Celebrating our 160 parent-led HEY! Fund groups
13 February 2025
Over 140 adults and children came together on Wednesday 5 February at the Life Centre in Bradford to celebrate the completion of their projects under Better Start Bradford’s Happy Early Years (HEY!) Fund. The HEY! Fund has awarded over £260,000 to 160 parent and carer-led groups over the last seven years.
This HEY! Fund event was a celebration of all of those people who have been involved in this innovative funding initiative, where Better Start Bradford has supported parents and carers to run their own activities for expectant parents and families with 0-3s in the Better Start Bradford areas of Bowling and Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton since 2017.
After hearing inspirational speeches, a panel discussion Q and A session, and watching a celebratory parent focused video, event participants were given the opportunity to channel their ‘inner toddlers’ by getting creative making HEY! Fund shakers from scrap items filled with dried rice and pasta ready for an energetic mid-event boogie with baby rave providers BoomChikkaBoom. There were some very creative and loud designs from the adults especially!
Parents and carers, who led projects, were then invited onto the stage, together with the parent-led HEY! Fund decision-making panel. They were all presented with framed certificates by Kerry Bennett, Assistant Director of Better Start Bradford, and Gill Hart from The National Lottery Community Fund, to acknowledge their achievements and hard work.
The variety and creativity of applications over the years has been incredible, from exercise in pregnancy, to sensory play, hungry caterpillar and book themed play sessions, woodwork sessions for dads and toddlers, bug hunting, gardening with grandparents and even pop-up zoos, all of which have made their unique impact on participants and group leaders alike.
Better Start Bradford’s Director, Gill Thornton, said:
We have given more than £260,000 to over 160 parent and carer-led groups, which we are exceptionally proud of. The funding has not only enabled parents and carers to run groups and activities – and gain experience as panel members – it has also given them the opportunity to develop new skills, confidence and an understanding of how important it is to give children the best start in life. It has allowed activities to run where there was a gap or an unmet need and enabled us to work together to help build community capacity.
As for the future, Better Start Bradford has partnered with Community Action Bradford and District (CABAD) to advise and support groups on becoming constituted and how to apply for funding to continue their initiatives.
The incredibly successful Wonder Tots, run by local mums Miriam Sanz-Garcia and Haleema Bibi, has taken full advantage of this extra support.
Miriam said:
Thanks to CABAD, we now have a constitution and have successfully applied for £2,500 from VCS Alliance’s ABCD Small Grants to keep going until the summer. When that runs out, we feel we have the confidence to apply for more funding elsewhere. Also, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart to Better Start Bradford. Without you and all of the things that you do, families like me would have had nowhere to go and now we can provide activities and support other families with our group.
This experience has also personally helped me, I feel I have gotten back into a working life and I feel I’m more social and ready to get back to work.
Shahid Iqbal, a dad of three who runs Dad’s Group, said:
My plans are to expand the project to more dads and male carers in the community and I plan to introduce more activities like outdoor adventures. I am currently working with CABAD to become constituted, so the project has a solid foundation for the future. Thank you to Better Start Bradford for believing in my idea and providing the support to make it possible. Without their support the Dad’s Group wouldn't be able to make such a positive impact to so many families.
Initially through the Parents in the Lead Fund (PITL), re-named the Happy Early Years (HEY!) Fund in 2022, parents and carers could apply for up to £2,500 to run free, local activities that addressed one of the programme’s core outcomes for 0-3s: improving diet and nutrition, supporting social and emotional development, or helping speech, language and communication. Funding decisions were made by a panel of local parents and carers, and the final application round was in June 2024.
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The Happy Early Years (HEY!) Fund enables parents and carers in the Better Start Bradford area to apply for up to £2,500 to develop ideas and initiatives for local families and their 0-3s
Be inspired by what other projects have achieved with up to £2500 for expectant parents and families with 0-3s in the Better Start Bradford area.