
UKSE pours funding into new Hamilton cafe.
A café, set up to allow parents to relax while their children play, is due to launch in Hamilton.
Juniors Café in Campbell Street will open in June following a £2,500 grant from UK Steel Enterprise.
The drop-in cafe is the second to be opened by local charity, Families Like Us, which also has a base in Larkhall. The community hub is the brainchild of lone-parent Lesley Robertson, who wanted to create a place where parents and children had access to activities and a support network.
Established to overcome isolation amongst parents, Juniors Café will become a resource centre for customers, providing information about what help and assistance is available in the local area. There is also an emphasis on education, with pay-as-you-go access to activities for toddlers and babies, including Movers & Shakers, Baby Club and Bookwork, classes helping to make classes more affordable.
Lesley, who founded the charity in 2015, said; “When individuals are faced with raising children on their own, it can be a hugely isolating and difficult time. It can also be very stressful, so I wanted to create a place where mothers and fathers can take some time to relax, enjoy food and drink, while their kids play.”
The backing from UKSE has been used specifically to purchase the new soft-play equipment, where kids as young as two can use a slide, ball pit and swings.
Lesley continued; “We are so fortunate that UKSE has given us this money because the soft play equipment is a huge part of our start-up cost.”
Scott Webb, regional executive of UKSE said: “There is a real need in Scottish communities for places where families can socialize. Junior’s Café will help to break-down the barriers of isolation which affect so many with young children, and we are proud to be a part of this mission.”
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