Members of the Victoria Mother and Toddler Group are celebrating a grant of £1,500 for equipment, which has been awarded through Rotherham’s One Town One Community.
The group welcomes all parents and carers of pre-school children and meets from 10am-12 noon each Thursday at the church on Station Road, Masbrough. It is run by volunteers from the church and has members from a wide range of faiths and cultural backgrounds who enjoy meeting over a cup of tea while their toddlers play.
The cheque was presented to group members by Councillor Mahroof Hussain, Rotherham Cabinet Member for Community Development, Engagement and Young People’s Issues. The group applied to South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF), which facilitates the programme, through which funding was made available for projects that aim to bring communities in Rotherham together.
Committee member from the Victoria Mother and Toddler Group Margaret Hodgkinson said: “Our membership has grown to more than 30 families and we desperately needed to renew some of our toys and equipment. With this grant we can make life easier for parents by upgrading our baby changing facilities. We have also decided to invest in toys which help the children learn to play together, developing important social skills before they start school.”
Kemi Benjamin who brings her one-year-old son Israel to the group added: “I have been living in Rotherham for a year and this is a very friendly place. Israel loves coming and I have got to know more people here.”
Councillor Hussain said: “It is so important for Rotherham that groups like this exist to help people from becoming socially isolated and to enable them to meet others from different backgrounds. It is easy to see that both adults and youngsters are benefiting from this group and I am delighted that they have secured this grant to help them offer even more to their members.”
Pauline Grice, Chief Executive of SYCF, said: “We are pleased to be able to help even more worthwhile projects such as the Victoria Mother and Toddler Group, through the One Town One Community grant. Community groups like these bring people together and provide support and social contact for parents and their children.”
“Over the last 25 years, we have worked throughout the area to connect the people who care to the causes that matter and this most recent partnership to benefit Rotherham is an inspiring example.”
Rotherham’s One Town, One Community is about creating a feeling of belonging to one community here in Rotherham, where individuals demonstrate unity, mutual understanding and shared values, celebrating our differences and what binds us all together.
SYCF is a grant-making and support giving organisation that works throughout Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, delivering valuable assistance to communities that need it most.
For more information on One Town, One Community, visit the website www.rotherham.gov.uk.