“Thank you, I’m really grateful for everything you do. I wouldn’t know about lots of the things available if it wasn’t for Home-Start.”
Home-Visiting – September 2022
“E loves seeing Alison. She is making great progress with her confidence and speech since the visits started.”
Home-Visiting – August 2022
“Apart from not being able to give me the winning lottery tickets or prevent Covid, there is nothing more Home-Start could have done. I know that if other factors in my life hadn’t happened then the support would have had a much bigger impact, but everything that was offered has been amazing.”
Home-Visiting – July 2022 (end visit)
“Home-Start has made a big difference to my child even in a short amount of time. L has really benefitted from his activities with Linda, she was so good with him. She was also really helpful and such a good listener. I wish I had met her a long time ago!”
Home-Visiting – July 2022 (end visit)
“The trip to Bournemouth was amazing. I had the chance to make memories with my children I wouldn’t have been able to make myself, my children loved it. My one-year-old ran and face planted the beach. My two-year-old said it was the biggest sand pit he’s ever seen and didn’t want to go home. It was such a good quality time together and I’m so very grateful.”
Family outing – July 2022
“A big thank you from my family to you. Thank you for giving us a wonderful time. The trip to the beach was so exciting for me and my kids. It is the first time I have had such a relaxing experience. I really appreciate you for looking after us.”
Family outing – July 2022
“Absolutely amazing. You did a brilliant link – my volunteer was so friendly and supportive. She built my confidence up. Getting that extra support from you during such a hard time meant that I was able to go to a local group – something I could never have done on my own due to all A's medical equipment.
“The support happened so quickly, and I can't find any fault with your service. Thank you so much."
Home-Visiting – June 2022 (end visit)
“My volunteer was such a role model to me – she inspired me to think about all sorts of things, including the environment. She was so kind and helpful. I was so happy to have met such a person in my life. I now feel complete with the family. Every step Home-Start has done has helped us.”
Home-Visiting – June 2022 (end visit)
“We found the course fantastic, so informative and pitched at a perfect level. We also really enjoyed the relaxation techniques at the end (if you couldn’t already tell). Thank you so much for letting us be a part of such a valuable course and for giving up your time to share your knowledge and expertise.”
Solihull – Journey to Parenthood – April 2022
“S’s visits give me a really good reason to leave the flat. I enjoy her company and she really lifts my mood for the week.”
Home-Visiting – April 2022
“Just wanted to say a big thank you once again to yourself, Julie and the midwives for giving up your time to impart such wonderful knowledge and to help us on our journeys to parenthood. We really appreciate all your time and efforts.”
Solihull – Journey to Parenthood – April 2022
“J is the only one who ‘makes me feel normal’. I really enjoy her company.”
Home-Visiting – April 2022
“L was very kind and I felt at ease with her. You have both given me such a good sounding board and helped me to reach decisions about my life that I would have struggled with otherwise.”
Home-Visiting – April 2022 (end visit)
“The course was very informative, all the questions that we had were answered which provided much needed peace of mind. The instructors were very kind and it was reassuring that they were able to give us relatable feedback from their own experiences. Thank you so much for everything!”
Solihull – Journey to Parenthood – April 2022
“It gave me the time to reflect on things. I enjoyed practising the mindfulness exercise, even when I had my baby climbing over me – I know I can do mindfulness wherever I am. I really appreciated the assertiveness session - I became more aware of my own communication. I have also started to become less worried about what others think of how we parent our child.
“Thanks very much – I really enjoyed the course. You and Kelly were so relaxed, it really helped.”
Mums in Mind – November 2021
“Since getting support from Home-Start I feel so different. I can see the difference in my life. I’m now looking forward to things, I want to enjoy doing things. I feel so much happier. And didn’t expect that the course would help that much.
“I have tried a lot of things – I’m surprised how much Mums In Mind has helped me. I think I have understood my child’s behaviour more, so I am more able to cope with it.”
Mums in Mind – June 2021
“You have helped me so much with family life and given me information when I need it. Home-Start is like a wider family; a place that you won’t be judged; a safe place to talk; a place that our children can learn and develop.”
Family Groups – May 2021
“The Mums In Mind course has given me a real sense of empowerment – to find my own way as a parent, not always asking others what to do. The course acted like a springboard for me talking more with my partner.
“I found the little booklet really helpful – it broke things down into tiny chunks for me.
“I thought that the pre-course interview was brilliant. I did an NCT course, and what I liked about Mums in Mind is that you spent time getting to know me before the course.
“I feel different now, much more positive. The course meant that I didn’t feel alone. It gave me the confidence to meet other mums.
“Now I can see that it’s OK to just feel OK, and that I’m doing alright.
“Revisiting the CBT techniques was really useful for me. Having the printed sheets was a good way of me realising times when I was already doing what was being discussed. When my sister rang me while she was having a panic attack I used the sheets from the course to talk her through it – it was so helpful.”
Mums in Mind – May 2021
“Home-Start is more than a play group to me and my family – it helps me to help my children.
“You have helped me so much with family life and given me information when I need it.
“Home-Start is like a wider family; a place that you won’t be judged; a safe place to talk; a place where our children can learn and develop.”
Family Group – May 2021
“I have had a lot of anxiety and depression, and CBT didn’t really help. I thought I would try the support from Home-Start, and talking with my volunteer has helped me just so much.”
Home Visiting – February 2021
“A Home-Start day is a good day! I really enjoy visiting the family.”
October 2022
“Volunteering with Home-Start feels very fulfilling. I have gained lots of knowledge from the training, especially regarding common family issues. I am keen to help with these issues where I can.”
July 2022
“I am really happy to be back doing home visits again, where the support is much more worthwhile. I feel Home-Start offers such a valuable service to families and I love being a part of that.”
May 2022
“You’ve given me so much valuable training and I feel so supported.”
May 2022
“I have always felt very supported as a volunteer, and have felt that you have always been at the end of the phone for me. Thank you.”
May 2021
“Amazing support – checking in with me regularly and giving useful advice when I have needed it. The supervision meetings have been very helpful too.”
May 2021
“As I am now giving up my role as volunteer for Home-Start, I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed working with my fantastic supervisors and the team. It has been a great bridge for me between work and retirement.
“Even when circumstances were challenging in the families I supported, I always felt energised and that my presence was beneficial. I got a lot out of supporting and understanding the sometimes complex needs of these
families as well as playing with and developing the skills of their delightful children. I am a strong believer that the child's experiences in the first five years of their life are vitally important and can shape their future prospects.”
May 2021
“Thank you so much for your thoughtful and considerate update and also the fantastic work you have been doing with R. I hope that she is doing OK. Please pass on my regards when you next see her.”
Perinatal practitioner
“I have seen huge improvements in her confidence too which obviously has a positive effect on her anxiety and I am hoping to discharge her at the end of the month. She has only good things to say about Mums in Mind so thanks again for fitting her in and providing such a good level of support.”
Health visitor
“Many thanks for the update – I have seen H since she finished the course and she seemed really upbeat – the group are continuing to meet independently!”
Health visitor
“The opportunity for families to come and play together, escape from their homes and have their children run around freely and be able to have access to essential support needed to deal with an emerging/current crisis in their home-lives is clearly vital to families experiencing chaos and significant challenges every day.
“The environment into which they are all welcomed is non-judgemental and friendly, which is really important to the families you support. Well done.”
Children in Need
“I have chosen to run for Home-Start as they are a small local charity close to my heart that helped me socially, emotionally and financially when I was going through a hard time. They gave me somewhere to go once a week to meet other mums and for my youngest child to play and make friends.
“The ladies that ran the group were so loving and caring and were always there to talk to if they were needed. I cannot thank Home-Start enough for the few years they helped me and all the hard work and care they still give.”
Frankie Smith, Reading Half Marathon runner – 2022
“The last two years have been brutal on families. Home-Start provides ongoing, non-judgemental, compassionate support for those families facing crisis.”
Alan Campbell, Reading Half Marathon runner – 2022
“They are an awesome small charity who help out families by providing home visits by trained volunteers, providing professional advice and many other projects. They focus their efforts to help mums and dads with young families who are doing it tough. Without a helping hand some may become overwhelmed, particularly if a family crisis strikes.”
Merlin Meyer, Reading Half Marathon runner – 2022