What Leeds Dads did in 2023

It’s been another busy year for Leeds Dads! Almost every weekend in 2023 has had a FREE Leeds Dads activity delivered to over 1500 Dads and their pre-school children across the city.

Overall we delivered:

1500 dads engaged in activities with their kids
1 Dadstastic Day takeover of Leeds City Museum and Millennium Square for 2500 mums, dads & kids
21 free soft play sessions
10 Dad walks
9 breakfast clubs
5 free forest school sessions
1 Christmas party for 150 mums, dads & kids
1 Royal recognition – by appointment!
30 Footballing dads at our NEW weekly 5 A Side sessions
220 Dads’ wellbeing supported in our WhatsApp group
3 Workshops conducted at the Fathers and Families Coalition of America’s 24th Annual Conference in California

Here are our highlights

In January, Men’s Health Unlocked invited us to join them at Leeds Markets as part of the #RethinkMensHealth campaign – we talked to Dads about their mental health and signposted perinatal mental health services within the NHS.

In February we met up with posh friend of Leeds Dads, HRH Princess Catherine of Wales at Leeds Markets in support of the #ShapingUs campaign, highlighting the vital importance of engagement during a child’s first 5 years. You might have seen founder Errol being interviewed by ITV as part of the coverage.

In April, Errol jetted off to California with Dr Lee Sobo-Allen from Leeds Beckett University! They attended the 24th International Fathers and Families Coalition of America conference to talk about dads and bonding in the early years. We shared our wisdom and experience about how and why to set up Dads groups and learned a lot about the experience of being a Dad in various American states.

In May we joined forces with our friends at Andy’s Man Club, plus the NHS Partners Peer Support Team at Leeds Perinatal Mental Health Service for another #RethinkMen Mental Health Marketplace at Leeds Market.

In June, we celebrated Father’s Day with our annual Dadstastic Day celebration. Thousands of people flocked to Leeds City Museum and Millennium Square to enjoy our free activities and entertainment. It was a scorcher of a day – perfect weather for blowing giant bubbles!

In August we got together for the fabulous Leeds West Indian Carnival – a massive celebration of art, culture and emancipation in the heart of Leeds.

In September we attended the National Diversity awards in Liverpool where we were shortlisted out of 90,000 nominees for a Gender award. Errol attended with Leeds Dads chair Alex and our marketing support Butterflump. It was a fabulous night and we got to meet Claire Balding, Katie Price, and Richard Blackwood! Thank you again to everyone who donated to our fundraiser to get us there.

In October, ITV came to visit our wonderful Breakfast Club with a special Black History Month theme.

In November we celebrated Baby Week Leeds by contributing to panel discussions about Shared Parental Leave, offering free events for Dads and their children, and hosting an International Men’s Day Dads night out at PWC. Having 35 Dads in a room without their children talking openly about fatherhood was a first for us.

In December we introduced a new event – Dad’s football – and rounded off the year with our legendary Christmas Party!

Phew. What a year!

A huge thank you to all of our members for showing up for themselves and their kids, our amazing dedicated volunteers for giving up evenings for planning and meetings or parts of their weekends to run events, and finally to our partner organisations and venues (Little Angels Playzone, Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, Tiny Outdoor Explorers, Chapeltown Nursery, Old Cockburn Centre) for supporting us.

Our hopes for 2024
Better funding, reaching more Dads and a Leeds Dads camping trip!

Our events will always be free to those who need them, but introducing a PAYF model for those who could donate to us helped us to keep the lights on this year. Can you help us to see 2024 through by making a donation to Leeds Dads?