The Mental Health and Tackling Poverty and Inequalities Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) subgroup partnered with Community Learning Development (CLD) Sum It Up Team to host a back-to-school fun day at Forgewood Community Centre.

This came about as the LOIP sub group and CLD Sum It Up Team decided to work in partnership to better support families of Motherwell.

The event supported families struggling with the financial cost of entertaining children during the summer holidays as well as providing support with costs of getting children ready for going back to school.

Activities on offer included a magician, animal man, face painting, cooking sessions and arts and crafts.

Support for families on offer included free haircuts provided by New College Lanarkshire, free school uniform including school bags and lunch boxes, free stationary and free sanitary products. Support information was on offer from multiple stall holders such as CAB, TPT, Routes to Work, Period Dignity, NL Carers Together, SAMH and many more.

It was a great success, with over 120 people attending the event. Families were supported with the costs of returning to school after the summer holidays by utilising the services available from multiple organisations as well as the free school uniform, stationary and haircuts on offer. There was a real buzz around the event and some great feedback received.