Leeds babies under one roof raving

Here at child friendly Leeds we love to hear the stories of projects that find new ways to engage children and young people. One of our child friendly ambassadors is Faye who runs Baby Rave North – a project that combines music and lighting, bringing babies and parents together in a lively child friendly environment!

In our latest blog, Faye writes about their recent Christmas rave and why the project started up…

“The end of any year is a busy time of year for most of us, so in the run up to our festive raves last year I knew I had to create some none stop action!

“Taking over four units in the Corn Exchange, we transformed the space so it had a Santa’s grotto – as well as hosting mini raves, breakfasts with Elsa and Santa, Frozen performance workshops, and arts and crafts sessions. Added to the mix we had Leeds Library services and Lollipots Ceramics – who joined us to run story time and book-based activities, and helped make some personalised pottery using hand and foot prints.

“It was great to see so many families of all different backgrounds come together and celebrate such an exciting time of the year!

“Baby Rave North isn’t just for Christmas though. I began hosting events after having my son and realising there was nothing out there for the modern family when it came to music and socialising. There were classes and groups, sure. But nothing current, everything felt a little dated and very cliquey. So with my music and performing background, I decided to create something for parents like me.

“Starting off small, the ‘rave’ events have grown from strength to strength. Taking over super club Control three times in the last 12 months, with 600 ravers in attendance, and hosting sell-out Mini Raves in Mumspace and Mothercare. We’ve also expanded our “rave scene” to other cities.

“Baby Rave North provides a place for parents of all backgrounds and interests. I get a great sense of pride when I look out during a session, big or small and see such a mix of people. Typically, at things for young children, you expect to see a lot of mums and a few dads here and there. But I think we provide something accessible to families of all kinds, it’s funny, you can tell some daddies are a bit wary when they enter, but it’s so rewarding to have them leave with a cheeky grin saying” I loved that!” I think it’s the same for a lot of mums too, they are dubious that the raves will be typically cliquey, but once they get involved it’s great for them to meet likeminded mamas!

“We love to expose our little ravers to local live music, as well as music from all different genres. I believe the rave events are a great way to introduce socialising and meeting new people. You can never be too young to enjoy music and have a boogie, can you?

“It’s such a good opportunity to let people know that Leeds is a child friendly city, it’s just about getting out there and seeing what’s available in our colourful, vibrant city. You’ve got to create memories for our children, no matter how small or insignificant it feels at the time, as that’s what they will look back on and learn from in the future.

“2015 is set to me even more fun filled, with our specially themed Mini Raves already filling up for January, with motown classics, ‘old skool’ garage, and cheesy pop anthems. Then in February we will have our bigger raves ready for half term, aimed at 0-7yrs!

“Happy raving and good vibes…”

A big thanks to Faye for taking the time to tell us about Baby Rave North, you can find out more about the project and up-coming events on their website:  http://www.babyravenorth.co.uk/ or you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter @babyravenorth.

What do you think about baby raving? Is there a project for young people in the city that you can’t stop raving about? Why not let us know on Twitter @child_leeds or by leaving a comment below…