My surrogacy journey: Chloe shares her experience as a BB surrogate
My surrogacy journey: Chloe shares her experience as a BB surrogate One of our Brilliant Surrogates sent us a lovely email, which she gave us permission to share with you all, to give a flavour of what it is like to be supported through surrogacy preparation and our...
Getting to know BB: Heidi Burrows, Legal Manager
Heidi is one of the Legal Managers at Brilliant Beginnings. Here, she shares how she came to the law, her work with BB and NGA Law and the impact of her work.
Getting to know BB: Tracey Sims, Surrogate Manager
BB Surrogate Manager Tracey shares a little about her role in BB, being an egg donor, a surrogate and about her busy family life.
My surrogacy journey: An intended parent’s story
Paul shares his surrogacy journey as an intended parent, from thinking about surrogacy, to matching with a surrogacy, to meeting his babies.
Making Babies: A podcast with Andrea Byrne
Stephen, Teresa and Natalie spoke to Andrea on her ‘Making Babies’ podcast about the realities of surrogacy in the UK and overseas.
Brilliant Beginnings’ new holistic UK surrogacy pathway with NGA Law
We are delighted to be working with NGA Law to fully integrate both the practical and legal aspects of UK surrogacy in a seamless service.
HFEA to clarify guidance on exporting eggs, sperm and embryos for international surrogacy
We are pleased to report that the UK’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is set to clarify its guidance on exporting eggs, sperm and embryos for surrogacy.
Can you start a surrogacy journey in the US or Canada during COVID-19?
Surrogacy is continuing during the pandemic. We look at how processes have adapted for surrogacy in the US and Canada for UK intended parents.
Surrogate explains colostrum harvesting and expressing milk
Surrogate Manager Tracey talks through colostrum harvesting and her experience with expressing for her intended parents as their surrogate.
Navigating surrogacy and birth in the UK during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges to maternity care and birth in the UK. Here we offer some advice and steps to carry out in preparation for a surrogacy baby to be born during the pandemic, including speaking to hospitals.
What should you include in your surrogacy agreement?
As a surrogate or intended parents, you will want this to reflect the main issues that you will be faced with and how the mechanics of your arrangement will be made.
Why do surrogates have a psychological evaluation?
Our screening and preparation process is there to help a surrogate to think about this with support from us and other experienced professionals.
Curious Connections conference, Manchester University, July 2020
The conference presented the Morgan Centre’s latest research into the experiences and perspectives of egg and sperm donors, the first major study of its kind since the move toward identity-release donation in the UK.
Deaf LGBTQIA event held online in July 2020
Our directors Helen Prosser and Natalie Gamble were delighted to join Deaf LGBTQIA for an online seminar about surrogacy as part of their series on LGBT family building.
Brilliant Beginnings event on surrogacy in the UK, online, May 2020
Would you like to hear more about surrogacy in the UK? UK surrogacy agency Brilliant Beginnings and law firm NGA Law, have teamed up with Herts and Essex Fertility Centre to bring you information on all the key things to consider.
Fertility 2020 Conference, Edinburgh, January 2020
Our founders Helen Prosser and Natalie Gamble were delighted to speak to the Fertility 2020 conference in Edinburgh – the joint national conference of the British Fertility Society, Association of Clinical Embryologists and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, attended by more than 800 delegates from fertility clinics across the UK.
Law Commission surrogacy reform consultation event, London, 12 July 2019
Brilliant Beginnings and NGA Law were delighted to host the Law Commission’s first consultation event on surrogacy law reform this evening at our London office.
Reforming Surrogacy Laws conference, London, 6 June 2019
Natalie and Helen were delighted to be invited to speak at the Reforming Surrogacy Laws conference in London last week.
BBC Victoria Derbyshire show debates surrogacy reform
Natalie Gamble was part of the Victoria Derbyshire show today which considered the Law Commission’s proposals for surrogacy law reform
The Guardian on the rise of single fathers by choice
The Guardian has published a feature about the growing numbers of men pursuing parenthood through surrogayc, adoption and fostering, sharing their stories. We were pleased to help with the article, which also quotes our founder Natalie Gamble:
Pink News on the biggest wins for LGBT+ rights and the battles yet to be won
As the decade ends we take a look back at the rights won by LGBT+ people across the UK in the 2010s, and the fights that continue on.
The Times on the Scottish Catholic Church and surrogacy
The Times has reported criticism of the Scottish Catholic Church for describing surrogacy as 'child trafficking' The Scottish Catholic Church has been criticised for questioning 'whether surrogacy is any better than child trafficking' in its response to the Law...
I was a surrogate: here’s what people ask about having a baby for someone else
The Huffington Post has featured an interview with Brilliant Surrogate Lisa Charlwood-Green, who carried a baby for a same-sex couple in the UK.
Huffington Post reports on surrogacy in the UK
The Huffington Post has published a feature about surrogacy in the UK, summarising how the process works and what the law says. On the question of how much surrogacy costs, the article quotes Brilliant Beginnings:
My surrogacy journey: An intended parent’s story
Paul shares his surrogacy journey as an intended parent, from thinking about surrogacy, to matching with a surrogacy, to meeting his babies.
Getting to know BB: Teresa Coote, Surrogate Manager
Teresa, or T, is one of Brilliant Beginnings’ Surrogate Managers. She’s spent much of her life helping people, became a BB surrogate then joined the team.
Getting to know BB: Esther Ezquerro – Client Manager
Esther is a Client Manager with personal and professional experience in adoption, alternative families and fertility issues. Get to know her in this blog!
Getting to know BB – Laura Clarke
We’re launching our Getting To Know BB series with Laura Clarke, who shares a little more about herself and her work with BB.
Surrogacy stories: A family shining bright
We share the story of how Chris and Andrew, with the help of their surrogate Katie, brought Lyra into the world.
Surrogacy in a pandemic: My story of giving birth during COVID-19
Births can be hard in normal circumstances, but with surrogacy, COVID-19 and twins, there was a lot to manage. This was how two healthy babies were born.
National survey for Infertility Network UK and Middlesex University
Infertility Network UK and researchers at Middlesex University are conducting a national survey to help understand the experiences of people considering fertility treatment, currently having treatment or who have previously had treatment.
Survey published, recommending legal reform and pre-birth orders for UK surrogacy
We are delighted to see the report from Surrogacy UK following its survey of surrogacy practice in the UK, and particularly its recommendations for law reform.
Could you be a Diversity role model?
Helen and Natalie met with Suran Dickson from the fantastic charity Diversity Role Models which is working hard to promote awareness of non-traditional families in schools.
Could you be a trustee for the National Gamete Trust?
The egg and sperm donation charity, the National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT) (of which Brilliant Beginnings and Natalie Gamble Associates director Helen is a trustee), is looking for enthusiastic, motivated and dedicated individuals to complement their hardworking team of trustees.
UK children conceived through surrogacy and donation are well adjusted
Leading academics at Cambridge University have published the findings of important new research into the wellbeing of UK children born through surrogacy and gamete donation.
The Independent on surrogacy law reform
The Independent has featured an article about surrogacy law reform, reporting on the Law Commission’s provisional recommendations announced this week.
The Parental Order is now accessible for single people, what does this mean for surrogates?
On the 3rd of January 2019 a long awaited change in the law meant that single people finally gained access to the parental order here in the UK.
Natalie writes for the Guardian about surrogacy, altruism and payments
Our director Natalie Gamble was asked to write an opinion editorial for the Guardian, explaining why we think the law needs to change to support surrogates properly – including their right to be openly compensated for their time and effort.
The Times on how the law is catching up with surrogacy
The Times has written a piece about the problems with the UK’s current surrogacy laws, and the hope that law reform is on the way.
New government guidance on UK surrogacy launched today
The government has today launched new online information about UK surrogacy, which will be part of the gov.uk official public information portal.
Law Commission to review UK surrogacy law
The Law Commission announced this week that surrogacy will be part of its next programme of work.
Getting to know BB: Teresa Coote, Surrogate Manager
Teresa, or T, is one of Brilliant Beginnings’ Surrogate Managers. She’s spent much of her life helping people, became a BB surrogate then joined the team.
Reflecting on 2019, looking ahead to 2020
January is a time for thinking about new starts and new resolutions. For many people having a family is at the very top of their new year’s priorities.
Welcome to the team: Tracey – Surrogate Manager
From Brilliant Surrogate to Brilliant Beginnings team member Brilliant Beginnings welcomes Tracey to the team.
We’re recruiting!
We’re seeking 3 enthusiastic new recruits to join our London team.
Brilliant baby boy!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce the arrival of our first Brilliant Beginnings Baby, little Rupert who was born on 1st April 2015 weighing a healthy 7.7lbs!
Brilliant Beginnings House of Commons event on surrogacy law reform
Brilliant Beginnings’ surrogacy campaign was launched at the UK Houses of Parliament on Tuesday evening.