This Father’s Day, a dads playgroup, run in partnership with the Nicolson Community Centre at MoD Boscombe Down, celebrated its second year of providing a community space in Amesbury for fathers to spend quality time with their little children and meet other dads.

Dadz & Kidz is the only group of its kind in the area, and welcomes around 20 dads and their children every Saturday morning. The group is run by volunteers in partnership with the Nicolson Community Centre.
The volunteers create a friendly and inviting space for dads to socialise with other dads and for their children use the indoor soft play, racing track and outdoor play equipment provided by MoD Boscombe Down.

The idea came from a group of fathers who wanted a dedicated space for dads to socialise, share their parenting challenges and build confidence.

A small voluntary donation per child covers costs and also provides a small surplus for donating to various charities including the Salisbury Hospital Stars Appeal and Great Ormond Street.

Tim Denholm, who helps run the group and has two children aged one and four, said: “Dadz & Kidz is a community group that welcomes all dads and their young children. Fathers often feel the odd one out in most parenting groups and don’t often benefit from sharing their experiences with people in the same situation as themselves.

“We provide a space that normalises dads being the primary caregiver, and gives them the chance to relax, socialise and enjoy more quality time with their kids, and we find the mum’s enjoy getting the morning to themselves too.

“It’s a friendly group and we always welcome new dads and their kids. Every week volunteers bring snacks to share, and we sometimes organise social gatherings. This Father’s Day is a great opportunity for new dads to try out the group and we will be running a special craft theme throughout the morning.”

Dadz & Kidz runs every Saturday morning 9.30am to 11.30am at the Nicolson Centre in Amesbury. For dads who want to go along with their children, they ask for a voluntary donation of £2.20 per child older than one-yers-old.

For more information, visit the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dadsandlittluns/