Our Active Families Project in the autumn and winter of 2023 was funded by The National Grid's Community Matters Fund. We wanted to help parents find ways to enjoy physical activity and break down some of the barriers that they face, especially in the communities we serve. These barriers included 

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• The Cost of Living Crisis is making it hard to afford 'extras' like exercise classes or sporting activities

• Isolation - many transport services have been cut back in the valleys and it is increasingly difficult for many families to travel to the larger towns where most activities are based.

• Confidence - Many people are still suffering the effects of social isolation from the covid lockdowns in recent years. This, coupled with financial difficulties has had a negative effect on our mental health and it has become harder to reach out and join in community activities which could in turn contribute to our well-being.

• Childcare - parents told us that they found it hard to attend fitness classes because they couldn't find childcare. Many 2 parent families were working opposite shifts so they could cover childcare and single parents either had no childcare cover or only enough to cover their working hours.

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The project aimed to address these needs by combining taster sessions and informal physical activity sessions with activities for children and a chance to meet up socially for peer support and community building. A big part of the project was the idea that families could come along together and everyone could choose to join in at their own level and with what they enjoyed. When we spoke to the participants, this was one of the things they valued the most. Many were reluctant to go along to mainstream fitness classes as they were worried about not being able to complete the whole class. They felt it would be embarrassing if they needed a break or found the activity difficult.  By allowing both children and adults to dip in and out of the physical activities, the sessions built confidence and many were surprised by how much they could achieve!

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Active Families was delivered in 6 venues across the Afan, Neath and Dulais Valleys as well as in Port Talbot and Neath. The sessions included Yoga and Meditation, Pilates, Rounders, Football, Dodgeball, Circle Games, Team Games and Races, Obstacle Courses, Table Tennis, Badminton, Bollywood Dance, Hula Fitness and Circus Fit. 

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Thanks to The Community Foundation in Wales we were also able to offer participants free healthy snacks to refuel and support families with their food budgets.

Circus Club has visited many venues throughout Neath Port Talbot and South Powys and is one of our most popular activities!

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Learning Circus Skills provides children (and adults!) the opportunity to get active while having fun, improve hand eye coordination, balance, concentration and encourages patience, perseverance and resiliance. Participants grow in confidence, form friendships and can unleash their imagination and creativity.

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From The Winter of Wellbeing Evaluation

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'15/15 childrens spaces were booked on each of the 4 Circus Club sessions at Seven Sisters, with the attendance rate being 100% for each session. The feedback for this series of events was extremely positive, with families asking if Circus Club could continue in some format in the future. Currently the business hopes to be in attendance for outdoor events over the summer. On one evening it was warm enough that we held the session outside on the field next to the centre. On the last session one of the mothers in the group brought facepaint to the stay and play session held in the hall prior to Circus Club and the group surprised me by painting all the children’s faces in clown makeup, which was a wonderful moment to experience. Each week after Circus Club had finished children were fed a hot meal with desert.'

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The March of The Toys “A junk modelling Extravaganza!” This event was designed to link in with Discover Ystradgynlais’ Christmas Festival and parade. There is a strong family presence at all Discover Ystradgynlais events and they add unquantifiable value to a sense of community identity, so given that SVC is a community oriented social enterprise it is a natural consequence that we should support this in any way we can. At this event families were invited to two workshops, repeated twice to provide plenty of spaces for everybody, and to bring their recycling and create parade props on the theme of ‘toys’ to link in with the festive nature of the parade.

We believe learning about local folklore, history and traditions is an important part of building sustainable communities and helps everyone build a sense of self and belonging. We love to include the rich history and lore of South Wales in our projects.

With themes of remembrance and family, Mari Lwyd and the Others tells the story of four generations living in the South Wales Valleys, touching upon the mining heritage and movement of the Italian diaspora in the early 20th century, and the folklore told from parents to chidren, as well as seasonal traditions of the area.

As well as a professional shadow puppet show, this project included workshops where children and their parents built their own shadow puppet theatres and puppets and told their own stories.

Later, as part of our New Year celebrations we made miniature Mari Lwyd puppets and had a traditional 'Pwnco'.

Pedrolina’s show uses clowning, juggling and bubbles to talk about Article 31 of the UNCRC, the right to play, and to encourage the whole family to play together in active games such as kazoo battle, musical statues, and bouncing beans. All participants are handed bags of props including bubbles, kazoos, shaky eggs and clowns noses at the beginning of the show and informed that if they believed they came to see the show they were misinformed – they ARE the show. Bags also included leaflets on simple ideas for playtime at home such as balloon tennis and bubble painting. Following the show everybody is invited to participate in a balloon modelling workshop learning to make swords, dogs, flowers, hats and popping mice.

From The Winter of Wellbeing Evaluation

'5….4…3…2…1 – Seven Sisters “Stella Supernova, intergalactic entertainer, has lost an entire starfleet! Can you join Starry Valleys Circus’ prop department and help save the day, making rockets, spaceships, and robots? Then be the stars of a cosmic show for your family!” Designed to facilitate loose parts play with basic resources found in the recycling box, this event incorporated shadow puppetry, stilt walking, junk modelling, stickers, a funny American accent, and running around with a bubble gun - which was extremely popular. Publicity was made for this but not published as tickets were booked before I had the chance to put the poster on Facebook. 53 of 55 spaces were allocated. However we had an issue as it was the day after Storm Eunice, which meant many people could not travel to the venue, and electricity was off throughout Seven Sisters. The hall had electricity on entry, but as I set up all electricity bar fire safety back up cut out. Luckily my PA system and half my stage lighting is battery powered. So at the discretion of the hall we decided to go ahead with the show. This was probably the highlight of the season for me, as not only did everybody made some incredible junk modelling, but also the children came backstage to put on a shadow show with the spaceships and rockets, gently rocking them back and forth behind a giant screen in front of multi-coloured lights to the tune of Across The Universe by the Beatles. It was extremely effective and a hush came upon the parents before they started audibly cooing. It was, in my opinion, extremely magical. I also received the most positive feedback from this event that I have ever received, with people thanking me for showing up in the context of the storm, and saying that the galaxy inspired playlist was well chosen.

Our Make and Play sessions have been delivered as part of the Winter of Wellbeing, Summer of Fun and in community centres as part of children's holiday provision by Raspberry Creatives and previously as Raspberry Bazaar. Designed to get the whole family playing and creating together using free or cheap household materials and recycling. Sessions have included musical instruments, marble runs, target games, retro toys, potions and wands, themed crafts and labrynths. A mixture of modelling, crafts, games and challenges, these sessions have the benefit of increasing parents' confidence and giving them ideas for free play at home on those rainy days when everyone is bored.

The Pantry of Dr A This science based show aims to inform parents on simple ways to enjoy educational activities with their children with easily available resources. Dr A takes everybody on a hands on whistlestop tour of the universe starting with gravity and ending up with mentos explosions, visiting every accent and idiom available to her on the way, using very little but bicarb of soda, white vinegar, and the power of statistical likelihood.

The Summer of Fun was funded by Neath Port Talbot Council with the remit of providing activities for children and families during the summer holidays. We delivered a wide range of crafts, play, performance, nature activities, talent shows, community fun days, circus, games, active play and lots of family fun! These activities and events were so well supported and such fantastic community builders! We would love to be able to deliver programmes such as this in every valley every school holiday. We believe all children and families should have access to fun, creativity, informal learning and socialising throughout every school holiday regardless of their means and where they live!

The Starry Winter Festival was a wide ranging project which delivered activities as diverse as junk modelling, a dragon parade, drumming, nerf gun family battles, parties, puppet shows, active play and circus. The aim of the project was to get families out and engaging in creative activities and building social networks during the long winter months. A mix of indoor and outdoor activities, in small groups and joining in larger community events, there was something for everyone. All activities were free and food was provided for the children during the school holidays.