"What Sure Start is doing on my street"

I live in Kirkby in Ashfield and when I started going to Sure Start I often wondered why other parents from my street didn't access Sure Start centres.

Then when I became a volunteer for Sure Start I wanted to help to try and see why parents wouldn't come to the group. When Sure Start did a event on the park on my street and it was successful, I came up with a list of ideas that we could do on the park so the parents could have like a toddler group and Marie and the child care workers also do a group for 5-12 year olds after school where they recently did a play to show to parents and other Sure Start staff members.

I gave this list to one of the family health and support workers that was going to set up a group on Mayfield street. The group has been running since September and I have been gathering some feedback from parents off the street.

I asked them some questions:

1. Why didn't you attend any sure start groups until Mayfield group started?

2. Are you enjoying the group and if so what do you like about it?

3. what would you like sure start to do in the future on Mayfield street?

4. if there was any courses to run down on the street what would you like?

Here's the answers I got to the questions:

1. I could go to groups because I am a career for my disabled husband as well as look after my kids. Its too far to walk, I feel uncomfortable going to groups on my own, my working hours change from 1 week to the next, groups start to early in a morning and when my little girl is at nursery in afternoon and group is in a morning its hard to get home after a group and walk up to nursery in time.

2. I enjoy it because its only over the road, my kids love it, the older kids have got a good relationship with staff, I like it because I don't have to walk far and everyone is really friendly.

3. I would like to see a group for 12+, the 5-12 group to be on for bit longer other than an hour and more events on the park.

4. I would like a child care course to do if its only across park, craft course and any course that you can get to do down here.

These answers are from 4 parents that live on the street and access the Mayfield group. For me, to do what the staff has done is amazing and is benefiting the children on the street. It is slowly making the street into a fantastic little community.