Pudsey brings joy to kids (From Barry And District News)

Pudsey brings joy to kids

CHILDREN, staff and volunteers at a Barry community centre have 30,000 reasons to celebrate this week.

Gibbonsdown Children's Centre has received a grant from BBC Children in Need, totalling £30,159, which will help contribute to the cost of a nursery supervisor and a child care worker.

Gill Bloom is manager at the centre, where children celebrated news of the grant with an Easter bonnet parade.

She said: "Parents pay very subsidised fees, they only pay a quarter.

"The rest is made up from grants from the Vale Council, the Welsh Assembly and we also do our own fundraising. To get the Children in Need grant is brilliant. We couldn't keep going without it."

This year is the centre's 10th as a registered charity serving the local community of Gibbonsdown with childcare provision helping parents return to work.

Gill said that the children, who were attending an Easter holiday playscheme at the centre, had really enjoyed making their Easter bonnets and Easter egg baskets.

"They always enjoy doing things like this. They love it, particularly the older ones in the playscheme. It's less structure involved than school."

A spokesperson for Children in Need said: "BBC Children in Need is delighted to have awarded £30,159 to Gibbonsdown Children's Centre to enable them to carry on their vital work with children and young people in an area of high unemployment.

"This is a much needed project that is welcomed by the local community."