Cloth Nappies Shining Nappy People As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and the well-being of the children in our care, we are transitioning to using mainly cloth nappies in both of our nurseries. We are also working on ways to support families to use cloth nappies at home through our community support groups and outreach work. Non-recylcable nappies 2.5 billion binned annually 90% end up in landfill 500yrs to break down 60%+ Plastic We believe that swapping non-recyclable nappies for resuable alternatives aligns perfectly with our mission to ‘build brighter futures’ and our core values, including ‘sustaining our planet, sustaining our community’. Why swap to cloth nappies? Cheaper over time Toilet training is often 6 months faster for babies when cloth nappies are used Switching could save you up to £1000 per child and have half the environmental impact! No harsh chemicals Non-recyclable nappies contain chemicals Well chosen c loth nappies can have fewer or even none This makes them healthier for a child’s delicate skin A better fit Cloth nappies provide an individualised fit, reducing the risk of leaks Plus, the soft fabric against the skin can be more comfortable Better for the planet Non-recyclable nappies take 500yrs to decompose in landfills Even eco-friendly alternatives take 50yrs Much of North London's nappy waste is also burned at the incinerator £70 Voucher Visit www.realnappiesforlondon.org.uk for helpful info. including explanations of different nappy types and info. on a voucher scheme worth up to £70 toward purchasing cloth nappies. Our local partners For over a year we've been lucky enough to be supported in our cloth nappy transition by three local organisations working tirelessly to promote cloth nappy use in Waltham Forest. Our heart-felt thanks go out to the 'Women's Environemental Network', 'Waltham Forest Cloth Nappy Library' and 'Nappy Ever After'! Check out their web and social media pages to find a wide range of cloth nappy resources and useful information. Women's Environmental Network Nappy Ever After Waltham Forest Cloth Nappy Library Please note: The links on this page will open external websites. The 'Lloyd Park Children's Charity' accepts no responsbility for content or downloads on any external pages. Any downloads that you choose to make should be verified with your own threat detection software.

Your fundraising Our community has always come up with fun and creative events to raise money for us. These raise money for us, but more inportantly they bring local families together and create opportunities to make new friends, have fun and for us to share more about about our support services. Whether you've held a bake-sale, a coffee morning, an auction, put on a play, thrown a party or any other kind of fundraiser, it's super-easy to support us with your proceeds! Simply make a quick and easy donation via our 'Donate now' page or go to our 'Pay in fundraising' page where you can donate and tell us a little more about your how you raised your funds. Lloyd Park Children's Charity registered no: 1102134 Pay in Fundraising Take on a challenge for us! Thinking about taking on a personal or group challenge? Whether it's running a marathon, walking 5K, climbing a mountain, shaving your head or even endurance disco-dancing; Choose to support our work with vulnerable children with your sponsorships or fundraising! It's easy to donate your hard earned sponsorship money to support children. You can simply make a quick and easy donation via our 'Donate now' page or go to our 'Pay in fundraising' page where you can tell us a little more about your challenge. You may prefer to set up a Just Giving page ( or similar). This enables you to promote your challenge across your s ocial connections and makes it easy for supporters to sponsor you. Whichever platform you choose, nominate Lloyd Park Children's Charity as your chosen beneficiary using our charity number: 1102134 Pay in Fundraising Support Us Page

Flourish Supporting Maternal Mental Health The aim of our service We want to support improved Maternal Mental Health by: supporting mothers in developing the capacity of their children to experience, regulate, and express emotion. . enhancing mothers' abilities to form close and secure relationships with their children , and building capacity to explore their surrounding environment and learn together. Who is it for? Created for women who have babies or toddlers up to 18 months, who are finding motherhood difficult in one or more ways such as: low level depression feeling anxious feeling resentful perhaps expecting 'perfection' from themselves. Request Help or Refer What can we offer? Postnatal depression (PND) is a common problem that occurs after pregnancy and affects more than 1 in 10 women within a year of giving birth. It can also affect dads and partners. PND can present itself in different ways, and many parents don’t realise they have the condition because it can develop gradually over time. Flourish Groups Flourish offers weekly groups the create a safe place where you can talk about how you really feel, and learn to have more fun with your baby. Gr oups run in each of the borough's family hubs: Walthamstow,Chingford, Leyton and Leytonstone. How to access our support At the moment referrals to Flourish must be made by health visitors. They must refer via our online 'Help Request' form using the button below. A current EPDS for the parent/carer must be entered, otherwise the form will not submit. On receving the referral one of our team will contact the parent/carer to make arrangements. If you any questions or would like more information please contact our wellbeing co-ordinator. Email: lilienl@tlpcc.org.uk Telephone: 0208 527 1737 Request Help or Refer Delivered by Working in partnership with London Borough of Waltham Forest's

See available post from across our charity. We regularlty recruit to positions in childcare, early years learning and developement, family support, and a variety of support roles. Fundraising Officer Location: Waltham Forest - Office-based and hybrid Salary: £35,000 per annum, 1 year fixed-term contract Probation: 6 months Hours: Fulltime Closing date: Noon, Monday 3rd March 2025 Interviews: w/c 10th March Overview In this exciting newly created role, you will take the lead in growing and sustaining our fundraising income. Your responsibilities will span the fundraising process from identifying funding opportunities and potential grant-makers, designing and developing compelling funding proposals and promoting these opportunities, through to managing relationships with donors. Ideal candidates will have energy, motivation, and the experience to be able to make an instant impact on the organisation; they will understand the wider charity context, have good attention for detail and can make things happen. Candidates are expected to be fundraisers with at least three years of experience and have a track record of success in securing funds. Crucially, we want to recruit an individual who is as committed to Lloyd Park Children’s Charity's vision, and will work with us to make a huge difference to local marginalised and vulnerable children and families. We operate a standard 6 month probation for all of our roles. For this role success will be contingent on increasing the number of funding applications submitted and demonstrable positive fundraising outcomes. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate; this is a requirement of the DBS code of practice. Job Description Apply Now

Early Years Social Prescribing Early Years Social Prescribing: Our Evidence Base Our Commitment to Evidence-Based Practice At Lloyd Park Children’s Charity, our Early Years Social Prescribing Service is grounded in a strong and growing evidence base. We recognise that children’s development is shaped not only by healthcare, but by family wellbeing, relationships, and the wider social factors affecting everyday life. Our work focuses on supporting families experiencing challenges such as developmental delay, financial hardship, parental wellbeing needs, and social isolation. Why the Early Years Matter Research shows that the early years are a critical period for children’s development. Parenting and the parent–child relationship play a key role in shaping children’s emotional, social, and long-term health outcomes. Parental mental health is particularly important: Mothers are around twice as likely to experience depression during childbearing years Children of parents experiencing poor mental health are more likely to develop anxiety and depression Parenting stress can influence how difficulties are passed between parent and child. Importantly, research highlights that many of the risks affecting children are modifiable within the family environment, meaning timely support can make a real difference. What is Social Prescribing? Social prescribing connects families to community-based support, activities, and practical resources to improve wellbeing. Studies show this approach can: Reduce loneliness and isolation Improve mental health and emotional wellbeing Increase confidence, resilience, and coping skills Strengthen community connections and support networks It also helps address the wider determinants of health, such as housing, relationships, and financial pressures, which are often at the root of many challenges families face. Why Social Prescribing for Families? Supporting parents is one of the most effective ways to improve outcomes for children. Research shows that: Parent and child mental health are closely linked and influence each other Interventions that support both parent and child together are more effective Strengthening parenting capacity improves children’s development and life chances By improving parental wellbeing, social prescribing helps create more stable, nurturing environments for children to thrive. The Power of Community and Connection A strong sense of belonging and connection to others is essential for wellbeing. Evidence shows that when people feel part of a community, they experience: Greater emotional support and resilience A stronger sense of purpose and identity Improved overall health and wellbeing This is why our service focuses on building local connections and supportive relationships, not just providing services. Co‑Production: Working Together with Families Our approach is co-produced with families through our CoCo East project. This means parents and community members actively shape the support available. Research shows co-production: Improves engagement and relevance of services Builds confidence, empowerment, and independence Reduces social isolation Leads to more sustainable and effective support It also recognises that communities understand their own needs best, and that tailored, local solutions are more effective than generic approaches. Tackling Inequality Early Children growing up in disadvantaged circumstances experience poorer health and developmental outcomes due to social and economic factors. Social prescribing helps to address these inequalities by: Providing early, preventative support Reducing reliance on crisis services Improving access to community resources and opportunities This approach supports fairer outcomes for children and families. How Our Approach Works Research highlights that effective social prescribing services are: Person-centred and holistic Built on strong partnerships across services Focused on co-producing solutions with families Designed to build long-term resilience and independence Our Early Years Social Prescribing model reflects these principles in practice. Measuring Our Impact We use evidence-based approaches to understand the difference our service makes, including looking at: Sense of belonging within the community Levels of social support Experiences of loneliness or isolation Overall wellbeing and quality of life This helps ensure we are continually improving and delivering meaningful outcomes for families. Summary The evidence is clear, supporting parents, strengthening relationships, and connecting families to their communities can have a powerful and lasting impact on children’s development. Early Years Social Prescribing offers a preventative, holistic, and evidence-informed approach that improves wellbeing for the whole family and helps children get the best possible start in life. Our Evidence Base This work is informed by a range of research, including: Daundasekara et al. (2021) – parental mental health and child outcomes Thomas et al. (2021) – social prescribing and co-production Hassan et al. (2023) – social prescribing systems and implementation Wakefield et al. (2022) – social connection and wellbeing Goldfeld et al. (2017) – social determinants of child development Waylen et al. (2008) – parenting and child health outcomes Kuckertz et al. (2018) – parenting and child mental health

Diary Dates 2026 Important dates such as planned closures, holidays and training days Spring/Summer 2026 January 5th Training Day - All Services Closed February 16th - 20th Half-Term Week Holiday Clubs open Term-time activities closed See Holiday Activity Timetable March - April March 30th - April 10th Half-Term Holiday Clubs open Term-time activities closed See Holiday Activity Timetable April 3rd Bank Holiday - All Services Closed April 6th Bank Holiday - All Services Closed May 4th Bank Holiday - All Services Closed 7th Parents Evening Lloyd Park Centre - 6-8pm Higham Hill Centre - 6-8pm 25th Bank Holiday - All Services Closed 26th-29th Half-Term Week Holiday Clubs open Term-time activities closed See Holiday Activity Timetable June 1st Training Day - All Services Closed June 27th Lloyd Park Summer Fair - 11am-2pm July 4th Higham Hill Summer Fair - 11am-2pm 20th Summer Holiday Club open Term-time activities closed See Holiday Activity Timetable August 28th Summer Holiday Club ends 31st Bank Holiday - All Services Closed Autumn/Winter 2026 September 2nd Training Day - All Services Closed October 16th Parents Evening Lloyd Park Centre - 6-8pm Higham Hill Centre - 6-8pm 26th - 30th Half-Term Week Holiday Clubs open Term-time activities closed See Holiday Activity Timetable 30th Halloween Discos Lloyd Park Centre - 6:30-8:30pm Higham Hill Centre - 6:30-8:30pm December 3rd Winter Wonderland Party Higham Hill Centre, 3-6pm Lloyd Park Centre, 3-6pm 18th Last Day of Term 21st - 31st Christmas Break - All Services Closed Follow us on our socials for updates on scheduled activities and sessions Related Links: Interactive Calendar School Holidays Activity Timetable RolePlay Magazine More Information 020 8527 1737 info@tlpcc.org.uk

Fees and Charges Private children's parties and functions Standard Rate £175 per hour (£150 for community room/inside space) Bookings enquiry Optional charitable donations: £50, £75, £100 or other. 100% of this optional donation is invested back into making Grow Wild sustainable for the community. School and nursery hire Minimum hire: 1.5 hour session - 25 children £150 Addtional children charged at £8 per head Maximum capacity - 30 children Additional hours: Each additional hour £150 Addtional children charged at £8 per head per hour Bookings enquiry

Other ways to help Donate Equipment or Supplies If you'd like to support us with technology, equipment or supplies that will support children click below. Learn more Your Fundraising Held a bake-sale, run a marathon, climbed a mountain or thrown a party? It's super-easy to support us with your fundraising proceeds! Learn more Volunteer Volunteering opportunities for individuals and companies keep Baby Bank going! Join our team

Teatime and Holiday Clubs Teatime Club The Lloyd Park and HIgham Hill Centres offer inclusive Teatime Club until 5.50pm Monday to Friday for primary school aged children. The Lloyd Park Centre collects children from Winns Primary School The Higham Hill Centre collects children from Hillyfield on the Hill and Whittingham Primary Schools Apply Here Fees Holiday Club The Lloyd Park and HIgham Hill Centres both offer inclusive holiday clubs for primary school aged children, from 8-5.50pm Monday to Friday during school holidays. See Dates for your Diary page to find out when our holiday schemes run. Bookings for Summer 2026 Holiday Club open from: 9am, Monday 15th June Apply Here Fees Activities Your child will enjoy a range of activities including arts and crafts, sport, imaginative play, risk taking play and more. Children work together to explore their interests such as creating and performing in talent shows, fundraisers and sports events. There are opportunities to use our Grow Wild adventure play space, and for sporty and messy play, so please dress appropriately. Food Our dedicated catering team prepare our food on-site using fresh ingredients, creating tasty and nutritious meals with an emphasis on providing a wide range of plant-based foods. Meal times are always a sociable and enjoyable part of our day. Our Food

Our Mission and Values Mission Founded to build brighter futures for local children and their families. We believe children learn through play. We strive to understand every child, plan for their individual needs and work in partnership with parents to ensure that each child can reach their full potential. Values Each value is a challenge that we seek to live and work to every day. They also inform how we communicate within communities and with each other. Keeping Children Safe Child Centred Equity and Fairness Our values guide and determine our actions Sustaining our planet, sustaining our community Making a difference Partnership Building strength and resilience

Jobs in childcare, early years learning and development and family support. Now recruiting Back to 'Join our team' page Early Years Educator Apprentice Location: Walthamstow Salary: £21,416 Hours: Fulltime - 36 hours per week Closing date: Description You will study with Pen Green Research and receive support to learn on the job at one of our settings. Your role will involve working with the team to provide high-quality, creative learning opportunities for young children, stiving to ensure every child has the best start in life. As an Early Years Educator Apprentice, you will play a vital role in creating a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment. Job Description Apply Now Early Years Practitioners - Level 2 Location: Walthamstow Salary: £22,127 Hours: Fulltime - 36 hours per week Closing date: Description You will be part of an amazing team who provide high quality trusted Early Years experiences and education to all children in our care. Your role will be to implement the delivery of the Early Years Curriculum to ensure that all children reach their full potential. As part of a family group you will build relationships with children and families to promote children’s learning and development and wellbeing. Job Description Apply Now Early Years Practitioners - Level 3 Location: Walthamstow Salary: £25,197 Hours: Fulltime - 36 hours per week (40 hours can also be considered) Closing date: Description You will be part of an amazing team who provide high quality trusted Early Years experiences and education to all children in our care. Your role will be to implement the delivery of the Early Years Curriculum to ensure that all children reach their full potential. As part of a family group you will build relationships with children and families to promote children’s learning, development and wellbeing. You will be responsible for supporting the Senior Early Years Practitioner and supervising and nurturing level 2 practitioners, apprentices and students. Job Description Apply Now Casual/Assistant Playworker Location: Walthamstow Salary: Hourly rates Under 18yrs - £8.00 Aged 18-20yrs - £11.05 Aged 21 and over - £11.44 Hours: Part-time - 15 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 3-6pm, Term Time only Closing date: Description You will be part of an amazing team who provide high quality trusted Early Years experiences and education to all children in our care. Your role will be to support with the Tea Time Cub provision at The Higham HIll Centre, collecting primary aged school children from Whittingham school and Hillyfield on the Hill, supervising the children; providing fun activities, & serving a nutritious tea. Job Description Apply Now Cleaner Location: Walthamstow Salary: £21,715.20 Hourly rate: £11.60 Hours: 10 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 6am - 8am Closing date: Description You will be part of an amazing team who provide high quality trusted Early Years experiences and education to all children in our care. To carry out a full range of duties providing high standards of cleanliness and general security. To include cleaning activities under the direction of the Site Service Manager and Centre Manager. Job Description Apply Now Applying online All candidates must complete our employee application form. Use the job definition as a guide to structure your application and help demostrate your relevant experience. It lists the skills, competencies, talents and behaviours we are looking for. If you are new to the role you are applying for, tell us what you know about the role. Please read our Privacy Notice for Job Applicants on our policy page for info. on how we handle your data If you would like to discuss any of our open roles or arrange a visit to one of our settings, please email recruitment@tlpcc.org.uk

What's On RolePlay Magazine Dates for Your Diary Bookable Activities Holiday Activities Summer 2026 - Issue 58 out now! Read Listening & Learning If your child is aged 0-8, what matters most to you in making Waltham Forest a great place for them to live? Your Voice Our Community Drop Your Ideas Here! Building A Brighter Future Calendar View and book activities Check our Live Service Updates before travelling! Check Here Scroll to see more Walthamstow Chingford Leytonstone Leyton Bookable on Eventbrite Click link in event details Bookable Activities View our bookable activities with limited spaces. Also viewable on our calendar, above. View Role play Edition 59. Autumn 2026 Our termly magazine full of interesting local stories, events and campaigns, plus our activities timetable. Read Dates for Your Diary View Important dates such as closures, holidays and training days School Holiday Activity Timetable View Live Service Updates Planned Closures Grow Wild Climbers & Jumpers Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August Follow us on our socials for updates on scheduled activities and sessions

Grow Wild outdoor adevnture play space green space nature safe activity centre children parents Waltham Forest Walthamstow Grow Active healthy friendship How to Book Calendar Our amazing green adventure space where children and families can learn about nature, take managed risks and have lots of fun! Get out more! "If you love the sound of bees and birds and faraway planes over your head as you play and explore, and love the smell of the rain on wet stones, and the feel of sun on your back as you paint wood and examine bugs close up, Grow Wild is the place for you. We try to be a mirror to the community we have in Waltham Forest. Our goal is to increase children's physical abilities by getting them used to risks and challenges whilst also providing a safe space for all families to explore nature, ecology and outdoor arts & crafts. " Chris Rowley, Grow Wild Manager Weekly Term-time Activities We offer a range of daily outdoors activities in our imagination inspirating adventure play space. Most sessions are drop-ins Please arrive early to avoid disappointment. To view activity times, prices and whether to book please use our calendar Calendar Discretionary discounts for those on low income or benefits available for all sessions. Email us for more information - lpc@tlpcc.org.uk Parties and group visits A Grow Wild party is a fantastic experience for young adventurers! 2 hours of fun for up to 40 children hosted by a member of our team to help you make the most of the space. We also take bookings for schools, pre-schools and community groups. We work with you to plan sessions to meet the specific needs of the children attending. It's a great use of Pupil Premium. How to Book Our group activities for families Activities often evolve over time based on what families tell us they've enjoyed the most. This means our timetable can change from term to term depending on the needs of our community at the time. Below are few examples of popular sessions we've run in the past. Please check our calendar to see our current range of activities! Calendar Family Grow Wild A group where whole families, including children up to the age of 9yrs, can enjoy time together in our amazing ourdoors adventure play space. Rainbow Group A group for LGBTQ+ families where parent/carers and thier children can enjoy outdoors adventure play time in a safe, welcoming space. Forever Families Our group for children with adoptive families up to age 9 yrs old coming together to create peer networks and overcome trauma and adversity through using our safe outdoors play environment. Dad's Club Our group for all the men in our children's lives, Dad's brothers, uncles and grandads. Helps create peer networks whilst enjoying our safe, green outdoors space. Somewhere to Belong (Families) A group for children with SEND up to the age of 9yrs where they can be themselves and find confidence to explore the ourdoors in a safe nurturting space. Grow Wild is for our community Our parents, volunteers and staff talk about the importance of Grow Wild in the community and how our adventure play space can help break down barriers.

Co-producing activities with families to meet their needs. Use this short form to voice your ideas! We want to hear ideas for activities, projects or collaborations that you think would help build brighter futures for children and families. When we receive your feedback form we'll present it to the CoCo East members to see what further actions we can take together!

Community Services for your family Get Help Well Baby Bank Learn more Family Support Learn more Early Years Social Prescribing Learn more CoCo East A co-production collaborative aiming to bring parents, organisations and the community together to improve services for children. Get involved SEND Find out about the SEND support our practitioners offer through our childcare and our community services. Learn more Sleep Support Access support and resoruces to help you and your baby develop healthy sleep routines and improve overall wellbeing. Learn more Wellbeing Find out about the wellbeing support our teams can offer you and you child to help you thrive. Learn more Follow us on our socials for updates on scheduled activities and sessions

Childcare Our Pedagogy Settings Teatime and Holiday Club Apply for a place Fees and Funding More Our inclusive early years settings support children to follow their interests and celebrate achievements Settings Our Higham Hill and Lloyd Park centres provide full-time and part-time childcare - from 6 months to 5 years, Please note that the Under 2s waiting list at Lloyd Park is currently closed. Applications are still welcome for 2–5 year places and sessional places. We also run teatime and holiday clubs for primary school aged children. Lloyd Park Higham Hill Apply for a place Our parents as partners Parents are childrens' most important educators, so we work closely with them to share childrens' experiences at home and in our settings. We encourage parent/carers to be involved with their child's time with us wherever possible. Our Pedagogy Our approach to teaching and learning (pedagogy) starts with our mission to build brighter futures for every child. Our pedagogy is inspired by research about how children learn and develop. We use 'Learning Stories' to celebrate and share children's experiences. Learn more SEND and our childcare Our welcoming and inclusive settings support children as unique individuals to follow their interests and celebrate achievements Learn more Our Food Our dedicated catering team prepares our meals on-site using fresh ingredients incorporating special dietary requirements and individual needs. Our menu is based on the Eat Well guidelines, with an emphasis on serving a wide range of plant-based foods. Sample Menu Fees and Funding We are a not-for-profit organsiation so all of our income is used to sustain our work. Our fees are reviewed by our trustees annually to ensure we are value for money and sustainable. The government provides support for childcare costs. The Childcare Choices website can help you determine the most beneficial options for your family. Learn more Please be aware that some of these links connect you to external websites. Our charity cannot be responsible for the content of these sites including any downloadable files. Please read our policy on links to external web pages here

Musical Climbers & Creators A year of exploring music with some wonderful SEND children In 2023/24 we were delighted to bring this wonderful project to life in our Grow Wild adventure play space with the support of Youth Music. This fun and uplifiting session was co-produced by the Lloyd Park Children's Charity's SEND and outdoors play practitioners, parent/carers, children and the amazing music-making charity, Soundcastle. The project delivered unique music-based outdoor learning and sensory experiences for children living with SEND who are often excluded from music-making and outdoors adventure play. Sounds from the Forest Stomp in the Forest 00:00 / 09:06 These beautiful tracks were composed by Soundcastle using vocals, sounds, beats and music made by the children, recorded as they explored the space and made music together. Meditation in the Green Space 00:00 / 09:22 Magical Memories Outdoors music-making in our inspiring 'Grow Wild' adventure playspace Real musical instruments to play led by musicians Freedom for children to play and join in at their own pace Music-making combined with creative play Inclusive music-making for SEND children and their siblings Breakthroughs for SEND children in socialising and personal confidence Building more confidence to jump and tumble with drum beats Children discovered a passion for music-making Parents saw leaps in their children's development Feedback from parents and carers I cannot enthuse about this playgroup/adventure playground and staff more. It is SUCH a supportive environment for not only my son but my daughter too aswell as myself. Staff have gone above and beyond for both my children as they often run in opposite directions and I physically can't keep an eye on both of them! The staff are unfaltering in their care for both the children, this is so important to me as often siblings can sometimes not be so welcomed in my experience which is very difficult for me. The musical element to the session is genuinely magical. At first the musicians would play musical instruments as my children played and slowly but surely my children have actively taken part in playing the musical instruments themselves which they both adore. I feel like my children get so much out of this sen session, they both have gained so much confidence in the setting since coming and both get so excited when they realise we are going to Grow Wild I myself, as their parent, really enjoy coming too! I can never usually relax in other settings as my son can be unpredictable with his behaviour at times, but here I can just breathe and let my children have fun with staff who are always enthusiastic to see them. Thank you so much! We have truly enjoyed our sessions on a Tuesday. My son loves to be outside and to be able to enjoy all the instruments in this free way has been so enriching for him. The musicians are wonderful with the little ones completely working at their pace and direction! Tirelessly playing “train” and offering different instruments and sounds occasionally so he gets a varied experience. All done in a respectful way so he hasn’t felt overwhelmed or too directed. If I had to think of something I’m tempted to say it would be nice to have some more performance group playing from the musicians with flute etc but perhaps that’s more my wanting as the simpler instruments have been generously shared and given access to and the children lead the way!! Thank you all and hope you can keep going …. We will keep coming!! Since we started attending in May my son has made huge progress in his speech, language and communication and these sessions have been a huge part of that. He finds communication challenging and this usually prevents him from interacting with other people. He became very comfortable very quickly at Grow Wild and very quickly started to interact with the musicians and it has been an absolute joy to see. He then repeatedly talks about Grow Wild at home throughout the week so not only is the session beneficial when he's there, but he loves it so much that he wants to talk about it all week, so it's been fantastic for his development at home as well. My daughter has also just started to come out of her shell. She usually only speaks to me but this week she spoke to three different adults at the session too and was much more confident and independent. I also love how safe these sessions are. Being able to run around outside in a safe space with other children and parents who understand his differences is priceless. These sessions are by far the best SEND sessions I have been to in Waltham Forest as they tick so many boxes. A safe outdoor space, access to a wide range of activities like climbing, water play, painting etc. all alongside the musical elements and an energetic, kind and enthusiastic team of adults running the sessions. ....So many of my son's sensory needs are met in one session which helps him to feel calm and regulated throughout the rest of the day. There is something available and beneficial for every child and it's fabulous to see every child enjoying themselves week after week. So thank you so much for everything. I hope that you can secure funding for September as it'll be a huge loss to the SEND community if these sessions were to stop. Both my children have both asked me if they can go to Grow Wild three times today already and this will happen every day until next week 😅 We have a home education journal and at the end of every day, we write down what we've done and my son often likes looking back at the photos of him at Grow Wild and asks for his own musical instruments. Just wanted to say how fantastic the musical element to the play has been and how much both my 19month old and I have enjoyed coming to those special sessions. It has given my son great exposure to music and to different and unique instruments we would not normally come across in our own play. The musicians are all so very talented, professional yet friendly and have a natural ability to connect with the young ones. I feel very fortunate to have attended the sessions we have with you, which have really enhanced my son's learning through song, tune and creativity. This group has been a lifeline to us from the start until now. We attend whatever the weather and my ASD child has thrived and grown from being in such an accepting and accomodating environment. He has gone from a child who was extremely uncomfortable around people, particularly adults, to somebody who seeks out interactions from the Grow Wild and Soundcastle teams. He's changed from being crying and anxious on arrival to shouting "go to see Zoe!" the minute he sees the tree. He has developed a tolerance for other children, for group singing and for music. He has developed so many social skills and even shown a keen interest in making music himself. He gets all of his sensory seeking needs met, has the freedom to explore without any pressure and we are truly fortunate to be able to attend this group. My child has developed and grown into somebody who can be in public without severe discomfort and who actually enjoys the company of other people, and I believe Grow wild has played a massive part in that.....

Volunteer application form

Apply for a job with Lloyd Park Children's Charity here. How would you rate our Services? Let us know how we're doing and help shape our future plans Click Here All feedback is anoynmous!

Donating Items to our Baby Bank We only stock new and high quality pre-loved items. Families can request the items they need from our team or come along to choose what they need from our available stock. If you'd like to help give vulnerable newborns and toddlers a better start in life you can donate items with us or choose to send items from our Amazon wishlist directly to us. Items on our wishlist are usually urgently needed by the families we are currently helping, so donating this way is a great way to quickly support a child in immediate need. What's needed? New items Nappies and baby wipes Single or double buggies Books for under 5’s Moses baskets New mattresses Quality pre-loved Single or double buggies Books for under 5’s Moses baskets Donate now Email us to find out current drop-off locations and times. Email Us Please note: We'd love accept all pre-loved donations but sadly can’t always due to limited storage. We can only accept high quality new or unmarked items in good condition. We cannot accept used matresses, car seats or jumble.