Parent Sanctuary was set up during the pandemic to act as a support network to parents of young children – and now it has gone live on the worldwide web.
Launched as a Community Interest Company, the idea was to bring new parents and their children together with guided walks in nature and provide some structure when life was far from normal.
Rachel Devereux, Elizabeth Backhouse and Charlotte Skayee are the mums behind the project.
Thanks to support from Kirklees Council, The HD8 Network and Third Sector leaders as well as money from the Community Investment Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund and The Loose Change Charity, they have been able to provide Covid-secure walks in the park, more adventurous bonding sling walks and education to many parents across Kirklees.
This has all been achieved during a pandemic whilst parenting their own families including seven young children, aged between 12 months and seven years. They have each had their own journey of isolation during lockdown.
Parent Sanctuary had no budget for a website but wanted a better platform than social media to share information so crowdfunding was used to pay for a website.
The website www.parentsanctuary.co.uk was officially launched last week and Rachel, Elizabeth and Charlotte can’t wait to make a start on informative blogs to help parents become the parent they want to be, to find the confidence to raise their children the right way for them, keep their calm in life’s storms and move forward in life with health and wellbeing.
Rachel, Elizabeth and Charlotte are passionate about evidence-based knowledge and sharing factual information.
Their backgrounds in nursing, education and research provided them with a firm understanding of why it is so important to make your own decisions on parenting when you are informed and educated, and how much easier it can be to understand those little minds – even if it’s just a little more!
To celebrate the launch of the website the mums are hosting a Christmas Walk and Market on Saturday December 18 at Marsden Mechanics Hall in Marsden.
The event, which runs from 11am-4pm, features a story trail leading along the canal and down to the Mechanics Hall, where children can meet the real Santa and parents can enjoy the festive atmosphere and purchase some last minute gifts.
Next year Parent Sanctuary look forward to supporting more parents of young babies and children with a continuation of their walks, cafe meets and a new fourth trimester support group running from St Nicholas Church in Cumberworth, rural support for infant feeding, self-care and all those other important issues in the first days of parenting a new baby.
For more information see www.parentsanctuary.co.uk or to book Santa tickets go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/family-christmas-market-tickets-214300437377
