Peasedown Baby-to-Preschool group awarded £200 thanks to village grant scheme

Peasedown Baby-to-Preschool group awarded £200 thanks to village grant scheme

Sunday 21st July 2019 Published by Leave your thoughts

A popular Peasedown toddler group has been awarded £200 to purchase new toys.

The grant was provided by the village’s Party in the Park Grant Fund, which was set up in 2010 to support community projects and initiatives. Over the past 9 years, more than £15,000 has been given out to a variety of groups across Peasedown St John.

‘SJ’s Little Ones’, based at St John’s Church, is open four mornings a week for parents to come along with their baby-to-preschool aged children to play, relax and socialise.

Coordinator Sarah Carney said: “Our aim is to see no new mother, father or carer isolated, no toddler without toys to play with and books to read and all to be included and welcomed at our group, and thriving at this challenging stage in life.

We aim to create a welcoming, stimulating space where parents/ carers and their children can meet, be refreshed and feel encouraged. We have a wonderful team of very committed volunteers who serve teas, bake amazing cakes and listen and engage with everyone at the groups.

SJ’s Little Ones currently supports 65 children and their parents each week with their large open social safe space, toy library, warm drinks and cake, and creative thoughtful and varied learning/play opportunities.

In front of a packed crowd at this year’s Party in the Park Festival on June 8th, Little Ones was awarded a £200 grant in recognition for the work it does to support families who are isolated and in need of extra support.

Last Friday morning, Party in the Park’s Nathan Hartley and Joy Fraser went along to see how the money had been spent.

Nathan said: “When we set up Party in the Park in 2008 we decided we wanted to support the community all year round, not just on one day of the year. So, a lot of the proceeds we make after each year’s festival are reinvested back into the local community.

As the festival has got bigger, we’ve been able to fund more projects. We were delighted that Little Ones applied this year. It’s inspiring to see different innovative ways in which the funding is spent.

For more details about SJs Little Ones visit www.stjsgroup.church/littleones