Seashells were there for me when I was struggling
WITH no family nearby to support her, and growing financial problems, expectant new mum Joanne Lang was struggling.
But she turned the corner when she was helped by a remarkable community centre on the Kent coast.
Seashells Children and Families Centre in Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey, offers families a range of services, classes and workshops that support and change lives.
Since 2005, the centre has run a children’s creche and nursery, while health visitors oversea antenatal, breastfeeding and child development classes.
Joanne, 29, was supported through her pregnancy and after giving birth to Damon, now five.
She says: “I was a new mum and it all got a bit much. They gave me my confidence back.”
The centre’s manager, Pat Bacon, explains: “Basically we are here to offer help to all those in greater need. We try to offer preventative services.” This year alone, the centre has supported 9,540 family members. Seashells has been chosen as a TSB Local Charity Partner by the bank’s Isle of Sheppey branch. Janine Harris, cashier and charity ambassador, says: “We’ve been proud to raise funds for them.”