First Year Support for Parents and Babies
Spun Glass Theatre is thrilled to announce the pilot of First, a ten-week series of workshops for babies and their parents at the Southwater Community Centre, St Leonards-on-Sea. First is a chance to meet other parents in a Covid-safe environment, a calm and welcoming space for some much-needed connection, storytelling and friendship.
New parents have been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions. During lockdown, six in ten parents had significant concerns about their mental health, according to research by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. Thanks to support from Tesco Community Grants and Arts Council England, Spun Glass Theatre are able to welcome new parents and provide a unique creative experience.
The programme – which includes some free places – features six workshops from visiting artists from a range of art forms including percussion, circus and singing, alongside regular baby sensory and creative activities.
“We want to use our decade of experience creating safe creative spaces for artists and community groups to provide a fun and restorative place for new parents to come together,” says Artistic Director Jessica Cheetham. “It’s been such a difficult year for everyone, but especially for those who have just had a baby with none of the usual support.
Jessica went on to explain that First is a brand-new programme which uses the artistic expertise of Spun Glass Theatre to introduce parents and babies to “a range of exciting creative experiences”, as well as a place to share with other parents and “tell the story of this incredible journey you go on with a new baby”.
The workshops are designed to support parents during their first year of parenthood by creating somewhere welcoming, “where you will feel cared for and restored”, as well as providing a range of fun activities for parents/carers and their baby.
• Limited free places are available for single parents, parents aged under 25 and those in receipt of Universal Credit. To access a free place on FIRST, email
[email protected]
• To register your interest to take part, visit here:
www.spunglasstheatre.com/early-years
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