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Scene from Friday Night Shirt

CIN helps young mums

For more than 10 years Children In Need has helped the GFS Platform in Great Yarmouth which works with single girls and young women, providing support, care and education.

Last year some of the mothers got together with the Red Shift Theatre Company from Ipswich, to make a short video film about domestic violence called Friday Night Shirt.

The film was well received at a number of film festivals including one in Los Angeles where it narrowly missed an Oscar nomination for next year!

Children In Need funding

Children In Need provides more than Β£41,000 to the project which helps fund two workers, nursery manager Cathy O'Toole and a special needs co-ordinator.

Filming for Friday Night Shirt

It was the fact that the children were being well cared for in the nursery that enabled the mothers to take on the film project.

"The nursery underpins all our activities. We are freed up because we get funding over three years from Children in Need and it's wonderful that we don't have to constantly seek funding," said project director Sue Battersby.

Education opportunities

For young mothers, early pregnancy often means dropping out of education. The nursery is a way for them to get back to learning.

While they learn, the children are cared for at the centre. There is a caterpillar room for the babies and a lively playroom and yard for the toddlers and pre-school children.

"Without the special needs co-ordinator a lot of our children wouldn't get the help they need to go on to mainstream school," said Sue Battersby.

Advice and care

The nursery is also a centre where help and advice can be offered to parents.

"We can advise young mums who often need to know basic care. We give them the confidence and support they need," said Sue.

The aim is to give both the mums and their children a new and better start in life, to help break the cycle of despair and difficulty. Cathy is quite clear about the importance of Children In Need.

"The nursery wouldn't be able to run. Without Children In Need funding I couldn't do the job that I do," she said.