The Hungry Little Minds team in Swindon has teamed up with Voluntary Action Swindon to host a Time to Talk Day event at the Swindon Hub.
It will be held on Thursday, 3 February from 11am to 3pm, with a main theme of mental health and wellbeing.
The organisers say the Time to Talk Day is about creating supportive communities by having conversations with family, friends, or colleagues about mental health and wellbeing.
Hungry Little Minds is a national campaign launched by the Government in 2018 with the aim of improving the early communication, language and literacy skills of children under five by helping parents turn everyday activities into new opportunities to fill their child’s world with words.
Lynn Turner, Project Coordinator for Hungry Little Minds in Swindon, said: “Being able to communicate with each other is so important when managing mental health and wellbeing. The key messages of the Hungry Little Minds campaign are chat, play and read.
"All of these interactions between you and your child will help build on the language and communications skills of your little one, supporting them to be able to express thoughts, feelings and emotions.”
The project has the support of the National Literacy Trust. Anish Harrison, Swindon Stories Hub Manager at the trust, said: “This is a great opportunity to highlight how shared reading can support family well-being.
"There is a huge amount of research which shows how reading to your little one can calm both you and your child, whilst supporting bonding. We are so pleased to be supporting this very important event.”
Time to Talk Day which originates from mental health charity Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.
Thursday's event will officially start at 11am and include a Hungry Little Minds event stand primarily aimed at parents, carers and early years’ practitioners with children up to five. The gathering will feature interactive stalls from Swindon Services, arts and crafts, and an art exhibition.
There will also be a quiet zone for the early years and storytelling, with all attendees having the opportunity to walk away with a free book and have access to the free refreshments.
Anish Harrison will be joining in the activities throughout the day to try and raising awareness of positive mental health, as well as introducing the ideas of talking and listening among peers, families and communities.
More information about the hungry Little Minds campaign can be found at https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/
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