Me, my partner and baby live in private-rented, but all our money goes on rent and bills. We don’t have anything nice for ourselves as a family. I have really enjoyed these sessions as they make me feel that I do have support and knowing that I can take my baby to do nice things without having to worry about finances.” These are the words of one mum who has taken part in activities run by Uplift.
Uplift provides a meeting place for families with children under the age of five in Tiverton, offering free stay and play sessions and workshops to help parents develop their knowledge and confidence, and to build peer support networks.
Many of the parents who visit Uplift’s family hub are under 25 themselves and a number of them are experiencing challenges such as low income, single parenthood, and isolation. One mum the charity works with has moved into a refuge due to domestic abuse, another is being fostered along with her baby.
Staff and volunteers develop close, trusting relationships with families who visit the hub, allowing them to share advice and suggestions that help parents to support their young children to develop and thrive.
As an example, one young mum told a staff member that she couldn’t remember her mother playing with her as a child and didn’t know where to start with her own four-month-old. The staff member was able to give her a baby gym and suggest how the mother could interact with the baby while they were using the play equipment. Another mum declined the offer of some baby books for her three-month-old, saying he was “too young”. Uplift’s Early Years teacher explained the importance of reading with children from a young age and encouraged the mother to take a selection of suitable books.
“We have families that completely rely on coming to see us, maybe two or three times a week,” says Mary Richard, Uplift’s hub coordinator, adding that these families then start to build up their own networks, arranging trips to the park or the library with fellow parents they meet at Uplift.
And while families rely on Uplift, the charity relies entirely on grant funding to continue providing this vital service. Mary said: “We’re in the precarious situation that if we don’t get grants we can’t keep going, and we know it’s a service that’s needed.”
Devon Community Foundation has made a number of grants to Uplift over the past five years, helping it to continue and develop its work. Most recently we drew on funds from the Tiverton Educational Foundation to give a grant of £5,000 to Uplift. This has gone towards the charity’s core costs and will also be used to run a free first aid course for families.
We know that Uplift fills a huge gap for local families and we are very proud that, thanks to our donors, we are able to support its invaluable work. As one local Family Hub Lead put it: “There is precious little other community-based resource that provides the nurture, information and practical and emotional support for parents, babies and young children that parents can get at Uplift.”
