Join internationally renowned educator and birth photographer Anna Verwaal for a thought-provoking evening exploring how our experiences from conception, through life in the womb and birth, may continue to influence us throughout our lives.

For more than 35 years, Anna has worked with mothers, babies and families, combining her experience in maternity care with birth photography and the field of pre- and perinatal psychology. Her work asks us to consider birth through another important lens: what is the baby experiencing?

Through Anna’s powerful and compelling birth photography, personal stories, clinical observations and insights from pre- and perinatal psychology, she will explore how experiences during pregnancy and birth may influence our developing sense of safety, connection and belonging, and the patterns we carry into later life.

The evening will be of particular interest to parents and grandparents, midwives, doctors, nurses, early years practitioners, therapists, counsellors, educators and birth workers, as well as anyone curious about their own beginnings and the extraordinary journey from womb to world.

Anna has taught internationally since 2006, sharing her work with healthcare professionals, therapists, parents and wider audiences around the world. This is a rare opportunity to hear her teach in English and her first visit to Orkney, following an invitation from local Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr Clare Willocks.

The event will be held on Friday 11 September in Kirkwall's St Magnus Centre between 6.30pm and 9pm, with tickets costing £25.

This public evening also forms the introductory lecture for Anna’s two-day From Womb to World workshop at The Balfour on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. Attendance at the Friday evening lecture is a prerequisite for those wishing to continue into the weekend workshop.

The event has been supported by the NHS Orkney Endowment Fund, recognising its potential contribution to professional development, maternity services, trauma-informed practice and early years learning.

Everyone is welcome. No previous knowledge or professional background is required.

, Life in Orkney, Culture & Events, Kirkwall & St Ola