The Origins of MORE

The MORE (Maternity Opportunities for Research and Engagement) Project began in 2023 through a series of conversations about how maternity research and engagement could become more inclusive, participatory, and grounded in the experiences of local communities.

Initially developed through public involvement and community listening events in South London, the project grew from a recognition that many women's experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and maternity care, particularly experiences shaped by migration, inequality, mental health, work, and family circumstances, are often underrepresented within traditional research and service design.

MORE was developed to create space for women, families, researchers, and peer researchers to work together differently: collaboratively, creatively, and relationally. What began as a small engagement initiative evolved into an ongoing participatory research and public engagement project focused on amplifying lived experience and supporting dialogue, reflection, and change within maternity care systems.