Mums want town’s Plunket upgraded

‘‘Twizel needs a place that is modern and inviting for parents to connect . . .’’ Selina Ekerdt

A group of Twizel women has approached the Twizel Community Board for support to create an upgraded Parent Hub in the town after discovering mothers were driving half an hour to the Omarama playgroup..

Selina Ekerdt has recently taken over the running of the town’s coffee group and toy library and says the rooms used at the Twizel Plunket Clinic are not fit for purpose.

In a letter to the community board, Ekerdt says she was ‘‘brought to tears’’ at the final home visit from her midwife because she was going to miss having weekly conversations with someone other than her husband, and that being introduced to the Plunket coffee group saved her sanity.

‘‘Twizel is growing at a great rate and many people moving into town are young families or young couples with the intention of starting a family in the immediate future,’’ Ekerdt says.

‘‘We have conducted a little survey with the local mums usually partaking in the weekly groups as to what people would like to see changed at the rooms to make them more-user friendly . . . the general consensus was that the rooms are outdated, too old, small and too cold, especially in winter time, even with the heating on which we have running 24/7.’’

Plunket has shown interest in upgrading the premises if participation numbers go up, but people aren’t coming because of the state of the rooms, Ekerdt says.

She said several families were going to the playgroup in Omarama, which is run at the same time as the Twizel Plunket coffee group, driving half an hour for better facilities rather than attending their local group.

‘‘The reason for that is that the premises in Omarama are amazing. They are modern, both the outside and the inside play area, the outside is properly fenced so no kid can take off unnoticed and even on rainy days there is heaps of inside space for kids to play and just be children,’’ she says.

‘‘Twizel needs a place that is modern and inviting for parents to connect, feel comfortable and have a place where they can do something on a rainy day and the current building doesn’t meet those needs.’’

Ekerdt has teamed up with Amanda Feck, who runs a school holiday programme; Chloe Underwood, who runs an early movers group at the Twizel Event Centre; and Hannah Beer, who is setting up a breastfeeding support group; who are all interested in using an upgraded space.

The group say the space could also be rented out for children’s parties, host parenting courses for expectant parents and run groups for different age group.

The Twizel Community Board has been asked for help with planning and funds.