Sale mum launches play group for disadvantaged families after she’s left ‘devastated’ by local closures

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A mum from Sale has opened her own baby and toddler group for disadvantaged families after she was left ‘devastated’ by other sites closing nearby.

Helen Lord lives on the Sale West Estate and works part-time for Salford council’s safeguarding team – she remembers the ‘lifeline’ her local community centre was to her when her little ones were younger.

But after the pandemic, Sale West’s baby and toddler group did not reopen its doors. READ MORE: Helen and other residents were left without the vital support that came from the group, so she stepped in to help.

The mum, who has a background in social work, said: “If you look at the demographics of the nearby schools, there’s a lot of disadvantaged families, there’s lots of pastoral support needed. “The schools said they just couldn’t offer support to people, there were too many families needing it, with families losing jobs during the pandemic and those already struggling. “And when the toddler group run by the council didn’t come back after March 2021.