Our 7 pillars of work

 

Our work falls into seven pillars. We give children safe, welcoming things to do all year round, including the school holidays when free activities are hardest to find.
 

1. Play and stay groups

• Honey Cove Stay & Play: a toddler group in a village hall with no current provision

• Baby sensory sessions with lights, textures, bubbles and sounds

• Music and rhythm groups with instruments to play

• Drama and role-play: shops, vets, doctors, fire engines

• Building sessions with blocks, Lego Duplo and junk

• Fun days: teddy bears' picnic, toddler disco, rocket and space day
   

2. Talking, reading and early learning

• Talk-time activity cards for home, the bus stop or the beach

• Story sack lending scheme (a book plus props and toys)

• Summer reading challenge for under-5s

• Training parents to read aloud with expression and talk about the pictures

• Everyday maths: "maths in the shop" with a play shop and coins, patterns and sorting with natural objects, and maths words for parents ("more", "fewer", "bigger", "next")

• A picture book about Skegness life through the seasons
   

3. Seaside and outdoor life

• Seaside safety sessions: tides, sun, getting lost, blue flags

• Looking after the sea and sea creatures

• Outdoor play kits to borrow: bats, balls, kites, buckets and spades

• Little ones' photography walks with disposable cameras

• Free sun cream, sun hats and water bottles
   

4. Ready for school

• A "Ready for school" summer programme for children starting reception

• Self-care skills: coats, shoes, toilet, lunchboxes

• Listening, sitting and turn-taking games

• Emotions and managing big feelings

• School starter packs: book bag, water bottle, pencils, uniform

• Toilet training packs: potty, pants, sticker chart, book

• Toothbrushing clubs with free toothbrushes and toothpaste
   

5. Borrow, swap and reuse

• Families borrow toys, games and equipment instead of buying them.

• Children get what they need to play and learn on any budget, and items are reused, not thrown away.

• Toy and game library

• Sensory kits for children with additional needs

• Reusable nappy library

• Warm Kit Wardrobe and an autumn coat swap, so children have warm clothes and families pass on outgrown coats for the next size

• Pre-loved baby and toddler market

• A scrapstore making play resources from scrap

• "Play in a bag" and rainy-day packs for small homes and caravans, plus active play ideas for small spaces
   

6. Essentials and crisis support

These ease pressure on household budgets when families feel it most, especially in winter when seasonal work stops.

• Nappy bank

• Crisis packs: nappies, milk, food, toiletries

• Hardship fund for emergency gas, electricity and food

• Winter warm packs: blankets, hats, gloves, sleepsuits

• Period products and toiletries
   

7. Connecting families

Screen-free activities and family games nights give families time together, strengthen relationships and reduce isolation.

• Parents' WhatsApp and Facebook peer support group with trained moderators

• Facebook page and WhatsApp channel with daily activities and news

• Monthly newsletter for families and partners

• Parent forum and a family panel that meets every term, so parents shape what we do

• "You said, we did" posters

• A yearly thank-you party for volunteers and families
   

Funding and sustainability

We will mix grants with earned income, so that families who can pay help fund free places for those who cannot. Every surplus goes back into free sessions for local children.

​

Grants: National Lottery Community Fund and local community foundations

Holidaymaker sessions: Visiting families with under-5s pay a fee that funds free local places

Buy one, gift one classes: Each paying family funds a free place

Social enterprise: A café, soft play or nearly-new shop that funds free sessions

Pre-loved shop: Selling donated baby items in a charity-style shop

Online sales: Activity packs, kits and branded goods (tote bags, t-shirts, calendars of children's art)

Membership: Supporters give a small amount each month

Crowdfunding: For specific projects
 

We aim to build 3 to 6 months of reserves so our work can survive gaps between grants.
 

Running well

We want Treasure Families to be safe, well run and built to last, so that no project depends on one person.

People

• A volunteer programme with full training, DBS checks and paid expenses

• Staff paid at least the Real Living Wage

• A plan for staff wellbeing that guards against burnout

• Written guides for how each project runs

Policies

• Safeguarding

• Data protection

• Health and safety

Measuring our impact

• Simple before-and-after questionnaires

• A quick tick sheet for parent feedback after every session

• Watching and noting how children play, to improve sessions

• Case studies and photos, always with consent

Partnerships and planning

• Join early years and family networks in East Lindsey

• Write a 3-year plan, built with families, for under-5s on the coast