St Catharines Under fives is a not for profit charity playgroup offering that village community feel in the heart of the city. It has a special place in so many people's hearts in the community, but now more than ever we need support so our team are taking on a HUGE challenge.

We know we have to do something big in order to raise big and our sights were set HIGH!! Snowdonia ... We are not a fit bunch by any means and between us have various health issues but we know to make that big impact we have to do something big and we did it!!

It was very wet, a bit foggy and very tough but amazing! It took us a long time but we enjoyed the scenery and didn't give up.

Some parts were particularly tough with horrible terrain and very steep areas but the views were incredible and with the support we were cheered on.

We will continue to fundraise and really are determined to raise as much as we can to keep St Catharines going as it has a very special place for us all. Personally the confidence it gave my children from the amazing team still shines years later.

Even the children were are getting involved! The children had sponsor forms and walked our playground, tried different surfaces and told us what they felt like it would be like to climb Snowdon.

A little bit about us:

We aim to provide a safe and fun environment to children from as young as 2 years with Stay & Play sessions from birth. Did you know we have been around for over 50 years! In March 1969, the Young Wives of St Catharines Church set up St Catharines Playgroup to run every Wednesday morning . The Sunday School allowed the use of their chairs and tables, and the first toys were donated by the Young Wives themselves. Then in the 70's this expanded to further days. In the 80's our weekly Stay & Play session started running and still is! Since then we have become members of ofsted and have continued with the amazing support of our community, playteam and helper's.

Our challenge will help support our continued ability to provide a stimulating and safe environment for children to learn and grow. It will also support continuing our stay and play on a Tuesday. We are aiming to create a sensory corner with a mixture of resources such as wobble boards, fidget toys, calming colours, lights and other sensory items. We also want to extend our outdoor offering with a climbing tunnel, tubes, water play and so much more. However just our day to day costs are rising as with everyone but we desperately want to continue all we can and offer the best we can which is why we are taking on this challenge.

We really are a community and can only do what we do with the amazing support of our incredible community. Will you support us and help us to continue for many more years to come?