Group Offers Help For Saddleworth Parents With Twins
Two of the younger visitors to the group.
If bringing up one baby is hard enough, having to deal with twins or even triplets sounds like an almost impossible job.
But a new group has been set up to help give support and advice to mums from Saddleworth who either already have a set, or are expecting.
Peapods runs at the Sure Start Centre at the Holy Trinity School in Dobcross every Thursday between 10:15am and 11:45pm. Even though I’ve only got one little girl, I was invited along this week to join in.
The group was the idea of three Saddleworth mums, Ali Gladwell, Jody Earnshaw and Jodie Booth.
Over a cup of tea in the centre’s kitchen area, they explained that they’d each been approached separately and asked whether there was any support available locally for multiple-birth parents. When they realised there wasn’t, they decided to do something about it, and Peapods was the result.
The Saddleworth News cub reporter gets the inside story.
It’s already proved popular, with an average of nine sets of twins going along each week. And it’s not just Saddleworth mums who are taking part.
Ali said that one woman who often attends comes all the way from Chadderton, using two buses before walking from Uppermill, clearly showing just how valuable the group is.
The support on offer can be something as simple as a chat over a coffee, and a chance for parents and carers to compare notes on dealing with a set of twins.
The group is also a good opportunity for the children to play with each other and make new friends in a clean and safe environment.
The youngsters at the group range from small babies to more active toddlers, who are particularly well catered for by the great variety of toys and other activities at the centre, including water and sand play.
Jody’s identical daughters Iris and Sylvie were celebrating their third birthday on Thursday, and the other children joined in with Happy Birthday. Sung twice, obviously.
The group in action at the Sure Start centre in Dobcross.
The Sure Start centre itself is brand new, having opened less than a year ago. And as an occasional visitor to its excellent Tuesday morning stay-and-play sessions for under 5s, I can testify to the great, and free, facilities on offer.
There are events and groups of various kinds every weekday. And this coming Tuesday, 28 June, there’ll be a special Teddy Bears’ Picnic at 10am, open to all little ones whether multiples or not. Weather permitting, everyone will be able to get out into the centre’s outdoor area too.
As for the mums behind Peapods, they’ve set up a website with more information about the group, and you can visit that here.
Anyone interested in going along is welcome to contact them by e-mailing info@peapodssupport.co.uk – or you can just go along on any Thursday morning.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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