Baby Massage at a Chorley Children’s Centre has cured Travis’s colic and helped Serena make new friends

A Big hiTAlthough the paint is still drying on the new Coppull Children’s Centre, the Baby Massage classes are a big hit with local mums, one of whom is Serena Tickle. “It was my Health Visitor who suggested Baby Massage,” says Serena. “I didn’t know anything about the Centre before Travis was born and in fact it had only just been finished when I started going to the classes. It’s lovely, all modern and fresh, and I really enjoy being there.”

Twenty-four year old Serena and her husband Gavin have a baby son, Travis, who is three months old. Serena has been taking Travis to Baby Massage sessions at Coppull Children’s Centre, one of the Chorley Children’s Centres, for the last six weeks.

RelAxingAlthough Travis was only a few weeks old when Serena started the massage classes, she is in no doubt that they are of great benefit to Travis’s health and happiness. “Imagine what it’s like when you have a massage as an adult – you come away feeling so relaxed and I’m sure it’s like that for a baby,” she says. “The sense of touch is possibly more important at that age, and the one-to-one contact is calming and reassuring for him. The atmosphere is very calm, and even if Travis isn’t in the mood for massage one day, it’s still lovely just to sit quietly with the others and cuddle him.”

FRiendly And welCoMingSerena finds that the whole atmosphere of the Centre is welcoming, and a good place to meet other people with children. This is of particular value to her as she has only recently moved to Coppull. “There have been quite a few changes in my life recently, getting married, moving and having my first child, so it’s nice that there is somewhere I can go to chat with other mums and find out about the area. Everyone at the Centre is so friendly and I’ve met some lovely people; we’re hoping to get a Parent and Toddler group established there soon, and I understand that there will be training courses and other activities coming up, which will be something I’ll certainly look into.”

A uSeFul ReSouRCe Even now, Serena has stayed on after the Baby Massage sessions to listen to the talks given by staff on Bookstart and weaning, for instance, and is interested to find out about any further classes they might be putting on. “Coppull Children’s Centre is going to be a very useful resource for me. There’s a great mix of people using it, the classes are free so it’s available to everyone whatever their circumstances, and we all get on well and have a good laugh. I think I’m lucky I’ve got Coppull nearby.”

Coppull Children’s Centre Park Road Coppull PR7 5AH

Tel: 01257 791237 (option 3) Fax: 01257 795314

Duke Street Children’s CentreDuke StreetChorleyPR7 3DU

Tel: 01257 276253Fax: 01257 460399 Email: dukestreetcc@lancashire.gov.uk

Clayton Brook Children’s Centre Great Greens Lane Clayton Brook Preston PR5 8HL

The Children’s Centre Is In The Grounds Of Clayton Brook Primary School. Tel. 01772 310150 Fax. 01772 310151Email. Lesley.Davies@lancashire.gov.uk

Astley and Buckshaw Children’s Centre Chancery Road Astley Village Chorley PR7 1XP

Tel: 01257 248980

Highfield Children’s Centre Wright Street Chorley PR6 0SL

Tel.01257 262441 and 01257 262556 www.highfieldchildrenscentre.co.uk Tel: 01257 248980