Families welcome 'much-needed' support hub

Families in a city have welcomed a new support hub designed to meet the needs of children and parents.

The Family Hub at Gladstone Park Community Centre, in Millfield, Peterborough, is the fifth facility of its kind to open across the city.

Based on Bourges Boulevard, the hub will bring together a range of services under one roof, including baby feeding advice, wellbeing and mental health support and help with children's early language development.

Nida Shakeel, who came to the hub with her two children, said she "wanted to see what support was available", adding that there "isn't a centre like this in the local area".

"For someone who doesn't go out much, I am hoping I can get different kinds of support in one place," Shakeel, who lives in Peterborough, added.

More than 30 organisations deliver support at the family hubs for children and their families from birth to 25 years old ( for those with special educational needs), providing a central point of contact to access practical help.

The scheme was launched three years ago under the Conservative government and has now been extended by the Labour Party, with about £4.5m of funding announced for Peterborough's hubs for the next three years.

Over the past two years, 40,000 families have engaged with the hubs in person, which are located in Paston, Welland, East ward and Orton area, Peterborough City Council said.

Christiana, the BBC has agreed not to include her surname, who came with her nearly two-year-old daughter, said: "It's nice to have this hub here in the area, especially for children. It has so many activities and I am going to come regularly."

Nafeesa, the BBC has agreed not to include her surname, who was visiting the centre for the first time, said she "hadn't come across a similar one yet".

"I haven't had a look around yet, but I am looking forward to seeing the hub," she added.

Fran Macklin, the family hub's lead officer, said they were "a real success", adding that there was a need for more hubs to open across Peterborough.

She said: "We spoke to a lot of local families. We also looked at a lot of the data that comes out of this ward - North Ward which is the most deprived ward in Peterborough.

"It has high levels of need because we've got some poor housing. We've got families living in multi-occupational houses. We also have families that struggle accessing education sometimes in early years.

"So we felt it was important that we really supported some of the families in the community to be able to have the best start in life with their children."

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