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Does anyone else object to Cryptic Jumbo 1157 4dn?
"Leader of devotions - one with mother in Newcastle (4)".
Answer IMAM.
Newcastle Tyne and Wear? Newcastle-under-Lyme? Any other Newcastle?
In the north west most of us call our mother "Mam". I imagine "Mam" is pretty well common in many places.
Perhaps ".....Newcastle, say" (4) may have helped, but it's still a duff clue.

Mum's the word! ;-)

It's always been Mum where I come from in the south.
'Up north' may have been better.

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah,........
.....Camp is very entertaining
and they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining.....

It's persisting it down here (Northwest).

and I hope it persists for ages yet! No rain for the previous fortnight at least and garden dying.

I think "Newcastle, say" would be better. From what I remember of Liverpool, we said "ma" if she wasn't around and "mum" if she was. However, I left for the South a long time ago. One of my sons calls me "Mam", the other calls me "Ted". :-)

Hi Gwladysstreet.

Just a thought but if the setter isn't from around the north of England, maybe they've just plucked the Def from the dictionary and that maybe mentions Newcastle.
I'm at work so can't check my Chambers (hard copy). However, I hear 'mam' often in the North west but the Etymology points towards both the North west and the North east. There is a book called 'A Dictionary of North East Dialect' by Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, ISBN 1904794165
which may give you more info but the usage notes say
"Used in place of mum or ma in Northumbrian dialects such as Geordie, as well as throughout Ireland and Liverpool"
Hope that helps