Picnic in the park

Kinship families from across East Ayrshire got together last week for the second annual Kinship Picnic.

Kinship care is when a child is looked after by their extended family or close friends if they cannot remain with their birth parents.

Organised by the Council’s Family Support Team and Vibrant Communities, the picnic in Howard Park featured activities including glitter tattoos, a bouncy castle, tie dying and scavenger hunts. The Scottish Book Trust donated lots of books for families to enjoy and the Bookbug even made a special appearance on the day.

The event allowed children to meet new friends and for their carers to meet other kinship carers as well as staff from the Play and Early Intervention Team and Family Support Team who were on hand to give support, guidance and have fun with the families too.

Depute Provost Claire Leitch, who is also Children’s Champion, said: “We have over 300 kinship families in East Ayrshire and it was lovely to see many of them getting together and connecting with each other on the day to share their stories and experiences.”

ends