Stay & Play Helps Families Connect and Thrive at Eden Coffee Shop

YMCA Heart of England’s Stay & Play programme has been bringing families together at Eden Coffee Shop, creating a welcoming community space where children can learn through play and parents and carers can build meaningful connections.

Funded by Clarion, the free weekly sessions have taken place every Thursday morning from 10am to 12pm and have been open to children aged 0–5 years alongside their parents and carers.

The programme was designed to provide a safe, relaxed and engaging environment where young children could explore, play and develop important social skills while families connected with others in their local community.

Each session offered a variety of age-appropriate activities, including:

• Free play opportunities
• Arts and crafts activities
• Interactive games
• Educational toys and sensory play
• Social opportunities for children and adults

To make the sessions as accessible and welcoming as possible, a free breakfast was also provided for attending families.

Positive Community Impact

The programme has achieved strong attendance levels, with 133 attendances recorded so far and one final session still to take place. Attendance remained consistently positive throughout the programme, with the busiest session welcoming 26 participants.

While one session was affected by severe rainfall and saw no attendees, families continued to engage enthusiastically with the programme throughout the remainder of the project.

Children enjoyed opportunities to learn, explore and socialise through play, while parents and carers benefited from building friendships, sharing experiences and accessing informal peer support.

Many families became regular attendees, helping to establish a supportive and welcoming community atmosphere that encouraged participation and connection.

Reducing Isolation and Building Relationships

One of the most significant outcomes of the programme has been the sense of community created among participating families.

For many parents and carers, Stay & Play has provided an opportunity to meet others in similar situations, develop relationships and feel more connected within their local area. These connections can play an important role in reducing feelings of social isolation while strengthening family wellbeing.

At the same time, children have benefited from regular opportunities to engage with their peers, develop confidence and enjoy structured and unstructured play in a safe environment.

Thank You

YMCA Heart of England would like to thank Clarion for funding the programme and helping make these free sessions available to local families.

We are also grateful to every parent, carer and child who has attended and contributed to making Stay & Play such a welcoming and successful community initiative.

Together, we have created a space where families can connect, children can thrive and communities can grow stronger.