Dave McNicholl is chief executive of Warrington Youth Zone and writes a regular column for the Warrington Guardian

In 2021 along with some of our board members we received a presentation from the Chief Executive of a charity called Baby Zone as part of the OnSide national conference.

We were really interested to hear how Baby Zones had been developed across the three London based Youth Zones.

A Baby Zone is an innovative use of the Youth Zone facilities which are not otherwise used during the school day, the Youth Zone is opened to families with pre school aged children so that they can bring their children to a safe and vibrant setting.

Through a unique partnership with the WOW Group, we provide eight different classes for parents to access with their children completely free of charge.

These classes include:

• Baby Sensory

• Baby Massage

• Toddler Sense

• Music Classes

• Sports Classes

• Arts Classes

There is also an opportunity for families to be able to have lunch with other parents and their children and also to gain a broad range of information from different agencies and organisations. For those with limited access to facilities there is a chance to use laundry facilities at the Youth Zone.

There are five Baby Zone sites across the UK, four in London at the four Youth Zones, the only other site is at Warrington Youth Zone and is run through a three-way partnership between HomeStart who run the service, Baby Zone and Warrington Youth Zone.

Families who join Baby Zone in Warrington are signed up to HomeStart Warrington and Cheshire and have access to a broader range of services it they need to access them.

Since launching Baby Zone in March 2024, there have been 1,505 visits to Baby Zone in Warrington by local families, with a total of 1,421 babies and children attending the service and 2,893 people accessing Baby Zone including Parents, Carers and children.

If you would like to find out more about Baby Zone and how we work with families or if you are in a position to become a volunteer or support us financially please contact us info@warringtonyouthzone.org.uk or call 977277 or visit our website www.warringtonyouthzone.org or better still pop in for a tour of the building.