Bonteheuwel youth can look forward to a jam-packed festive season as various centres will be hosting holiday programmes for them.
The Bonteheuwel Reading Room, civic centre, and community centre as well as Bluegum community centre and multi-purpose centre will all be used to keep the youngsters busy.
The Bonteheuwel swimming pool will also be open.
Programmes at the centres have already started and run from 9am to 1pm every day.
Ward 50 councillor Angus Mckenzie said the programmes included sport, educational talks, skills development, entertainment and board games.
He encouraged parents to drop their children off at the centres to keep them out of mischief.
“This is a safe environment for the children to have some fun with their friends. It has started already and it will run until January. The swimming pool will be open so this is a perfect opportunity for families to come and picnic and enjoy themselves.”
He said many parents don’t have the opportunity to take leave during the festive season due to financial constraints and children were often left alone.
Thanks to the programmes, parents would have peace of mind knowing that their children are safe and enjoying themselves, he said.
“We want to ensure parents that their children will be safe in our care,” Mr Mckenzie said.
On Saturday, Mr Mckenzie was joined by the Pink Ladies organisation at the Bonteheuwel multi-purpose centre where they took children’s fingerprints to keep a record of them on a database.
“Many children go missing during this time so we want to ensure that they are on our data base. We are urging parents to be aware of the whereabouts of their children at all times and to be cautious during this time,” he said.
For more information contact Angus Mckenzie on 021 444 2976 or 021 444 1269.
