We were thrilled to showcase our work with families when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Bradford on Wednesday 15 January 2020.

The Royal couple visited the Khidmat Centre, BD7, where they joined grandparents, parents and their babies and toddlers from Little Dots, a music and play group funded by our Parents in the Lead Activities Fund and run by Shine West Bowling, a local community organisation based at St Stephen’s Church.

They also met participants and facilitators from the Older Yet Wiser course, an innovative workshop series for grandparents who have child-caring responsibilities. Older Yet Wiser was developed by ChildsSide and is funded by our Innovation Fund. It gives grandparents the tools to enhance their relationship with their grandchildren, whilst receiving up-to-date information on giving children the best start in life.

Alex Spragg, Programme Director here at Better Start Bradford, said: “As parents of young children themselves, it was extremely fitting to share with Prince William and Kate the amazing work our projects do to support pregnant women and families to improve their children’s emotional development, communication skills and nutrition.”

Commenting on the Royal visit, Sarah Hinton, Shine Manager, said: “The Shine project and St Stephen’s Church have been involved with Better Start Bradford since the beginning and we were very proud to show the Duke and Duchess our Little Dots project. The children and families had a simply fabulous time.”

Liz Ranson and Judith Shalkowski, Co-Founders of ChildsSide who are delivering Older yet Wiser, were thrilled meet the Royal couple. “The role that wider family, especially grandparents, play in the healthy development of our children is so important, and it was a great opportunity to share our work with the couple.”

A huge thank you to everyone who made our small part of the Royal visit such a success, from the wonderful Khidmat Centres who provided space at one of their venues, ChildsSide and the Older Yet Wiser grandparents for showcasing their work, and last - but by no means least - the adorable Little Dots group and everyone at Shine West Bowling for bringing the room to life with music, play and fun...

Watch coverage on BBC Look North

See the Telegraph and Argus live blog from the day

View more photos in Hello Magazine