Double celebrations for Sarn’s Flying Start

Bridgend County Borough Council’s Flying Start setting based in Sarn is making big strides to give children the healthiest possible start in life.

They’ve become the first local Flying Start setting to complete the Welsh Government’s ‘Healthy and Sustainable Pre-School Scheme’ and have also achieved a bronze ‘Small Workplace Health Award’.

The scheme is aimed at childcare provisions, including playgroups/cylchoedd meithrin, nurseries and childminders and covers seven aspects of health – nutrition and oral health, physical activity and active play, safety, hygiene, mental and emotional wellbeing, environment, and workplace health.

Sarn Flying Start also run ‘Give me 5’ sessions each term where parents are invited to attend the setting every day for a week to see how their children participate in physical activity sessions. Parents are also able to join in with a number of other special activity sessions including no buggy days, treasure hunts, busy feet sessions, obstacle courses, and healthy cooking.

The Flying Start team also ensure that each child has access to drinking water and healthy nutritional snacks throughout all of their sessions.

Cllr Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations, said:

“I am incredibly proud of the work that goes on in our Flying Start settings across Bridgend County Borough.

“Our Sarn setting in particular has done extremely well in becoming the first of our 16 Flying Start settings to complete the ‘Healthy and Sustainable Pre-School Scheme’, making a huge difference in the development of our pre-schoolers.

“It’s also fantastic to see so many parents and children getting involved in the ‘Give me 5’ sessions and leaving their cars and buggies at home to walk their children to playgroup. I’d like to say a big well done to everybody involved and look forward to seeing our other settings completing the scheme soon.”

Each Flying Start setting also uses a healthy eating dragon mascot Dewi, who the children are able to take home weekly to encourage them to stay active, eat healthily and re-inforce the importance of brushing their teeth in the home environment.

Sarn Flying Start has also achieved the bronze health and well-being standard, which is recognised across Wales.

For more information about Flying Start settings or the ‘Healthy and Sustainable Pre-School Scheme’ please contact the council’s Childcare Development Officer, Kate Parry, on 01656 642649 or email kate.parry@bridgend.gov.uk.