I meant every word at the time.”
Fortunately, Alyson had been identified as high risk for postnatal depression by her midwife which meant she received immediate support from the Perinatal Community Mental Health Service at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The team specialise in supporting those affected by moderate to severe mental health illness in the preconception, antenatal and postnatal period. The people they support may have a history of mental health difficulties or be experiencing them for the first time.
Alyson credits the support she received as giving her, her life back:
“I had help almost immediately. I would look forward to appointments as I knew I could be honest and say how I was feeling without being judged.
“They came to my house; they listened, they learned about me, and they helped me. They got me access to nursery nurses, taught me baby massage and, most importantly, got me the medical care I needed. It is no exaggeration to say, without them, I'm not sure I would be here today.”
Alyson decided to face her ultimate fear of taking on a skydive, to raise money for Black Country Brighter Lives, the charity of Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The money raised will go directly to the Perinatal Mental Health team to support others, like Ayson, who need help to deal with mental illness.
Emma Doyle, Service Manager for the Black County Perinatal Mental Health team shared the team’s gratitude for not only raising money, but also awareness:
“I want to pass on a huge heartfelt thank you to Alyson for doing this courageous thing. It’s fabulous that this will raise awareness around perinatal mental health and reduce the stigma that many people feel. We are honoured to help people like Alyson, where the journey into parenthood is challenging. None of this would be possible without the dedication, compassion and commitment of the team, each one of them works tirelessly to provide the highest standard of care.”
Alyson wants to encourage more awareness of perinatal mental health.
“There is still stigma. We are desperate to be seen as ‘perfect mums’ with perfect families, but the reality is a lot different. I am one of the lucky ones. I had an incredible support network, but there are many who don't.
“I am gladly facing my (ultimate) fear if it means another person in my situation gets the help they need and deserve.”
Alyson’s fundraiser is still open. To donate:
