FACING DEVASTATING CUTS
centres but staff and parents fear the worst. Locals have been promised centres will stay open but to prepare for services being greatly reduced or lost for good.
But as Sherrin said: “The impact on the city is going to be catastrophic. It’s not just names and numbers on a piece of paper. There is so much more to what happens with Sure Start.
“You could not put a price on the work they do. And it’s not just the support. It’s the network of friends you make.
“It’s tough being a new mum. There’s no instruction manual. You don’t know what you’re supposed to do. You have no idea what a difference it makes to hear someone saying ‘My child is doing that as well’ or ‘ That happened to me’.”
Sherrin’s fears were echoed at a public meeting where the future of Stoke’s Sure Start service was being discussed. Dozens of parents packed into a room at Port Vale’s football ground.
And feelings ran high as they shared their personal experiences of the service and pleaded with council officials to think again. One mother told how Sure Start gives her respite from providing round-theclock care for her disabled daughter.
Many asked why the savings could not be found elsewhere.
STRUGGLED
All agreed the service was vital and any cash saved would be wiped out by knockon costs to the NHS and social services.
Louise Micelli, 34, has a two-year-old and a five-year-old.
She told how she would have struggled to cope without the support of her local Sure Start. Louise said: “My partner is in the forces. He was sent on deployment just a few weeks after I gave birth to my first and I was struggling to cope.
“I had post-natal depression and did not know what to do.
“The staff at the centre were amazing. The advice and the support I’ve had over the years have kept me going.”
Shelley Millward, 28, has a similar story. The mum of a five-year-old and a threeyear-old said: “I have been in tears over this. I can’t imagine life without the centres.
“You are going to see people losing their lifelines and that is not good enough.
“After giving birth I was anxious and depressed. My confidence went totally.
“But eventually – with their help – I got a lot better.
“They shouldn’t be cutting these things. They should be putting more money into them, making sure they are everywhere.”
Fellow mum Claire Harris said: “My little boy has Down’s Syndrome. One of the centres I went to had a sensory room that was just brilliant for him.
“There’s no way of getting that kind of resource elsewhere. They stop people feeling isolated and give them somewhere to get the help they need.”
Candi Chetwynd is a local Labour councillor and mother to a 17-week old baby. She knows how important the services are and fears their loss will devastate the community.
She said: “This is going to be catastrophic. Not just for the people of Stoke but the cuts going on across the country.
“Families are going to struggle without the help and care they give.
“It’s services like Sure Start that should be the priority for the Government.
“They are the building blocks of family life – the foundations of a great future for people. Taking them away is going to leave women isolated and put children in desperate need.”
Stoke City Council declined to comment during the consultation process.