Unsure of what to do over summer with your children? Six weeks packed with activities and fun is available free, for all children under 5 living in the Lavender Sure Start area.

The programme starts on the 22nd July and includes day trips to London Aquarium, Brighton, a sightseeing tour of London (The Duck Tour), a range of fun activities with children’s entertainers at Donald Hope and Mitcham Libraries, performances at Lavender Park Pavilion, tickets for a performance at Polka Theatre, picnics and even a ‘Pamper Day’ for parents.

Surestart also have a number of regular activities available at Lavender Park Pavilion.

On Mondays there is Stay and Play, Tuesdays a Breastfeeding Drop In Clinic
and every Friday a Coffee Morning Drop In. The popular One O’clock Club is also back at the Pavilion and Gingerbread, a local charity for lone parents will also meet at the Pavilion every second Saturday of the month, starting from the 10th July.

The Lavender Park Pavilion Nursery is also now open and currently has vacancies but hurry as spaces are limited.

There are lots more attractions and even free courses organised by Lavender Sure Start designed to improve the health and well-being of families and children before and from birth, so children are ready to flourish when they go to school.

To find out more, please contact 020 8646 4429 or pop in to the Lavender Park Pavilion between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday. Look out for the full Summer 2004 Holiday Programme which will be printed in the next issue of the Brightstart, Lavender Sure Start Newsletter, out on the 23rd July.

Background Notes

Sure Start is a Government programme which aims to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together: early education, childcare, health and family support. This includes:
· increasing the availability of childcare for all children
· improving health, education and emotional development for young children
· supporting parents as parents and in their aspirations towards employment
Sure Start local programmes aim to improve the health and well-being of families and children before and from birth, so children are ready to flourish when they go to school. They do this by:
· setting up Sure Start local programmes to improve services for families with children under four
· spreading good practice learned from local programmes to everyone involved in providing services for young children.
Lavender Sure Start was approved in 2002 and is now based at the Lavender Park Pavilion from Apri