St. Johns Baby & Toddler Group, Walsall Wood.

Three Years ago the group was in a difficult position. We shared toys belonging to another group, who changed premises leaving us with only the toys we could beg, borrow or bring from home. The Church congregation came to the rescue by donating second hand toys no longer needed, but this left lots of areas of toys. With the encouragement of another local Toddler Group leader, I applied to Rosie’s Helping Hands for four projects: Musical instruments, Baby toys, Creative play and boys toys.

"We were absolutely delighted when the grant bid was accepted. The children loved the new dressing up clothes, rocking horse and electronic workshop in particular"

We have also been able to set up a baby corner to meet the needs of our new arrivals.
It turned our group around and since then, we have gone from strength to strength.

The initial bid also meant we had to set up a committee, bank account and constitution. We have moved forwards thanks to the hard work, vision and commitment of not just one person, but a very dedicated committee. The success of this bid encouraged me to apply for other grants, which have bought new equipment for outdoor play and a storage shed, all of which we could never afford to buy from our 75p contribution for coffee money. We have seen numbers increase from the original three to over forty on our list and as a result, we now offer a Monday morning session in addition to our Wednesday afternoon session. We now have a formal list of the children’s address and birth date. This has helped to bring back parents who have not attended for a while, as we send out regular newsletters. All children receive a birthday card, and have a cake with candles to blow out.

We have a newborn baby in the group who has Downs Syndrome, and we are looking at ways in which we can serve the needs of other local Special Needs children and carers. In addition to the annual Christmas Party, we are looking at organising a coach trip this summer to a farm or Telford Park. Monthly activities include our wonderful story-teller, Louise, who is funded by Rosie’s Helping Hands. Louise and her daughter Molly have become an integral part of our group, with her stories and singing being enjoyed by babies right up to our oldest children. Her moms knitted toys have become legendary! She has given us the inspiration and enthusiasm to include our own stories and singing at biscuit time on the weeks she does not attend.

For further information on our sessions, please contact : Lisa Wilson 01543 370834