- The new Community Café responds to the local communities wish for a safe space for families to meet and interact after the isolation caused by the pandemic.
- To mark the occasion, tots played with Fireman Sam and experienced the brand-new family services in a fun-filled Hero themed afternoon.
- The Action for Children and Fireman Sam brand partnership will benefit all Action for Children Spring Nurseries and Children’s Centres nationwide with a donation of toys and materials to inspire children to ‘light up’ their hero
- Galafield Family Practitioners are ‘true heroes’ of the community, a lifeline for local vulnerable families
October 2021 – Fireman Sam was on hand to welcome local children and families to the opening of the new Galafield Community Café in Newbiggin Hall, Newcastle, to celebrate the partnership between Action for Children and the Fireman Sam brand, which looks to highlight and encourage ‘lighting up’ your own hero.
Fireman Sam joined the festivities, greeting the children and sharing the new Fireman Sam ‘Light Up Your Hero’ Training Manual. The tots also enjoyed a HERO themed lunch and made paper fire helmets with a local artist in the new Community Café.
The Galafield Community Centre has been a lifeline to the local community of Newbiggin Hall for over 30 years offering targeted support including parent support groups, employment advice, access to adult learning, family fun days and a foodbank.
Throughout the pandemic the Galafield support team worked tirelessly to ensure the local community continued to receive help, delivering food parcels, advice, support and care. The team also delivered activity packs supported by video workshops for arts, crafts, music and dance.
The charity is delighted to be able to open up direct face to face services in the new Community Café, including youth club sessions with Inspire Youth; a women’s wellbeing morning; No Frills Parenting with top tips for families; and special sessions for children with Autism. There will also be more arts and crafts sessions with a new Artist in Residence.
Val Hobson, Family Practitioner Lead at Action for Children in Newcastle, said: “I am so proud of the Galafield Family Practitioners and their incredible effort during the pandemic and their continued commitment to support our vulnerable families – they are true heroes”.
The addition of the bright new Café provides a safe meeting point for the community, a welcoming and friendly space for people to re-connect with family cooking sessions, baby groups and pensioner lunch clubs. The newly revamped centre will also have story-time, baby fun sessions and advice sessions in a bright, accessible environment – an essential service in one of Newcastle’s most deprived areas.
Helen Genia, a Fireman Sam brand spokesperson said “The team at the Galafield Community Centre are true Heroes who, just like the Fireman Sam team, have been serving their local community for over 30 years. We hope the new café will be a brilliant addition and help deliver a message to both honour and inspire the community in Newcastle and the rest of the UK as we work with Action for Children supporting the children and family services they provide.
An Action for Children spokesperson said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with the incredible Fireman Sam brand and welcoming him to the launch of our new-look Galafield Community Centre. All of the children were hugely excited to have such a hero come to visit them!”
“The opening of our café is a welcome opportunity to shine a light on all of our staff, past and present, who have helped make the Community Centre what it is today – a safe space for all members of the local community to connect with and support each other.
“We can’t wait to continue to roll out the Fireman Sam brand partnership to our other children’s centres and nurseries and are hugely grateful for the generous donation from Mattel which will go to supporting so many children all across the UK.”
The new partnership between the Fireman Sam brand and Action for Children was kicked off with the ‘Light Up Your Hero’ Training Manual which invites tots to attempt 5 challenges, to find their inner hero. After completing their tasks, they are awarded with stickers, a special certificate and confidence that they can be a Hero – just like Fireman Sam. The Fireman Sam brand teams have distributed the ‘Light Up Your Hero’ Training Manuals and fantastic toy bundles to 77 Action for Children service centres and Spring Nurseries nationwide.