WHEELBARROW making, swimming with dads, fairy gardens, circus skills, traditional English folk songs and toddler zumba are just a few of the activities for under fours in the Better Start Bradford area - thanks to Parents in the Lead funding.

Better Start Bradford Parents in the Lead Activity Fund has awarded eight more awards totalling more than £10,000 to community groups in the Bowling and Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton areas.

Parents at a children's nursery will use its funding of a little more than £1,000 to pay for a leading expert in developing music skills in young children using folk songs. The sessions will use songs to increase self-confidence, social interaction and forge strong bonds between mothers and their babies.

Rubi Khanom, chairman of Feversham Primary Academy’s Parents and Teacher’s Association, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the Parents in the Lead funding for our project.

“We hope our musical bonding sessions will show mums how music can have a positive influence on the well-being of children.

“We are hope music will enrich the lives of our children. Thank you Better Start Bradford!”

Mortimer House Dads’ Swim and Play has been given £1,200 to fund a personal instructor to help dads and their young children combine swimming lessons and playful bonding at Delius School in Barkerend Road over ten weeks.

Other successful bids were St Stephen’s Primary School in West Bowling, Killinghall Parents and Friends Association, a project working with single mums, and a Gambian women's course to help women with limited English get more involved in activities.

Gill Thornton, Better Start Bradford project manager, said: “Congratulations to the eight funded projects.

"We are delighted to see that parents are coming up with such a wide range of activities to ensure that their children are getting the best start in life.”

Better Start Bradford, which is made possible by the Big Lottery Fund, started the Parents in the Lead Activity Fund earlier this year.

The activity fund is designed to help parents run activities for families expecting babies or with children under four in in Better Start Bradford catchment area.

To get a share of the funding, projects must be parent or grandparent-led and must benefit under fours and their parents.

The bids also have to make a difference to the children’s development, improving nutrition and health too.

The deadline for the next round of applications is August 31. Go to bsb@bradfordtrident.co.uk to find out more.