A sunny visit to Abingdon Carousel Family Centre
The morning sun is shining when I arrive at Abingdon Carousel for a morning of playing, chatting and singing at their Stay & Play session – and the warm welcome everyone receives makes it also feel sunny inside. “Everyone knows your name when you arrive,” says one of the dads. “They always say, ‘Hello Jack, hello Rani, hello Phoebe,’ and that makes you feel immediately at home.”
A welcoming environment
Everyone who comes along is looked after by the staff and the volunteers. The parents are offered warm drinks (in child-safe cups), and the staff get down to the child’s level to say hello and have a chat. There is a note on the wall about what the session will entail. It starts with an hour of free play and chat, then tidy up time, snack time, then time for songs and stories. One of the parents I spoke to was there for the first time with her child, and she said it was very useful to have this so that she knew what to expect. “We don’t have these groups in the country I am from, it is lovely having this unstructured play, where we can all chat to people, and my son can learn English and make friends. I will come again!” Another mum says, “Everyone speaks to everyone, it’s very friendly, and all the staff help to make it that way. You don’t feel alone here.” One of the volunteers tells me, “I used to come here when my child was little. This place helped me so much, and I am so grateful, so now I volunteer because I want to give back.”
The bright indoor room has lots of toys, a carpeted area and seating areas with tables. Today it is warm enough for the garden door to be open, and it leads out to a wonderful and well-equipped outdoor space. There is a separate sensory room for anyone who needs some quiet time. The room has a happy buzz, and then everyone knows what to do at tidy up time. The toddlers love picking things up and putting them away. Then those who have been before toddle over to the tables and sit down for a selection of bite-size snacks, including cucumber, cheese and raisins. “My son eats a wider range of food since coming here. He wouldn’t eat cucumber at home, but we come here and he sees other children eating it, so now he likes it!” After snacks, everyone who wants to sits in a circle on the carpet, and one of the staff leads songs and stories, with props, toys and a lovely sense of calm.
Enabling parental connections
Many parents I speak to say that these Stay & Play sessions are an absolute lifeline for them. “I can’t tell you how much coming here has meant to me. I have extreme anxiety, and coming here has helped me so much. I feel happy here, I don’t feel anxious. Our daughter is 2, and was very shy and clingy when we first came here 6 months ago. Now she is much more confident, and it has definitely helped her prepare for going to nursery. She has learned to play with others, sit down for snack time, sing songs and listen to stories. We know she’s going to be OK going to nursery now. I was a bit worried about that, but now I’m not.” We watch their daughter as she grins widely, helping to hold a blanket with cuddly monkeys bouncing on it and singing a song with the group. Dad adds, “On a Tuesday morning when we tell her it is time to go to ‘Group’, she goes straight to the front door and tries to open the handle. She says, ‘Group! Group!’ She’s so excited.”
As we leave, we take the warmth in the room with us into the sunshine. “We always look forward to this,” says one parent. “There should be more places like this. I want to sing that from the rooftops. It keeps me going all week, knowing it is in the diary.”
(Names changed for privacy)
Jane Gallagher
Community Capacity Builder, Community First Oxfordshire
You can read more about Abingdon Carousel on our website.
Well Together is being delivered in partnership by OCVA and Community First Oxfordshire and has been funded by the NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (NHS BOB ICB).