Darlington Family Hub

Come and join us tomorrow afternoon for our drop in Teen & Tween Workshop for parents/carers 1.30pm-2.30pm at Firthmoor Community Centre. Hope to see you there

Since the start of the year, many toys and craft items have been recalled as they may contain trace levels of asbestos. Recalls so far have included sand-filled stretchy toys, craft boxes and sand art kits. And there may be more to come.

Check the list of recalled items here: https://www.gov.uk/product-safety-alerts-reports-recalls?keywords=asbestos&product_alert_type%5B%5D=product-recall&product_recall_alert_date%5Bfrom%5D=01/01/2026

The Darlington Cares uniform shop is extending its opening hours for the next two weeks.

The shop, on the ground floor of Feethams car park (opposite the back of Boyes), collects donations of unwanted school uniform, has them professionally cleaned and then gives them away for free to anyone who needs them.

Since the unform shop started six years ago it has provided almost 50,000 items of school uniform to local families and saved more than 22 tonnes of uniform from landfill!

The shop is extending its hours this week and next (17 and 24 August) and will be open Monday-Friday 10am-4pm. The shop will be closed on Monday 31 August for the bank holiday.,

It is anticipated that the shop will be very busy in the run up to September so please be patient with the volunteers who run the shop. They can only hand out items that have been donated so may not have the uniform items you need.

If your child has had a growth spurt or is moving school - you can leave donations of unwanted uniform at:
• Uniform Scheme Shop, Feethams - during opening hours
• In a Spin Laundry Services, North Road – Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5:30pm, Saturday 8.30am - 12.30pm
• Cockerton Club - donation bin outside the club
• Eastbourne Park Community Hub - during opening hours
• Firthmoor Community Centre – Monday - Friday 9am - 1pm
• Dolphin Centre - during opening hours
• Lingfield Point, The Beehive - during opening hours.

It’s that time of year when many of us are thinking about the return to school.

Perhaps this year will be the first your child is going without you. Or maybe your child is changing school and they have a new route to learn.

It can be a nerve-wracking time for us parents and carers. But, here are some tips to help your child with the transition and keep them safe on their walk to and from school.

⭐Encourage them to sit down and plan their route, highlighting safe places to cross and any friends they might travel with
⭐To build confidence you can practice the route together
⭐Talk about the dangers your child might come across and ask questions to encourage them to think for themselves
⭐Devices can be a major distraction, so encourage your child to put them away and take any headphones out while crossing the road

Do you have any tips to add?

Learn more: https://capt.org.uk/walking-to-school-alone/

💉 Has your child missed one or both doses of their MMR or MMRV vaccine?

The NHS MMRV vaccine helps protect children against:

✅ Measles
✅ Mumps
✅ Rubella
✅ Chickenpox

If your child is invited, please book their vaccination appointment with your GP practice.

Find out who is eligible and when the vaccine is offered: ➡️ nhs.uk/mmrv