Littlehampton baby and toddler group set up during pandemic celebrates first birthday

Mayor Jill Long, Littlehampton Lions Club president David Cook and 5th Littlehampton Sea Scouts’ Beaver leader Sophie Dymock were among special guests at Caterpillar Club Baby and Toddler Group this morning.

The Lions have recently donated money to buy tables and chairs for the children to use at snack time and 5th Littlehampton Sea Scouts allows the club to use its building for its sessions on Thursday mornings.

Founder Helen Bradshaw said the group was run entirely by volunteers and they could not do it without all the help they had received, including a grant from Littlehampton Town Council for play equipment.

Helen said: "We are an independent group, set up last June to help give parents and carers a place to take their children to play and meet with other families at a time when the pandemic had closed many resources. Our sessions are affordable for all pockets, making it as accessible as possible for everyone.

"It is a drop-in group, so some weeks, it is really quiet and some weeks it is really busy. With some of the children who have come to us from the start, we have really seen them grow and develop.”

Helen sets up separate areas for different age groups to play, with free flow for all the children. They are also able to use the outside space when the weather is nice.

"We started with toys we brought from home and donations and it has built up over the year,” she said.

"We have children up to the age of four with the mums and dads. We set up the group because there was nothing else. After everything went into lockdown, the other groups that had previously been running shut down. There was nowhere for children to play, so I decided to start this up because there was a need for it.”

Helen said the tables and chairs had made a lot of difference, giving the children a proper place to sit, rather than just the floor.

Caterpillar Club Baby and Toddler Group is based at 5th Littlehampton Sea Scouts Headquarters, in Lineside Way, on Thursdays from 9.45am to 11.15am.

Also in the news: Littlehampton veterans mark 40th anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands

See also: Worthing artist’s unique garden, as seen on Channel 4’s Shed of the Year, opens for National Garden Scheme