Ellesmere Port: Community group receives Christmas gift

Messy Mischief Makers run a community project that supports families and children in Ellesmere Port through messy-play sessions, events and holiday support.

The group received a donation from Redrow, who is building homes at Ledsham Garden Village, to support the ongoing running costs of their sessions as well as putting on a special Christmas event.

Sonia Vickers, manager of Messy Mischief Makers, said: "The parents, carers and children we support are from disadvantaged areas and our weekly 'Messy Mischief Makers' sessions involve two hours of creative messy play and a baby sensory area."

Messy Mischief Makers support families in Ellesmere Port with play sessions. (Image: Redrow)

Sonia started the group five years ago when she came out of an abusive relationship. She decided that she wanted to help people who had been in similar situations through arts and crafts sessions for adults and children.

Each year the group has grown in popularity, so much so that they use the theatre space at Theatre Porto to bring 30 people together each week. The special events welcome up to 200 people and provide positive family experiences.

She added: "Our Christmas event was really well attended. We had Father Christmas, The Grinch and Elves and we managed to give six families free tickets. I like to think we eased the pressure on families at this time of year and each child also took away a small gift."

Caroline Thompson-Jones, area sales manager at Redrow NW, said: "Messy Mischief Makers is a great asset to the community. The weekly sessions will help parents meet new friends and encourage children to be around other children. The special events, like the recent Christmas one, is a positive, fun environment and creates a real sense of community – something that is incredibly important to Redrow."

More information about Messy Mischief Makers can be found on their Facebook and Instagram pages.