Lanterns Nursery School and Extended Services – Formerly Lanterns Children’s Centre
I eagerly signed up to their mailing list and stuffed my handbag (in the days when I had a handbag…ahh, those days!) full of flyers, timetables and leaflets detailing what was on. In my head I was planning wondrous days as a new Mum with a newborn popping to every class on offer to me. I could hear children playing in the garden and I remember thinking that Lanterns was going to be an important place for us.
Boo was born in April and I knew it was important for us to get to some mother and baby groups and meet some other local new mums. An email from Lanterns caught my eye and I signed up for the ‘New Parent Group’ without hesitation. It ran for 5 weeks on a Monday and we started when Boo was just 6 weeks old. Having somewhere to go on a Monday was a lifesaver at the time; I entered the room anxiously and looked around to find other equally anxious mothers. The next 5 weeks were so valuable to me, to be around other new mums, have a chance to chat, gain important information from Jenni, the group leader, about a whole host of important issues pertaining to the journey with a newborn. Most importantly to me, I made friends. Friends who have become a real support network over the last 9 months, friends who I have continued to share the journey with.
Not looking forward to feeling ‘lost’ as the New Parent group came to an end, I signed up for Baby Massage, again with Jenni. The familiarity of both the class leader, and the new mums and babies I had met took the anxiety out of joining a new group. It was a pleasure to become more familiar with the centre, feel more at ease around other mothers, and I really enjoyed having somewhere to be.
When I received an email about the Boogie Mites class starting in September I jumped at the chance to have a reason to go back. We attended a six week course with Michelle and we really enjoyed them, the CD is still in the car and we sing the songs most days. We met more new mothers and lovely babies and Boo enjoyed interacting and learning new skills as she began to crawl – she was an early crawler, much to everyone else’s delight!
It was around this time I learnt that Lanterns had lost its funding and was to ‘close’. Sadly, Hampshire County Council approved the closure of most of the Children’s Centres, out of 54 centres only 11 now remain. The decision was made because of government cuts in order to save £8.5 million. Despite thousands petitioning against the movement, it was agreed that the 11 ‘hubs’ which remained would provide sufficient family support the community needed. The impact of these closures has now been felt, and it is huge. Drop-in services are being closed, social groups are being axed or weekly costs added and staffing has been cut. Our nearest ‘hub’ is now Wickham…. Yes I had to consult Google Maps once more! It’s miles away!
Boo & Mummy would have found those first few months very difficult and lonely without Lanterns, so we want to do all we can to help. We are lucky that Lanterns remains open and that it has now become Lanterns Nursery and Extended Services. Where other centres have closed, Lanterns have fought to keep as much going on for the community as possible.
Staff at Lanterns continually work tirelessly but they really need all the help that they can get. They have set up the charity ‘Friends of Lanterns’ which now funds and supports local Winchester families and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), it also funds the weekly drop-in groups that so many of us attend.
They currently offer the following drop-in groups weekly:
Monday:Rhymetime
Jiggy Wrigglers
Messy Play (last session will be Monday 13th of Feb, then it will stop)
Tuesday:
Bumps & Babies
Wednesday:
BABIES (Breastfeeding Group)
Kids First
Thursday: Come & Play
http://www.lanternshants.co.uk/children-s-centre/timetable/month.calendar/2017/02/06/-
How many of these have you attended? What would you do if they stopped? How many have you not tried yet? Hurry up or you might not get a chance! These groups are now reliant on the wider community attending them so please make sure you visit as many as you can, as often as you can, to keep them going for as long as we can.
Lanterns also offer a number of other services which include:
Breastfeeding Support, Health Visitors clinics, Home Start, SEN Services, Play & Learn at Home, and…ROOM HIRE!
Now, as a new mum who has a small person who is nearly one, I can see how fabulous Lanterns would be to hire for a birthday party. A ball pool (did you know they had a ball pool??!), kitchen, plenty of indoor and outdoor space, on-site parking… it’s a perfect place for a party! I would never have even considered it…. Would you? I will definitely be considering Lanterns for Boo’s first birthday party (once I get over the fact that I have a child that is nearly one…. Eek!!)
The hall is also available to hire for external groups who may wish to offer exercise classes, at a very reasonable rate. I can think of at least one friend who might be looking for somewhere to run classes… Have you thought of Lanterns??!
There are so many things we can do to support this wonderful place, make a start today!
Did you see in Waitrose recently that Friends of Lanterns were after your green charity coins…?
Did you know that Friends of Lanterns are collecting plastic milk bottle tops, and that they need to collect 500kg which they will then be able to exchange for money to keep the groups running at the centre?
Did you know that Friends of Lanterns are looking for anyone who would like to make a donation (any size!) to help support the work that they do?
Did you know that £16 pays for a worker to run a Rhymetime session?
Did you know that £38 pays for a worker to provide a music therapy session for children with Special Educational Needs?
Did you know that £50 pays for a worker to provide a parent workshop on ‘Tantrums’?
Did you know you can donate here….. http://localgiving.org.charity/friendsoflanterns/
Have you ‘liked’ their Facebook page? Lanterns Nursery and Extended Services
Are you on their mailing list?
So this week, have a think... Is there anything you can do for Lanterns? If you have never been, then I would highly recommend you set yourself the target of going to one group there this week to check it out. It is a fabulous place and I assure you that you will not be disappointed! Or maybe you could contact them about hiring the hall for a party, or enquire about hiring to run a class, or maybe you have a drawer full of milk bottle tops you can send in their direction, or a few spare pounds you can donate to their just giving page…
We are lucky, Lanterns still exists, so many Children’s Centres have closed completely and ours is fighting for its life. Any way you can help, I am sure that Joss and the team would be very very grateful.
Please contact Joss King on J.King1005@lanterns.hants.sch.uk
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