Here are all our archived news articles for 2008. Please note all content and images are ©Sure Start Speke.

Mandy Murphy, in conjunction with Alder Hey Children's Hospital, has organised a 'Sponsored Splash' in aid of the hospital's 'IMAGINE' appeal. the event will take place on 14 July at Speke Sports Centre. This is the second such event that Mandy has organised and we hope that this year the response will be even better than before.

What is IMAGINE?
'IMAGINE' is the name of Alder Hey's charity, a fundraising initiative that helps to continue their pioneering work, caring for the health of over 200,000 children and young people per year. Every donation they receive will help to achieve a little bit more, from researching medical conditions, to buying vital equipment - with your help, IMAGINE will improve the lives of children worldwide!

Why support IMAGINE?
We have all been children, so we have a good idea of how a child might feel when they have to visit a hospital. Thankfully, through IMAGINE, we can all do something to help make it a less distressing and more comfortable experience, and ensure that Alder Hey's pioneering work continues to make a difference to the lives of children in hospital.

If you would like to sponsor our 'Little Petals' then contact Mandy on 0151 486 9719 or pickup a sponsor form from reception.

Here at Sure Start Speke Children's Centre, Director Susan Roberts launched our new community breastfeeding room to coincide with National Breastfeeding Awareness Week. The aim of this room is to provide a comfortable, friendly and welcoming place to encourage local mothers to breastfeed in a convenient and supportive space.

It's a beautiful room, tastefully decorated with calm and relaxation in mind... just what the baby ordered! All are welcome to use the room to breastfeed their baby when in the area. If you're pregnant and your thinking about breastfeeding, you are more than welcome to join us, just come and join in.

Why not join us at our breastfeeding support group - called "Express Yourself" - which we run on Wednesdays between 11am-1pm. A midwife will be available. Come and meet other breastfeeding mothers and enjoy a chat.

We're sure you'll have lots in common. We have a cafe and private nappy-change area too.

We are centrally-positioned in Speke in close proximity to local shops and services eg Morrisons, Iceland, Post Office, Library, One stop shop and C.A.B. So if you are shopping locally and are breastfeeding, please feel free to pop-in.

For further information, please contact Trish Freeman, Midwife with Sure Start Speke, on 0151 486 9719.

BREASTFEEDING: A NATURAL CHOICE

  • Picture Gallery

Take a peek at our photo gallery where you can see some photographs taken at the launch by clicking here.

National Breastfeeding Awareness Week is a nationwide annual event that has taken place since 1993. Run by the Department of Health, the week aims to highlight that breastfeeding is the healthiest feeding option for babies and mothers.

Infant and maternal nutrition plays a big part in the health outcomes for your baby. Breastmilk gives the optimum nutrition that is designed by your body, specifically for your baby. Mother's own milk... by design. Your breastmilk is all the nutrition your baby needs until they are 6 months old.

Breastmilk is free, convenient, easily absorbed in your baby's tummy and is always at the right temperature. Breastfeeding protects both you and your baby against infections and illnesses.

Breastfeeding helps protect your baby against:

  • ear infections
  • gastro-intestinal infections
  • chest infections
  • urine infections
  • childhood diabetes
  • eczema
  • obesity
  • asthma

Breastfeeding helps protect mothers against:

  • ovarian cancer
  • breast cancer
  • weak bones later in life

Women who breastfeed return to their pre-pregnancy figure faster.

Not all women find it easy to beastfeed initially. For some, breastfeeding can take time and commitment to master. There is support available from Midwives and National Breastfeeding Associations, including support groups and helpline numbers.

Helpful contact details:

In 2007 the Encounters arts initiative created the Moey, a mobile shop that toured South Liverpool collecting memories and stories from people in the neighbourhoods of Garston, Netherley and Speke.

In 2008 as part of the launch of the Capital of Culture, Encounters toured a sofa around South Liverpool inviting people to sit and hear some of these stories and leave stories of their own.

Be My Guest feeds back and shares these memories and stories in an intimate multimedia performance touring around South Liverpool in April and May to peoples homes, social clubs and community centres.

Small groups of residents from the different areas in South Liverpool volunteered to become Be My Guest Hosts. This inter-generational new network of people have been meeting monthly since February, sharing personal stories that appear in the show alongside others collected from the area.

Hosts have organised all aspects of the Be My Guest events, deciding where they will take place in their areas and who should be invited. Buffets, local dance troupes, George Formby sing along, fancy dress, bingo, DJ sets and Karaoke are all part of the extra entertainment that hosts themselves have organised to follow the performance.

On Friday night it was the turn of Five Children's Centre to be the host of Be My Guest and the guests included local people from across the generations. It was a thought-provoking performance that stirred the memory and brought a smile to everyone's face.

There were tears amongst the Easter celebrations in Middlefield Creche & Nursery as five of their children said goodbye to their friends and nursery staff.

Jamie, Paul, Nathan, Marcel and Calvin, who will soon be starting 'big school', received their goodbye presents from Nursery Manager Mary Brown and showed off their work files containing samples of the work they have produced during the time they have spent in the nursery.

The Nursery, which is set in the grounds of Middlefield Primary School, are busy developing their own website which you will be able to access via the Early Years Speke site

Children and staff at Middlefield Creche and Nursery would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a 'Happy Easter' and look forward to seeing all the children back in the nursery after the Easter break.

Most of us will appreciate the health benefits yoga brings to an adult - both body and mind, but what on earth takes place at a Baby Yoga class?

Baby yoga is a joint practice between the carer and baby. Yoga helps babies to relax, to become aware of their bodies, ease away stiffness, and even get a better night's sleep,

During class the exercise you and your baby practice will:

  • open the hip & knee joints
  • strengthen the muscles in legs and at the base of the spine
  • develop balance in their sitting, crawling and walking
  • massage internal organs
  • relieve tensions in their intestine
  • help prevent colic and constipation

Some of the positions we use, in particular 'tummy time' (time on their front), will to enable them to lift their heads and strengthen their neck muscles, shoulders and arms and finally their backs.

The chest stretches allow baby to breath more deeply, which increases oxygen benefiting all the organs of the body and the immune system.

Other exercises in the hour-long classes involve gentle moving and stretching of the arms, legs, abdomen and spine. Another has them whizzing through the air as if they're flying. All the while, their parents are talking or singing nursery rhymes to them.

The next class will starts April 4 at the Family Centre, run for six weeks from 10.00 - 11.00 and costs £2.00 per session. Refreshments will be provided along with time for mums to relax and chat.

Other classes that Mandy runs include:

  • April 1: Water Rhymes at Speke Sports Centre.
    Six weekly 1 hour sessions. The complete course costs £18.00 (payable in advance).
  • April 3: Baby Massage at Speke Family Centre.
    Six weekly sessions [£2.00 per session].

If you are interested in any of the above courses and would like more information please contact Mandy on: 0151 486 9719.

  • Picture Gallery

Take a peek at our photo gallery where you can see some photographs taken at the February Baby Yoga class clicking here.

Half Term Fun at the Kids Club
This half term is national 'Healthy Week' from 10 - 16 February, so at the Kids Club we have asked the children to take part in a range of healthy activities and competitions.

The children have been devising their own healthy menus, and this first half term we are running a competition to see who has the healthiest lunch box. A prize will be given at the end of the week for the four healthiest packed lunches.

We've also enjoyed trips out to local attractions. On Tuesday we went to 'Jungle Fun' in Belle Vale and on Wednesday we went to Speke Hall. And in the true spirit of 'Healthy Week' we all walked from the centre to the Hall and back again - with hardly any complaints!

The children have also designed their own Valentine cards. We've discovered a few budding artists in our midst and we wonder who they're giving their cards to? Surprise Surprise!

We've celebrated Chinese New Year and had the chance to try out some delicious Chinese food. We've researched the Chinese zodiac to see which animal represents the year we were born and designed our own bookmarks.

The Kids Club is well stocked with a range of equipment and activities for the children to enjoy which include:

  • a pool table
  • construction toys
  • home corner
  • role play
  • Nintendo Wii/PlayStation 2
  • DVD games
  • board games
  • reading library
  • puzzles
  • art and craft
  • a messy play area
  • team games
  • face painting
  • cookery lessons

The staff and children have had a very busy week and are looking forward to going back to school (for a rest).

  • Picture Gallery

Have a look at our photo gallery where you can see some shots from 'Healthy Week' by clicking here.

Sure Start Speke Family Conference
The latest of our annual Sure Start Family Conferences took place on Wednesday 23rd Jan/Saturday 26th Jan at Parklands CLC.

Once again there was a great turn out, all our workshops were completely filled and feedback so far has been very encouraging. In June later this year we will hold another conference to feed back statistical results that was gathered from both days.

A full report will be published shortly which you will be able to download from this website or pickup from the Family Centre reception.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took part, especially our partners who included:

  • Parklands & New Heys Extended Schools
  • Liverpool Youth Service
  • Speke youth & Community Center
  • Speke Catholic Youth Service
  • Speke Adventure Playground
  • Youthpoint
  • Picture Gallery

Take a peek at our photo gallery where you can see some shots from the various workshops over the two days by clicking here.

Sure Start Speke is holding it's annual Family Conference on Wednesday 23rd and Saturday 26th January in Parklands CLC.

This year we decided to design the conference around the "Respect Agenda". The official 'Respect Week' took place in December last year but we believe that we need to generate respect every day of the year.

The Respect drive is a cross-Government strategy to tackle bad behaviour and nurture good, creating the modern culture of respect.

It is about central government, local agencies, local communities and ultimately each and every one of us working together to build a society that respects one another - where anti-social behaviour is rare and tackled effectively, and communities can feel safe.

We believe that Respect is about You, Your Family and Our Community. There are a number of ways that you can support the Respect agenda in Speke.

Sign up for our Family Conference

  • We need 60 parents and 60 children (Year 7 and above)
  • Every one attending the conference will receive a £20 gift voucher
  • Free childcare will be available for children under 11 (This must be booked in advance and is subject to availability)
  • There will be a free buffet for attendees
  • All workshops will be themed and informal

Take the pledge to get back around the table

  • Buy a copy of our Can Cook Will Cook book (all proceeds come back to Sure Start Speke)
  • Turn off the telly, cook a meal for the family and spend time together
  • Remember Respect begins at home.

Our partners for the event include:

  • Parklands & New Heys extended schools
  • Liverpool Youth service
  • The Venny
  • Speke Catholic Youth Service

Places are fast filling up for the conference. However, if there is demand we will run both sessions again so everyone who wants to will be able to attend. A full report of both days will also be available.