A fa-BOO-lous Halloween at Circle!
Spooky season was in full swing at Circle! Our projects were busy hosting Halloween parties for our children and families, with lots of games and activities for all to take part in!
From dookin’ for apples, to crafting spooktacular decorations and creating Halloween arts and crafts. There has definitely been laughter, creativity, and a whole lot of Halloween spirit!
Check out these snapshots from our West Lothian and FABI projects…
Planning these parties for our children and families helps create positive memories and fosters a sense of community. It really was lovely to see such big smiles and the impact of our support is making.
Any questions about our West Lothian Project or FABI Project can be sent to the Project Managers.
West Lothian: Hazel Tyson
FABI: George Lyttle
Other project updates…
Beyond the Halloween costumes and masks, our project teams continue to work tirelessly supporting children and families. Here are some highlights from our project teams.
The National Launch of ‘Grow Your Own Routes’
Some of our East Lothian team members joined charity partners and Routes young people for the launch of ‘Grow Your Own Routes.’
Grow Your Own Routes will be launching within our East Lothian service, where they will be supporting young people affected by substance use within their families.
During the launch, we were all moved by the courage shared by these young individuals who opened up about their struggles and their parents’ substance use in a room full of strangers – They were all amazing!
We also heard from Elena Whitham MSP, the Drug and Alcohol Policy Minister, who spoke about her personal experience dealing with her mother’s substance use. She emphasised the pivotal role the third sector plays to helping and supporting young people.
Lastly, a special thanks to Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs for an incredible day. We are absolutely thrilled to be working alongside you and our other charity partners.
National Collaborative: Community Conversation
Our East Lothian service hosted a “Community Conversation” on behalf of the National Collaborative initiative. This initiative is giving families (as well as professionals) the opportunity to voice their views about substance use services. To do this successfully, the National Collaborative wanted to hear from people who had been affected by substance use and what their views were on what was going well, what needed to change and what families wanted services to look like.
Some of the team chatted with our families about their experiences of services and whether these services were doing a good job at helping people. Our families identified key areas where action is needed to effectively improve these services.
To read more about what our families said about these services, see more information here.
Any questions about our East Lothian Project can be sent to the Project Manager, Angela Gentile
Baby First Aid Training at Haven
Baby First Aid is a crucial skill for new parents, offering them confidence and reassurance in handling emergency situations.
Our Senior Family Outreach Worker, Julie, organises baby first aid training and this week, one of our baby groups immersed themselves in this training led by Lyndsey from Mini First Aid Edinburgh & the Lothians.
This experience is invaluable to parents and also contributes to the safety and wellbeing of their little ones. The feedback from the group was very positive. One of the parents added:
“Thank you for organising the baby first aid Julie. It was a very relaxed session with plenty of useful information. It touched onto topics which I personally hadn’t considered before like dealing with burns and bleeds.”
With Lyndsey’s expertise, the group quickly became skilled and confident. Here are some behind the scenes snapshots…
Any questions about our Haven Project can be sent to the Project Manager, Emma Hinton.
Magical moments in our Harbour project
Some of our Harbour team members supported children and young people to see the Aladdin show at Edinburgh Playhouse.
Before the show, everyone had dinner together where the children could bond and connect with one another.
…And the performance was a hit with everyone!
It has sparked a real interest for musical theatre among some of the children. One of the boys in particular was fascinated to learn how the music was made and he’s keen to go to more theatre performances in the future!
Attending this show was invaluable to the children and young people who might not otherwise have had the opportunity.
Our Family Inclusion Co-ordinator, Ian is keen to get the children and young people more involved in the arts.
So, here’s to more magical experiences and creative journey’s ahead…
Any questions about our Harbour Project can be sent to the Project Manager, Julie King.
FABI begin the Christimas festivities!
“It was brilliant to get out with the children and have some fun. I was singing along and actually almost in tears because I was able to enjoy myself. It has really lifted my spirits.”
Any questions about our FABI Project can be sent to the Project Manager, George Lyttle.