Kippen playgroup & toddlers has been running in our village for many years now, in fact some of our present mums were brought along to the group by their own parents.
We pride ourselves on our longevity and feel that it really is down to the unique way in which we operate, as most playgroups are in local authority partnership but we are fully independent.
Our small committee of mums all have a vested interest in the group having children at playgroup, toddlers or both. We run two playgroup sessions per week. Tuesday 9.30-12pm and Friday 9.30-12pm. From age 2 to pre-school.
We employ two fantastic play leaders who run our playgroup. Both have a great passion for early years’ education and this shines through in the smiles of the children at each session.
Toddlers run on a Thursday 10.15-12pm where we welcome children from birth to pre-school. This is a very important part of our group. Being a new mum can be very tough and in a rural area like this can be socially isolating. We offer a relaxed and friendly place for mums to bring their children. A space where they can really feel a part of their community.
We receive no external funding so it is down to the committee to raise the funds that we need to operate and currently have two main fundraisers – the bottle stall at the Street Fayre and our Christmas market. Our market is our main fundraiser. With months in the planning and a team of parents working feverishly behind the scenes we have become quite skilled at hosting a wonderful festive event that draws people from all over and some of our stall holders come back year after year.
We would not be able to raise the funds without our exceptionally popular raffle and we have built up a great relationship with a host of local businesses who very kindly donate prizes year after year.
The generosity of the people of Kippen and the surrounding area really do show that community spirit is alive and well. This year we raised just over £3,500. This will go a long way towards keeping our group running for another year.
Dawn Warttig
co-chair
Kippen playgroup & toddlers.
The Wee Vine 