Journey To Success

the first time i heard about sure start was a poster for music with mummies for children aged from newborn to one. i decided to go along and found i really enjoyed it, it got me out of the house and i met other parents, suddenly there was a lot of other people in the same position i was in.

From there i carried on to take part in other activities such as playgroups, swimming, fun tots etc. Other activities just seemed to natrually follow on. I am now a member of the managment board, the parent network and i am a volunteer. i have recently finished a breastfeeding peer support course which i really enjoyed and in september i hope to go on a course on managing childrens behaviour

Thursday, September 30, 2004
We're editing the out-takes section for Journey To Success event whilst Ben edits the acceptance speaches. Here we all are in the Community Edit Suite in Aurora House.

Left to Right- Carol Lane: Sure Start Project Worker, Patricia Peiris: Farmtree Parent Team, Becky Evans: BSC Media Production School of Arts & Media, Michelle Logue: Vice Secretary Farmtree Parent Team

Hi! I'm Edweana and I want to tell you about our day of pampering and videoing. It took place on Tuesday 14th September in Sure Start, Thorntree and Bramblesfarm. We had groups of parents from Thorntree and Bramblesfarm, Hemlington, Pallister Park, Grovehill, Beechwood and Easterside and Abbingdon Sure Starts.

Our day began when we all met up at about 9.30a.m. We had a coffee and got to know each other. We were waiting to get our hair and make-up done for the shooting of our video.[It makes us sound like movie stars!]. While we were waiting there was a lady walking around with a camcorder filming anything and everything that was going on. You never know what might be seen at the event because some people just can't help making fools of themselves!(What me? Never!).

When the make-over ladies came we took it turns to be treated like movie stars! You could feel the excitement in the air. The atmosphere was relaxed. I feel that the conversation between us all flowed easily. We joked and laughed so much that some of us were crying, which wasn't good if we'd had our make-up done.

Karen from Pertemps and Tracy Dring, my tormentor, watched us for a while and gave us all praise for having the confidence to go through with it.

The ladies looked lovely after they had their makeovers done( they did before though!)

The videoing started and we all went in our groups. Those of us who were waiting our turn could here the laughter coming from the 'set' and and couldn't help but wonder what was in store for us. When it was my turn I was both excited and nervous. I always wanted to be a star!( some people call me an exibitionist but it is better then the nick name we gave one of the other girls, but that is a different story!).

After filming, I got the chance to be the producers assistant, not very glamourous, I would rather be a star!

With the day nearly over we all went our seperate ways, but will meet up again soon.

Now, as you can see I have not put a lot of detail into this story. Why? you ask. The reason is that our video is going to be shown at the Celebration Event on the 7th October at the Marton Country Club and I don't want to spoil any of the video for the people attending the Event, as you never know there may be a few outtakes!

So all I can say is sorry, you will have to wait until after the event for me to write another message with all the days details in it. And don't worry, I won't forget, I can't, and the ladies can't, because we were stars for a day.

Before I go I would like to thank Sure Start, Pertemps and anyone else involved with the Event, it's really cool!!!, and if you want my autograph, just ask!!!

Bye for now and I will talk to you soon.

A few of the parents from our parent network did an evaluation course we did evaluations of a few diffrent activities. Myself and natalie evaluated an event to mr twisters at hartlepool it was a family event and everyone enjoyed the day i would never have had the experience of evaluation with out this course the tutors were friendly. The course all so gave some of the parents there confidence back which they lost whilst not been around other parents i feel more confident to talk around other parents and feel better in my self. We have not only done this course but other course,s aswell we have also been talking about which courses we would think would better our selves such as first aid. Not only have the parents made freinds but the children have to and theres alot of activities for them to do for example on tuesday morning theres a breakfast club it,s a chance for the parents to talk and have a coffee and the children to play with there friends i am glad i became involved in the parent network i am allso looking forward to see what happens in the futre.

I got involved with sure start on a volunteer course it went on from jan to apr since being on the course i have become more involved with things that is going on we have a parent network going on which we are all involved in

My story begins from when I got involved with Sure Start two and a half years ago. Before that I didn't have much of a life outside of the home. My confidence was low and I was on a downward journey to self destruction. Then one day a lady came to my house and told me of this new exciting project that was happening within the Thorntree area. This ladys' name was Tracy Dring.

She told me about Sure Start, a project that will offer help and advice to parents of young children and babies. I thought that it was just another way of getting Social Services involved in your life, which I did not need because I had already had involvement from them.

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My story begins when I left my country and came to Thorntree about two years ago. That time I was seven months pregnant. It's like a terrified dream to me. I came to a new country, new area, every thing new to me. I felt depressed and lonely. I didn't know anybody in the area.

I never ever thought "Sure Start" will make such a different in my life. One day a lady came to my house that was Gill the midwife of Sure Sart. She is the first lady who came toVisit me. The first day she talked with me very friendly and adviced a lot about pregnancy. From then on she came to see me every other day and spent a lot of time with me. It was my first baby so she told a lot of new things about the baby that I don't know.

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I have been with the parents network for nearly a year and found out lots of new things for me and my daugher. I have made lots of new friends and also got some of my confidence back as i was very depressed because there was nothing to do when i lived in stainton village when i moved to hemlington i was still bored then i used to take me daugher to softplay at the rec centre and that is when i meet joanne and she told me about surestart and other thing like trips and the evaluation course that I have just finished that was good. I am looking forward for the new courses to start in september things like first aid and parents volunteer courses and i hope none of these courses are on the same day as when i go to collage one day a week to do early years in child care.

When I had my daughter August 2003 I was over the moon, absolutely smitten. I love every minute that I'm with her but I also felt very overwhelmed.

I had lost my mum in May to Cancer and I was feeling very low and isolated as I was at home a lot which I wasn't used to as before hand I had worked full time, at a very demanding job for Social Services.
My health visitor recommended that I go to the local Sure Start drop-in to have Sydney weighed and to socialize with other mum's. I was extremely nervous before going but found the staff really friendly and welcoming, they talked to me about other services that Sure Start provided. After I had been to the drop-in I went to the library to join the toy library. Whilst there I met Alison who talked to me about baby-music. I agreed to go the following week. From there I have never looked back, Sydney really enjoyed the activities and interacting with the other children. It has also made it possible for me to have 'adult' conversation.
One day at the drop-in I was over heard talking about breastfeeding. I am very passionate about breastfeeding and try to let people know the benefits of breast milk. I was invited to attend the course 'Breastfeeding peer support'. I was very unsure about doing any thing that would require any sort of brain power as I didn't feel as though I could string a sentence together any more let alone do any thing academic. Once I was there I loved it, and looked forward to each weekly session. Looking forward was some thing that I hadn't been able to do for a long time. Now that I have finished the course I am on the 'Food for life committee', and have done a talk on why breastfeeding is important to me at James Cook Hospital in front of Ray Mallon! I am also actively involved on the Evaluation committee and several courses. I am regaining my confidence and skills that I used at work.

Doing activities with Sydney at Sure Start also means that I am spending quality time with her actually doing some thing. All to often when I was at home all day I would think that I had been with her all day when in reality I had spent most of the day doing house work.

I am still off work with depression, but I can now see a way forward and can see me returning to work in the near future. Loosing my mum just as I was about to become a mum was the very worst experience of my life, you don't realize how often you turn to your mum for guidance, reassurance, help or just a good old moan until she isn't there. Sure Start has been like my surrogate mother, there is always some one there to answer my questions, advise and reassure. As well as talking to other mums there who have now become friends and realizing that we are all going through the same jumble of mixed emotions and I am not alone!

I am slowly regaining my confidence, I now feel like Kirstin again instead of "just some one in a crowd" at my lowest and Sydneys mum at best.

HOW SURE START CHANGED MY LIFE
I gave birth to my baby in October and I was over the moon! however after a few months I started to feel very isolated and lonley I felt very depressed I had no self comfidence and no self estime and thought there was nothing I could do about it. I then recived a flyer through my door about the local sure start and the activities they offer I then contacted

them and aranged a meeting with one of the staff members wich was great it was very informal and relaxed she explained about how sure start workes and what was on offer to me and my famialy.

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After receiving a leaflet about the local sure start program running a volunteer course I thought why not go along and have a go. The first day was very daunting but everyone was very nice and the course was very interesting. Now I am involved with the parent network and part of the management board.

I was training to be an accountant and then I got Pregnant. I stayed on till I was about 7 months pregnant and had to stop due to problems with the pregnancy. I was going to go back but decided not to because it was not the job to do while having a small child. This was a good job because I fell pregnant again when Liam was 5 months old.

While pregnant with Katie I started going to the Sure Start in Thornaby. Where I did courses on Importance of play and Healthy Eating. I started getting involved in some board meetings but then we moved over to Thorntree on the 8th December.

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I started this programme when my daughter was three and a half years old. I got introduced to the programme manager on the first activity day in Brambles Farm.

I was having problems with my daughters health and went to see the health visitor who helped me to come to terms with my daughters problems and gave me support so I could make a better life for myself and my daughter.

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How I became a volunteer? I decided to become a volunteer because I wanted a new challenge. Then Pam from sure start told me about this course that they where setting up and that I should come to a coffee morning they where organizing. I went along and decided to go on the volunteers course. I made new friend's and went on from the volunteer course to go on the play bus 1 day a week I have enjoyed it very much.