Midhurst Family Matters brings families together over the summer holidays

This summer, we teamed up with Home-Start Chichester & District to run three free Family Matters groups in Midhurst, with food, fun and support.

With 69% of the households supported by Chichester District Foodbank including children, we know how valuable free, family-friendly activities can be during the school holidays. The groups gave children a chance to play, create and try different foods, while parents and carers could meet other local people and find out about support available to them.

Held at the Memorial Hall, South Downs Centre on Wednesday 5, 12 and 19 August, the groups welcomed both Home-Start’s regular families and new families who found out about them through the food bank. 

There were plenty of activities for children to get involved with, from toys and games to creative crafts and cooking. Making fruit skewers and veggie pitta pockets proved a popular activity, with one parent saying they particularly “liked the cooking activities.” Another appreciated that the food could be adapted for different allergies.

Having a range of things to do also worked well. As one parent explained, the “different stations for the kids” helped keep them occupied, focused and happy, giving them the freedom to move between activities at their own pace.

For parents and carers, there was time to sit down with a cup of tea, chat with others and speak to the Home-Start team about the support available locally.

We were also pleased to provide free footballs from Hyde, along with cereal and pasta for families to take home.

“It was great to offer families a space to have fun together, play and make friends in this supportive friendly environment, while also offering people the chance to access the support that both Home-Start and the Foodbank can provide--especially during the school summer holidays. We hope to work together to support families in this way again.” said Lois, Manager at Home-Start Chichester & District.

We'd like to say a big thank you to the Home-Start team and volunteers, Chichester District Foodbank volunteers and everyone at the Memorial Hall for helping make these mornings so friendly and welcoming for local families.