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August 2025

Welcome to your August newsletter!

This summer has been packed with free fun for families around the district! Did you visit a family hub event, or perhaps you went to one of the many amazing free fun days and activities in Bradford District's parks? The weather has been very kind, with lots of sunshine, although at this stage we also wouldn't complain about a chance to put on some wellies and splash in a few puddles!

The summer isn't over yet, but we are already looking ahead to September. With a true 'back to school' feel, there are lots of new sessions starting across the Bradford district which families can join - all for free. Families with older children will also be getting ready for the new school term - read on for links, advice and ideas to support with that. 

As always, this newsletter is packed with information and support from the Family Hubs and other trusted organisations across the district. We also include our ever-popular links to the Family Hub timetables, and useful pages on the FYI (Families and Young Persons Information) website.

Please take a look and share the newsletter with anyone who might find it useful.

News for families and colleagues

Summer of fun at Bradford District's family hubs

Family hubs across the district have welcomed hundreds of children of all ages, and their parents and carers, over the summer holidays, for fun days and community events.

Making the most of the (mainly) excellent weather, we have luckily been able to get outside and enjoy the hub's brilliant outdoor spaces! 

• Rainbow Family Hub in Keighley had a Summer Beach Day with ice creams, crafts, messy play and painting, with sand pits and paddling pools in place of an actual beach!
• Reevy Hill Family Hub (Bradford South) has held ‘Summer Holiday Fun Sessions’ every week over the summer, where children have enjoyed a range of activities and play - face painting, paddling pool, outdoor games, and lots more.
• Farcliffe Family Hub (Bradford West) opened its doors for a Careers and Community Funday, with career inspiration and family activities. Emergency services including the Police supported the event, which catered for all ages, from career advice and sports, to dress up, crafts, and outdoor play. 
• Barkerend Family Hub (Bradford East) held a Play Day event with outdoor games, arts and crafts, board games and lots more.

A big thank you to all the professionals who made these free events happen - and to all the families who came along and made them a big success!

To find out about future events at the family hubs - follow your nearest family hub on Facebook (links at the bottom of this newsletter), and bookmark the family hub timetables on the FYI website. 

New coffee morning with stay and play launches at Rockwell Community Centre

Bradford East Family Hub has forged a new partnership with the Rockwell Community Centre in Thorpe Edge, Bradford, and is launching a new coffee morning with stay and play at the centre in September.

The stay and play will be a chance for families to come along and enjoy:

• Free refreshments
• Activities, toys and crafts for children aged 0 to 5
• Meeting other mums, dads and carers from the area
• Taking time out for a chat
• Finding out about free help, guidance and services for families

All families are welcome at the free sessions, which start on Monday, 15 September.

The coffee morning with stay and play will run on Mondays from 9.15am to 11.15am. You will find the Rockwell Community Centre at 6 Summerfield Road, Thorpe Edge, BD10 8DP.

Please spread the word with families in the area, or come along if you are local!

Support your child through their ‘Incredible Preschool Years’

• Are you a parent or carer with a child or children aged 3-4 years?
• Do you live in the Bradford District?
• Would you like a bit of extra support and a confidence boost around nurturing your child's learning and development?

If yes, the Incredible Years Preschool Programme is for you!

This programme is designed to help you build strong bonds with your child or children, offering support with their speech and language, setting routines and boundaries, and encouraging them to build positive relationships with others.

Parents who completed this course and followed the activities at home said:

• “My son now walks into nursery on his own and settles happily”
• “My son has learnt to share things”
• “The buddy group has helped me with advice on parent skills and much more”

If you are looking ahead to your child starting school in September 2026, this could be the ideal course for you to help your child get ready for reception class. The course is relevant for all 3 and 4 year olds and is also suitable if your child is still 4 and has already started school.

You can read more about the course on the FYI website.

How are the sessions delivered?

• In-person at venues across the Bradford District.
• 16 week programme.
• Each session lasts 2 hours.
• You should attend without your child (creche can be provided if needed).
• You will learn techniques to practice with your child at home.
• Includes refreshments, and resources to use at home.

Venues

Courses are starting in October across all of these venues. Session times vary but are in between school pick up times to make it easier for families who also have children at school. 

• Barkerend Family Hub (Bradford East area) (starts Monday, 6 October)
• Newby Primary School (Bradford East area) (starts Wednesday, 8 October)
• Reevy Hill Family Hub (Bradford South area) (starts Tuesday, 7 October)
• St Wilfrid's Church (Bradford South area) (starts Thursday, 9 October)
• Farcliffe Family Hub (Bradford West area) (starts Tuesday, 7 October)
• Rainbow Family Hub (Keighley and Shipley) (starts Thursday, 9 October)

Find out more or request a place on the FYI website – Incredible Years.

Professionals, please contact the IY team on 01274 513300 for further information.

Getting ready to start primary school

We're approaching the new school term, and many little ones around the Bradford district will be starting school for the first time.

Feelings can vary from excited to worried - and that's just the parents and carers! 

It can feel like a big change and quite daunting, but there is lots and support and advice available. 

Most schools offer visits or gradual starts to help children get used to their new setting. It's not too late for parents and carers to also help.

Here are some of the things that will help your child be ready for school:

• Growing independence - being able to go to the toilet and wash their own hands; being able to eat with a knife and fork; putting on their own coat and shoes.
• Creativity - colouring, drawing, looking at picture books.
• Communication and sharing - taking turns with toys, and being able to pay attention and follow simple instructions.
• Playtime and movement - confidence to run, jump, and go up and down steps.
• Healthy routines - going to bed in good time and waking up ready for school;  eating healthy foods; healthy use of screens (TV, iPad etc), brushing teeth (with help) twice a day.

Where do I start?

If you feel unprepared, choose one or two things to work on first. Talk to your child's teacher or school nurse and they will also support you to build your child's independence.

Your Family Hub, health visitor, and other local organisations are also here to help. You could also look at the Incredible Years programme which can help on things like some aspects of your child's development. 

What if my child has special educational needs or disabilities (SEND)?

Talk to your child's new school and visit your nearest Family Hub for advice and support. The directory of information for SEND needs is at Bradford Local Offer.

Useful links and more support

• Support and information about Toilet training
• Healthy approaches to screen time
• Getting support from your school nurse
• Fun under 5s - fun with books and fun things to do
• Road safety - accompanying children safely to school
• School uniform - most of our family hubs offer free 'pre-loved' school uniforms and other clothes - check the Family Hub timetables to find out when the 'shop' is open. 

Back to school - older children

Children of all ages will be returning to school soon!

As our children grow, there are new ways they can be supported with their independence, development and wellbeing. 

Road safety

As children approach the last year of primary school, or start secondary school, many will start to walk or travel to school without a grown up for the first time. 

To help them keep themselves safe, there is lots of helpful advice here: Road Safety - children who get themselves to school.

Supporting your child through their school years

There is lots of information about a range of topics on the FYI website: Healthy children (ages 5 to 11)

Feelings and emotions - children and teens With each new stage of life, children are dealing with their developing feelings and emotions. This can be particularly noticeable at certain ages - including as they approach the teenage years! Parents and carers can access free courses, to help you understand the emotions your young person is going through. There are also free courses teens and pre-teens can follow themselves, to help them process their feelings. These courses are short and easy to follow, you may wish to take a look yourself then share the links with your young person and help them log on.  The courses include: (for parents and carers) Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager Understanding your teenager's brain (for teens and pre-teens) Understanding your brain (for teenagers only!) Understanding your feelings (for teenagers only!) All these courses, from In Our Place, and created NHS psychology experts, are completely free for everyone in the Bradford District, using the code BDPARENTS. To find these courses, visit Free wellbeing online courses in Bradford – inourplace or go to the FYI website, In Our Place link. Once there click on the In Our Place button.

HENRY Starting Solids - online and in-person - FREE workshops this autumn

Do you (or does someone you know) have a baby, from newborn to 8 months old?

Introducing your baby to solid food is an exciting time, but can also bring worries about the best way to go about it.

To help, our friends at HENRY are once again offering their extremely popular, FREE, Starting Solids workshop, with sessions taking place from September to January! 

The workshops are open to everyone in the Bradford district with a baby aged  0 to 8 months old. (It's never too early to get the info and be prepared!)

Online workshops will be on:

• Tuesday, 9 September, 6:30pm to 8pm
• Wednesday, 24 September, 6:30pm to 8pm
• Tuesday, 14 October, 6:30pm to 8pm
• Tuesday, 28 October, 6:30pm to 8pm

Face-to-face workshops will be at The Hive Community Centre, 53-55 Elliott Street, Silsden, on:

• Thursday, 25 September, 10am to 12pm
• Thursday, 9 October 2025, 10am to 12pm
• Thursday, 20 November 2025, 10am to 12pm
• Thursday, 18 December 2025, 10am to 12pm
• Thursday, 29 January 2026, 10am to 12pm

Sign up using this online form: Starting Solids workshops: Booking-on form. Once you have applied for a place, HENRY will get in touch with you to confirm your preferred date. Professionals can also refer families (apply on their behalf) using the same form.

While you are waiting to attend the workshop there is also lots of helpful info on the FYI website: Starting solids.

Circle of security - to build bonds with your child and increase confidence as a parent

As mums, dads and carers we learn how to be a parent in lots of ways, often a combination of our own upbringing, advice from others, and our own instincts about what is best. But still, we often worry about how we are doing.

Circle of Security Groups, facilitated by the Little Minds Matter service, help parents:

• feel more confident as a parent
• understand and respond to their baby's or child’s emotional needs
• build a consistent, warm and loving relationship with their baby or child

The sessions are aimed at families with a baby/child aged 4 months to 2 years old.

The groups meet for eight sessions, once a week. The next course starts in September and is held in BD3 or BD5.

Although the sessions are in the Bradford East area, they are open to mums, dads and carers living in any part of the Bradford district who are struggling in their relationship with their child. 

Find out more on the FYI website: Circle of Security. To request a place please call 07766568407 or email LMMsupport@bdct.nhs.uk.

You can also watch a video that explains the Circle of Security philosophy: Circle of Security Animation on Vimeo

Connecting Families - autumn group starting soon

Check out Home-Start Bradford’s Connecting Families autumn group, a chance for families and their 0-5s to get together in a safe and fun space, to talk and chat about the reality of being a parent.

The group will run from September to November in the BD6 area. It will be ideal for families looking for support and connection with other families, particularly if you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the challenges that parenting young children can bring.

Here's what one parent said after the summer group:

“The session was PERFECT! Nothing could have made it any better! Thank you!”

The topics covered will include:

• Getting nursery ready
• Weaning and healthy eating 
• Wellbeing and connecting with nature
• Cost of living and help available
• Enjoying stories together
• Oral health – let’s get brushing
• Boundaries and routines
• And much more…

These sessions are running as follows:

• Thursday, 11 September until Thursday, 13 November 2025 (term-time only) 
• 9:30-11:30
• Woodside Village Centre, 86 Fenwick Drive, BD6 2RZ

Families can request a place, or professionals can make a recommendation/referral for a family.

Please contact the friendly Home-Start Bradford team on 01274 666711, or by email on hsbd@homestartbradford.co.uk. 

You can find out more about Home-Start Bradford on their website. 

Free Play and Learn for 0 to 5s

The free play and learn sessions run across Bradford by Early Years Alliance are in each of the Family Hub areas every week during term time. The sessions are for children aged 0 to 5 to attend, with their families, and learn through play together.

These will start again from the week of 8 September – details are below. The team would love for you to come along to join them.

All sessions are free. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

These sessions are also listed on the Family Hub timetables. 

Mondays

• Shipley Library, 2 Wellcroft, Shipley BD18 3QH - Monday mornings from 9.30am to 10.30am (term time only)
• Keighley Library, North St, Keighley BD21 3SX - Monday afternoons from 1pm to 2pm (term time only)

Tuesday

• Thornaby Hub, Tanton Walk, Clayton, BD14 6HA - Tuesday mornings 9am to 10.30am (term time only)​​​​​​​
• Eccleshill Library, Bolton Rd, Eccleshill, Bradford BD2 4SR - Tuesday afternoons from 1pm to 2pm (term time only)

Wednesday

• Woodside Children's Centre, Fenwick Drive, Bradford BD6 2PG - Wednesday mornings from 9am to 10.30am (term time only)
• Community Works, Undercliffe Lane, Bradford BD3 0DW - Wednesday afternoons from 12.45pm to 2.15pm (term time only)
  • Please remember you will need to leave your pram/pushchair outside and bring something to secure this.

Thursday

• Farcliffe Family Hub, 56 Toller Lane, Bradford BD8 8QH -  Thursday afternoons from 1 to 2.30pm (term time only)

Friday

• Reevy Hill Family Hub, Bedale Drive, Bradford, BD6 3ST - Friday mornings from 9am to 10.30am (term time only)

Maternity circles - timetable changes from September

From September there are some slight changes to dates and times for some maternity circles.

• The Maternity Circle at Community Works will be on Mondays from 12.30pm to 2pm.
• The Maternity Circle at the Millside Centre will be on Thursdays from 10am to 11.30am.

Please note these sessions will not run in the last week of August due to it being the bank holiday week.  

Maternity circles are listed on the Family Hub timetables and What's On guide on the FYI website. You can also get in touch with venues or providers for more information. 

Pop-up children's clinics in Keighley

Modality and the maternity circles are supporting Keighley’s little ones and parents/carers this autumn!

Drop in for FREE family-friendly health services:

• Baby weighing station
• Childhood immunisations
• Health and wellbeing information
• No appointment needed - just walk in!

Venue: Airedale Shopping Centre

Time: 9.30am - 12.30pm

Upcoming dates:

• Thursday 18 September
• Thursday 13 November (Launch event for Baby Week Bradford)

If you’re a Keighley family, please call in!

The Beacon touring venue - Lister Park

Bradford 2025's fantastic touring venue, The Beacon, will be at its final home at Lister Park during late August and September. 

The Beacon will open at Lister Park in Manningham, Bradford, on Thursday, 28 August. Events will continue until 28 September, when The Beacon will be taken down for one last time. 

Don't miss your final chance to visit this iconic venue!

FREE highlights for families during late August and September will include:

• The Big Beacon Family Welcome - Thursday, 28 August - family fun day with workshops, activities and performances.
• Play Bradford’s Mobile Adventure Playground - 30 August, 20 and 27 September - the Mobile Adventure Playground features a variety of portable play equipment to make fun more accessible across the Bradford District.
• Shadmanny - Hands-on, child-friendly cooking activities, inspired by South Asian celebratory foods - Saturday, 30 August, 11.30am to 3pm 
• Art and Play day - Cartwright Hall Art Gallery takeover! With storytelling, arts and crafts suitable for children age 5 and under. Wednesday, 3 September, 10.30am to 12.30pm. 
• Let’s Make - get creative with artist Lou Sumray - inspired by Bradford’s open spaces. All materials provided. Sunday, 21 September, 10am to 2.30pm.
• The Beacon DRAW - a hands-on afternoon of drawing, painting, t-shirt making and live music, all alongside local artists. Saturday, 27 September, 12 noon to 4pm. 
• Big Feast and STATUESQUE - join in the final day of the Beacon with free family workshops, a parade, and lots of delicious food (please note food from stalls must be purchased). Sunday, 28 September, STATUESQUE starts from 12; Big Feast from 3pm. 

It's all listed on the Beacon website - take a look to find out more. 

Information and training
for professionals and practitioners

Better Start Bradford and Born in Bradford conference

Join Better Start Bradford and Born in Bradford as they celebrate, over two days, 10 years of learning, collaboration, research and impact through their mission to give Bradford babies the best start possible.

They will also massively celebrate the value and impact of the early years workforce and local families who form the backbone of everything that the programme has achieved and everyone who has embraced and delivered the change in the shifting early years landscape in Bradford.

Day One: A Decade of Discovery (Wednesday 15 October, 9:00-4:30)

Transforming the Early Years System in Bradford to Reduce Inequities in the First 1001 Days

Day Two: Seeds of Change (Thursday 16 October, 9:00-4:30)

Embedding Legacy, Cultivating the Early Years Workforce and Growing Healthy, Happy Children

Venue: The Great Victoria Hotel, Bridge St, Bradford, BD1 1JX

To book your place(s) and find out more about the conference and the timetable, please visit Eventbrite here: : Better Start Bradford and Born in Bradford conference.

Family Hubs and Start for Life
useful information and contacts

Family Hub timetables - September 2025

Our Family Hub area timetables, on the FYI website, show the sessions and activities that are taking place for families in the coming month.

Some sessions will need booking in advance - please contact your Family Hub if you would like to book a place.

Our Family Hubs around the district

Follow us on Facebook You can follow the FYI service and all the Family Hubs on Facebook: Bradford East  Bradford West Bradford South Keighley/Shipley FYI - Families and Young Person's Information

What's on guide - on FYI

The FYI (Families and Young Person's Information) website has a What's On guide, which is kept up-to-date with events around the district for families, children and young people.

There are various filters to help you search, including by date, post code, age group and event category.

You can also search by 'key word' to find what you are interested in - just use the 'Search' function while you are on the What's On page. 

Take a look and find out what's happening near you!

Why have I received this email?

You have received this email from Family Hubs and Start for Life because you previously subscribed to receive Family Hub Information from one or more of our Family Hubs: Keighley and Shipley, Bradford East, Bradford South and Bradford West.

Stay subscribed to make sure you don't miss out on any future updates! 

If you have been sent this email by someone else, you can sign up for future emails here: