Dads Rock

January Round Up!

A great start to 2022!

2021 was another busy year for Dads Rock! During the year, we hosted a total of 228 events both online and when possible in person, welcoming over 2,500 attendees. After such a bumper year of events, the Dads Rock team had a well earned rest over Christmas, but returned on the 5^th January with a packed calendar of Playgroups, Dads in the Wood sessions, Dads Buggy Walks and online skills Workshops throughout January. Check out our calendar for a full list of what's coming up in February.

On Saturday 29^th & Sunday 30^th January we enjoyed a trip to the Botanics, giving Dads a chance to meet other Dads and enjoy a wee walk round the gardens with their kids. We also read some stories and saw the ducks at the pond! Our next monthly Dads Trip is to the National Museum of Scotland on Saturday 26^th and Sunday 27^th February. Book here

We want your feedback! Have you joined us for any workshops or activities recently? If you have we'd be grateful if you could leave us some feedback. Dads Rock Survey

We would love you to join #TeamDadsRock in 2022 for a challenge event and help us raise valuable funds to help us improve outcomes for children and families in Scotland. There are lots of challenge events throughout the year to take part in, including The Kiltwalk and Edinburgh Marathon Festival. Vitis our website to find out more - www.dadsrock.org.uk/2022-fundraising-events

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN 2021!

It's been another difficult year and we'd just like to say a massive THANK YOU to all our staff, trustees, volunteers, members and supporters for helping Dads Rock get through it! Without your help and support, many families would miss out on the support and community that Dads Rock provides.

Over the past couple of weeks we've held our final Playgroups and workshops of 2021. This included our popular hairstyling workshop on 11^th December, just in time for the festive season (brilliant effort from one of the Dads who took part pictured below). We also held our final Dads and Babies Group and last Dads Buggy Walk of the year. We've got lots of sessions lined up for 2022 though, check out our calendar for what's coming up in January.

Our Dads Rock Academy students finished up last Tuesday. They've all been working really hard since September and you can check out their awesome progress on our Facebook page.

We were due to be carol singing in Asda Leith on Sunday 19^th December with some of our Dads Rock Academy students. Unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision to cancel given the new covid-19 guidance issued by the Scottish Government. Along with providing some Christmas cheer to shoppers, we would have been raising much needed funds for Dads Rock. As with many charities, the pandemic has been a time of uncertainty and change, so if you are able to make a donation, big or small, it would be greatly appreciated at this time to help the growing number of families seeking our support next year. Please help if you can by donating to our Christmas Appeal.

If you're already thinking about your New Year's Resolution, why not set yourself a challenge and sign up for the Kiltwalk in 2022 and help raise funds for Dads Rock? With 4 live events across Scotland plus a virtual event, there's something for everyone. Visit the Kiltwalk website to find out more and email lisam@dadsrock.org.uk to claim your FREE place on #TeamDadsRock.

The Dads Rock team are now on a well deserved break, so they'll be refreshed and ready for 2022! We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you in 2022!

It's been a busy month at Dads Rock!

This month we have been celebrating #MonthOfCommunity by reflecting on the work of Dads Rock and those that continue to support us. June has been an amazing month, have a read about what we got up to.

Earlier this month we teamed up with Edinburgh Buggy Walks to hold our first ever Dads Buggy Walk in the Meadows. They're a great way to get out and about and meet other Dads and are happening every Wednesday from 10:30am-12pm.

We also launched our Dads Perinatal Group for new Dads living in Portobello and Craigmillar. The group gives new Dads the chance to meet others in a similar situation to themselves, discuss their everyday issues and emotions and access support from the Dads Rock team. The group runs fortnightly on Wednesdays at Jack Kane Park.

We were really excited to restart our Sunday Playgroup in Edinburgh city centre! Our Playgroups are the only free playgroups for Dads and their kids (aged 0-5 years) in Edinburgh. They're a great place to meet other Dads and kids, have fun playing, listen to some stories and finish with songs!

We celebrated all the amazing Dads out there on Father's Day on 20^th June - you rock! We also want to say a massive thank you to everyone who ordered our exclusive Fathers Day At Home packs and helped us to raise £155 to support our work!

Our popular free outdoor play sessions, Dads in the Wood, carried on rain or shine! Lots of Dads attended our fun, safe, outdoor activity sessions at Corstorphine Hill and from 26^th June we have relocated to Craigmillar Castle Park so that more Edinburgh Dads can attend. We'll be bringing Dads in the Wood to Hailes Quarry Park from September!

We also continued to offer support to Dads and Mums through our Whatsapp Groups, where you can get parenting hints and tips and talk with other parents, as well as through our weekly informal Dads Talk sessions, where new and expectant Dads can meet other Dads online, have a chat and share experiences.

Each month we are continuing to provide free parenting workshops online. Have a look at our Calendar to find out what workshops are coming up next month.