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PUSSYCAT DOLL GETS AWARD-WINNING PARENTING ADVICE IN ROCHDALE

18th August 2016

Singer and TV presenter celebrates Key to The Door TOYS being voted UK’s Best Education project

Today (Friday 19 August) singer and TV star Kimberly Wyatt presented staff and young parents involved in the Key to The Door TOYS project with a prestigious National Lottery Award trophy.

Key to The Door TOYS – Training Opportunities for Young Parents Scheme – is designed to support young parents with everyday life skills around parenting and employment whilst giving them a chance to share their experience with one another.

The project received over 5,000 public votes to claim the title of the UK’s Best Education Project in this year’s National Lottery Awards, an annual celebration of the UK’s favourite Lottery-funded groups.

Former Pussycat Doll Kimberly, who is mum to 18-month-old daughter Willow, visited Sandbrook Children’s Centre in Rochdale where one of regular TOYS workshops was taking place. The workshops are put on twice a week across Rochdale, Oldham and Tameside in informal settings such as community centres and church halls, addressing topics such as healthy living and play, communication and assertiveness and sexual health and domestic violence. They are mainly attended by single mums under 25.

Kimberly said: “As a mum myself I understand the challenges that parents face. Everything is new and if you don’t know other people going through it as the same time as you it can be isolating. This is a great way for young mums to share their experiences and to pick up some parenting tips at the same time. National Lottery funding to groups like this is making such a difference to people’s lives.”

Bev Taylor, Project Manager at TOYS said, “As a small organisation of only 5 staff this is a fantastic achievement. We have been delivering TOYS courses since 1999 and made a difference to many families over this time. This is usually the first positive experience that parents have of education and we support them to progress unto additional learning, volunteering and employment opportunities. We hope that this national recognition will help attract funding to continue delivery and to continue to help make positive changes to families which we support.”

Key to The Door win a £3,000 cash prize, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy and will attend a star-studded Awards ceremony, The National Lottery Stars, broadcast on BBC One on 12 September.

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For more information and images, please contact:

Natasha Brown on 020 7211 3927 / 07515 108495 or natasha.brown@lotterygoodcauses.org.uk

Notes to editors

  • Key to The Door TOYS received more than £275,000 of National Lottery funding through Big Lottery Fund www.keytothedoor.org.uk
  • There are seven categories in the National Lottery Awards, reflecting the main areas of Lottery funding: arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sport, and voluntary/charity
  • On average the National Lottery players raise over £36m each week – making a life changing difference to the nation
  • Further information at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk