Trinant family playgroup and community lifeline at risk of closure

Those were the words of a grandmother who is facing seeing the community lifeline playgroup that she has run and supported for more than 50 years close. 

Diane Parfitt, 70, from Trinant, a village just outside Crumlin,  has been left heartbroken by the news that the community playgroup that she has helped run for more than five decades could be forced to close at the end of the year. 

Mrs Parfitt runs the Family Fun and Play alongside her granddaughter Jess Howells, 31. 

Diane Parfitt says losing the group after 50 years will feel like 'losing family' (Image: NQ) The group, which Mrs Parfitt has been part of since her children were born, has been losing funding since the coronavirus pandemic saw a lot of government grants be much harder to secure. 

Mrs Parfitt explained: "We used to be able to provide lots of different activities and toys for the children, like days out, and mini-holidays, but with grants being so much harder to come by now - pre-Covid, there were 20-odd grants available for groups like us, now there's more like three - we're restricted to working on kind donations of toys and really basic equipment.

"All my children,  my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren have come through this playgroup, and it's heartbreaking to realise that if things keep going the way they have been in recent months, we'll have to close at Christmas. 

"So many people that we help come to us for a sense of community, and that's what it feels like we're losing with this at risk - a family."

Miss Howells explained how the group has been forced to reduce their sessions from twice weekly to once, and put up the price of a session to £2, simply just to cover the rental costs, which have recently risen from £5 an hour to £10. Jess Howells is heartbroken at the prospect of losing a playgroup that has been around as long she can remember (Image: NQ) She said: "I've taken all my children here, and it means everything to us. We're known as a quite a deprived and forgotten area, so this isn't just a playgroup, it's a lifeline for parents. Some even see us as an 'escape' for a while, and at one point, we were offering mini-breaks. 

"This was in some cases the only holiday these families had for years, and we're now not in a position to do that. We're having to provide the basic bits all ourselves because we can't afford them. 

"It's really upsetting and heartbreaking to see something that has been a part of my life for so long in this situation."

One of the regular members, Jess Tarling, is devastated by the news, with her young son Luca set to start attending the group soon. 

Jess Tarling has called the group 'a lifeline' for many parents including herself, with her son Luca set to start attending soon (Image: NQ) She said: "I don't think a lot of people realise how much this means to us all. We're a real family here, even Diane is 'Nanny Diane' to loads of us. We've all been brought up with this group and to see it being at risk is just devastating.

"It's more than a group - it's a safety net, a lifeline."

A GoFundMe has been launched for donations here.