Two mums, who wanted to give something back to a service which has helped them receive support for their children, were thanked by Radstock Children's Centre last Friday, having raised £400, half of which will be used for improvements for the children who attend the Early Support group.
Chiara Docherty and Sophie Tucker helped to raise over £400 by holding a coffee and cake sale, raffle and face painting, and games and activities. £200 will go to the National Autistic Society, which has an office based in Midsomer Norton, with the other half going to the Children’s Centre; with a meeting due to be held so that parents could decide how best to spend the money. The group have just begun to use the hall at the centre and hope to be able to paint and decorate it shortly to freshen it up.
Both Chiara and Sophie’s children attend the Centre’s Early Support Stay and Play, which now meets every Friday morning and helps children with additional needs, encouraging their development through socialising and access to trained staff. It also means that parents can meet and share experiences and siblings can also go along too, so that nobody misses out. The centre currently has around sixteen children attend the session, from newborns to five years-old.
Speaking at the presentation last week, Chiara said: “We really wanted to say thank you to the Children’s Centre and to split the money between two things that we really care about. The centre has been a lifeline in that you can come along without judgement, our children are not just simply viewed as ‘naughty’, but as having individual needs, with ongoing support available. We have definitely noticed a change in our children since we have been attending – it has been of great support and we would like to find ways of raising more funds in future. Through being referred to the Children’s Centre, we have discovered services we didn’t know existed, so if there are any other parents out there struggling, we would really recommend they get in touch.”
For more information or advice on services within the Somer Valley Children’s Centres, contact: 01225 396660.