Festive fun gives Southend children a better start

Over 200 young families in Southend are enjoying The Family Gift & Festivals Activity pack to help celebrate the season.  It comes in a drawstring bag and includes recipes, games, stories, craft, activities that feature different festive winter traditions and opportunities for families to feel connected to their local community.

These printed packs were part of a whole host of seasonal activities ranging from story sessions, singing, scavenger hunts and games – delivered so families could get involved by sharing their photos or taking part in our online sessions, showing that Southend families aren’t letting the current restrictions spoil the fun.   It’s an initiative inspired by ideas from parents delivered by parents through the Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS) on behalf of A Better Start Southend.

Southend mum, Joanne Webb, an ABSS Parent Champion, says:

“A number of local parents got together through A Better Start Southend to think about how we could help bring a little joy back into our communities during the current restrictions.  This mix of online activities and pre-printed activity packs were the result of some of our ideas.  The winter packs celebrate the vast array of cultures we have here in Southend, and the celebrations we share in the winter months.  It’s a way to bring a little light into what has been a year of uncertainty and isolation for so many!”

Michelle Gray from SAVS, commented:

“Cooking, playing, reading and singing with our children is not only fun, it gives them a better start in life as they develop skills and learn through play.  The festive pack is just one of a number of packs that we’ve been providing ABSS families with over the past six months and it’s been a great way for us to keep in touch with them for them to interact and to feel connected to the Engagement Team and the ABSS project.”