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Welcome to your latest Families update

This week we're highlighting how your local pharmacy can help the whole family with everyday winter illnesses like coughs, colds and sore throats and sharing how you can get involved with Christmas in York, from designing your own nutcracker to making the most of our Park and Ride services to explore the festive markets.

Get advice from your local pharmacy

Pharmacists can offer advice on a range of illnesses, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, ear infections and aches and pains. They can also give advice about medicines. This includes how to use your medicine, worries about side effects or any other questions you have.

If they cannot help you themselves, they can refer you to a GP or other health professional.

For further medical help, use NHS 111 to get the "right care, first time", which can help to reduce pressure on the NHS, including in hospital A&E departments, meaning doctors and nurses can focus on treating those people who need it most. Phone 111 or go to NHS 111 online

Design your own Nutcracker

York BID is inviting budding young artists to create their own designs for York’s Nutcracker Trail 2025.

Designs can be submitted to info@theyorkbid.com, Santa's Post Box in the Museum gardens or the Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street.

Take the bus to the Christmas markets

If you're planning to explore York's festive markets this year, why not go by bus?

Children travel for free if with an adult, or just £1 if under 19 and travelling alone, and adults can still enjoy the £2 fare cap. Extra buses are running over the festive period and we have a brand new web page dedicated to travel information and advice so why not make bus time, us time this winter.

Private Fostering Reminder

If you’re making arrangements for someone else to look after your child/children for longer than 28 days, and they’re not a close relative, don’t forget to get in touch with York Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub so we can help and support you.

This sort of arrangement is called private fostering and while it’s quite common, we need to make sure all the right support is in place.

Household Support Fund extended

Recently the Government announced a further 6 months' funding would be made available for a new Households Support Fund scheme up to March 2025.

The support provides assistance with food, energy or water bills for eligible households who do not receive Council Tax Support. 

Healthy Child Service drop in clinics and baby self-weigh

Exciting news - the building work at The Avenues Children’s Centre is now complete, and we’re moving our drop-in baby clinics back from Tang Hall Library.

Join us every Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. 

Families can also access our free drop in clinics and self-weigh their baby at the following venues, where a practitioner will be available to discuss any concerns that you have about your baby’s development :

• Hob Moor Children’s Centre on Mondays 9am – 12noon
• Clifton Children’s Centre on Thursdays 9am – 12noon
• The Avenues Children’s Centre on Fridays 9am – 12noon

York pupils showcase filmmaking talent

Pupils from five York schools showcased their filmmaking talent as part of a special celebration at the city's BAFTA-qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival this month.

Students from Fulford School, Archbishop Holgate’s School, Millthorpe, York High, and Joseph Rowntree School presented a variety of film projects, covering topics ranging from the Future of AI to the history of their schools and the wives of Henry VIII, at a special screening at City Screen on Sunday 10 November.

Have your say!

Want to share your opinions? Here's what we're asking about at the moment, and what the deadlines are for taking part.

• Riverside Path Improvement - 1 December
• Our second budget consultation - 1 January
• Survivor voice survey for adult victim-survivors of Domestic Abuse 

One of the best ways to influence what happens in York is to get involved in our Talkabout citizen's panel, which happens twice a year.