Like many of you, the Friday Stay and Play at Trinity holds a special place in our hearts. It's more than just a play session – it's a cherished community gathering that has brought joy, learning, and friendship to countless families and carers. But now, its future is at risk. Please find here a petition to show how much we value, and love Fridays Trinity Stay and Play in the hope that it might continue to run.

Here are a few reasons why we value it so much:

• Many of us live in small spaces, so having a large hall to move around in means a lot to our children.
• Many, if not most, other Friday Stay and Plays are paid for. Those of us on low, no, or vulnerable income are really grateful for the free Trinity session.
• Many of us can’t afford to or don’t feel comfortable accessing arts and culture events. However, the Trinity Stay and Play summer cultural offer (that is added to the Stay and Play) is accessible and welcoming. We love it and can access things we don’t usually access.
• Trinity Friday Stay and Play is one of the only sessions with open-ended play stations, most other Stay and Plays are toy-led
• The demographics of parents and carers who attend Fridays Trinity Stay and Play are hugely diverse. It’s a space where everyone is welcome, and we get to mix with a range of parents and carers.
• It’s one of the few Stay and Plays that is not in a faith-based space, which means that it feels accessible to anyone with any faith.
• Other Stay and Plays tend to cater for either babies or toddlers, whereas Trinity’s Friday Stay and Play caters for both babies and toddlers. This means parents and carers with children of different ages can access the session.
• Many of us have brought our children to Trinity’s Friday Stay and Play since they were newborns and who are now toddlers. We have created bespoke networks of parents, families and carers who we rely on seeing at playgroup every Friday as part of our support systems.

The session is always busy and really well attended, which we hope shows how much we love it. We also hope this demonstrates value for money, given staffing per head.

With this petition, we're not just asking for a service to stay operational. We're advocating for a nurturing environment that fosters early childhood development and carer/parent-child bonding. We're calling for the preservation of a community institution that brings families and carers closer together. We hope this petition makes clear why it means so much to us.

Let's show how much we value and cherish Trinity's Friday Stay and Play.

Please, sign this petition to request the continuity of Trinity's Friday Stay and Play.