A FIRST time mother in Westbourne has been supported by her local community following the birth of her son Luka in March.

Natasa Tait and her partner Christopher John Tait moved to Bournemouth in September 2019 while Natasa was pregnant with Luka.

Prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, Natasa's family from Belgrade, Serbia - her hometown - were due to fly out on March 16, the day before Luka was born.

However, due to lockdown restrictions in Serbia and the UK, Natasa's family have been unable to visit the new addition to the family and help Natasa in her first few months of being a mother.

Natasa explained: "My family couldn't visit and help us which was really, really hard. There are so many things you don't know as a first time mother and there was nobody to help us. I was diagnosed with fibroids and after Luka was born he had a lip and tongue tie so breastfeeding was a struggle.

"I will never forget the first two months, it was really tough."

Despite coronavirus preventing Natasa's family from travelling to Bournemouth, the local community pitched in and helped the Tait family during a time of need.

Natasa and Christopher's neighbour Cecilia Hiscocks, who is a member of Christ Church Westbourne, started delivering cooked meals to Natasa's door, which inspired fellow neighbours and church-goers to do the same.

Natasa said: "The church was so welcoming and helpful. A bunch of people wanted to help us. Everyday for four weeks we received a cooked meal, which sometimes was the only meal we ate in the day. This is what I love about England; the community comes together, it's really amazing. I didn't feel that in Serbia."

Natasa's family have now rescheduled their flights for the fourth time and hope to visit in July.

Natasa added: "The pandemic makes you much stronger as you go through a tough period alone. Everything is much easier now."