Above: Councillor Joe Hearnshaw spent time with the team at Hummingbird Family Centre this week during one of their regular lunch clubs for parents and young children
Significantly more residents are making regular visits to Milton Keynes City Council’s already popular Family Centres with footfall up 28% compared to the same three-month period last year.
Funded and run by the City Council, ten Family Centres are open all year round and offer a wide range of services and support for families with children of all ages. Between July and September, more than 46,000 parents, carers and children have been helped by the friendly team while more than 4,000 attended a free breakfast club or lunch at their local centre.
Last year, in response to feedback from families, the City Council consolidated its services into ten enhanced centres spread evenly around the city, making it easier for families to access what they need, closer to home. Since then, a record number of families have visited.
Parents and carers can drop into the centres for advice on everything from managing money to school readiness, and from child development to early help, as well as finding regular baby groups, stay and play sessions and after school clubs.
Family Centres also support the wider community with weekly coffee mornings, community larders and sessions around finding or returning to work.
“Our Family Centres are more popular than ever – and that’s down to the dedicated teams of staff and volunteers who make our centres what they are. We know that for many residents, their local centre is a lifeline offering advice, support and regular groups that are free to join. It’s great to see even more residents coming through our doors so if you’ve never visited one of our centres before, do drop in and see what’s available.”
Find out what’s on at your nearest Family Centre at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/family-centres