A CHARITY which has helped hundreds of families with young children in the area is pulling out all the stops next week to celebrate ten years of working in the district. Home-Start West Devon is holding a fun day in Simmons Park, Okehampton on Thursday, September 8, between 3pm and 5pm. Home-Start which is based at the Ockment Centre, runs a number of projects across West Devon, including a young parents? group which has recently been set up in Okehampton. Julie Meakin-Scott, group organiser said: ?We are always looking for volunteers from among the community and we hope the day will raise awareness about the work we do.? Volunteers visit families on a regular basis offering friendship as well as practical and emotional support. ?We match volunteers with families in the hope they will get on,? said Julie. Full training is given and volunteers can gain a lot from the experience. ?It can be a way into work for some people or it can be a way of giving something back,? she added. Home-Start is committed to promoting the welfare of families with at least one child under-five. People can come to the charity personally, others are referred by health visitors or social workers. Julie said: ?Home-Start services are available to everybody and people come to us for a number of reasons; for reassurance, practical help or friendship. All of us need support at some time.? Last year, more than 25 families in the area received home visiting support, with 16 volunteers giving a total of almost 2,000 hours of their time. One comment received from a mother helped by the charity, who wished to remain anonymous, gives an idea of how a volunteer?s help is appreciated: ?I felt very isolated and alone until I met my Home-Start volunteer. She made me realise I wasn?t alone in my struggle to raise three children.? Home-Start is a national charity, which was started in Leicester in 1973, before branches began springing up around the country. There are now more than 300 different groups helping in communities around the UK and with British Forces in Germany and Cyprus. As part of the fun day, Parklands Leisure Centre is offering free swimming for an hour. Other attractions on offer will include the chance to watch and learn magic and circus skills, and have fun with face painting, balloon modelling, a bouncy castle and ball pool.
