Westmeath Community Families host end of year Teddy Bears Picnic

Bubbles floated in the breeze and the sounds of nursery songs wafted through the air at Mullingar Town Park on Friday as Westmeath Community Families hosted their end of year Teddy Bears Picnic.

Scores of families were out to enjoy the event and their picnics, and relaxing as much as parents who have to scoot around after toddlers can do.

Catriona Corcoran, coordinator of Longford/Westmeath Community Families, under the auspices of Westmeath Community Development, explained what was happening, and the background to the organisation.

She said: “We have a parent and toddler group that meets in Mullingar on Thursdays, and once a year we have our Teddy Bears Picnic, where we invite families to just join us and have a bit of fun here in the park.

“In the Community Families programme, we provide a home visiting service for women, from pregnancy up until three years, we have the parent and toddler group, we also run baby massage classes and we have a baby cafe which is aimed at first-time parents with babies aged to 10 months.

“So many families now don’t have supports around them, they’re new to the area, they’re from some of our new communities, so we’re here to bridge that gap, to encourage them to get involved in our community, to learn about how the best way to help their child develop.”

Catriona said that despite the quantity of information on social media and online generally,” parents have never been more confused”.

“We’re there to offer reassurance, make sure they get the correct information and make the best choices for their children.”

Anyone who would like to find out more about Longford/Westmeath Community Families can do so via the Westmeath Community Development website at: westcd.ie/community-families.

Some of the activities pause for July and August, and resume in September.