Rochester Messy Play is a weekly play group attended by children aged 0-5 and their guardians. Originally a Sure Start provision, the group is now run by volunteers from the community. As a Sure Start activity in Rochester, Medway, it had offered a play group with stimulating activities for children, but the service ceased in October 2017 due to funding cuts.

A couple of Rochester based mums, who had attended the service regularly with their children, felt it was too valuable to lose and decided to relaunch it as an entirely volunteer run group.

Using social media, they sourced donations for children’s play materials and publicised the new group. They had to cover the first month’s venue hire fee themselves. Soon after they heard about Time Credits and started using them to involve the adults who attended their group in helping them to run it.

Emma, one of the two founding members, says Time Credits have brought them benefits in a number of ways:

Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers

From starting with just 2 volunteers and 11 families attending, they have now engaged 10 people in volunteering and draw 40 – 50 children every week. Time Credits have helped with volunteers wanting to return and continue giving time.

Greater Flexibility for Volunteers

Often people drop out of volunteering due to commitment issues, but Time Credits have enabled people to volunteer whenever they are able and give what time what they can. There are many flexible roles where people can earn Time Credits at Rochester Messy Play; for example, preparing and serving fruit to the children or leading them in singing at the end of the session. Emma adds up all the small contributions of time people have given every 6 weeks or so and distributes the Time Credits they have earned.

Valuing Volunteers

Most of the people who volunteer with Rochester Messy Play are stay-at-home mothers. Time Credits have provided a way for the group to show their volunteers that their contribution is valuable.

“We check in on each other and help each other out in this group. Lots of women naturally support other women, but without any recognition. Time Credits is our recognition.”

Affording to do more

For people who are not in paid employment, there can be a feeling that they are not contributing fully to their family. Earning Time Credits and having access to the Time Credits Spend Network has helped volunteers to do more with their families, including activities they may not otherwise have been able to afford to do.

Emma has been able to take her children and their grandfather on MBNA Thames Clippers to visit Tower of London and Tower Bridge. These trips would have been too expensive without Time Credits.

Building a Stronger Community

Time Credits help the volunteers, and wider community, to do more together as a group of families. Emma was also able to donate Time Credits to members of a local school’s PTA to thank them for their hard work. As a result of this gift, they were able to go tobogganing at Chatham Snowboarding Centre together.