The Willow Brook Centre is launching a new club especially for local mums.
The ‘Mummy’s Breakfast Morning’ club will be held in the Harvester restaurant on the last Tuesday of each month, starting on Tuesday 28th June 2011.
Membership is free and mums can register by emailing their contact details to mummys@willowbrookcentre.co.uk
It’s a great opportunity to catch up with other mums and their children at the Harvester restaurant and enjoy free hot drinks between 9:30am and 11:30am. There will be free activities for the children too, and on 28th June there will be an art & craft workshop and a puppet workshop.
For the Mums, a Boots Beauty Advisor will be offering advice on makeup and skin care and at 10am chiropractors from the Willow Brook Centre will discuss musculoskeletal health and offer advice and a free spinal check at the clinic. As a special treat for the launch event there will be a goody bag too. Registration will also be available on the day.
It’s hosted by Harvester, but other Willow Brook Centre shops and businesses are also supporting the club and the free membership card will entitle mums to special offers and discounts at selected outlets.
For example, if mums present their club membership card at the Brantano shoe shop at the centre, they can receive 10% off everything in-store (subject to terms and conditions).
Other participating businesses include C J Hole, Boots, Peacocks, Excellence Spa, the Willow Brook Clinic, Reflections hair salon, Card Factory, Costa Coffee and Pets at Home.
The most obvious question, are dads allowed to join and receive the same discounts or will this discriminatory and quite possibly illegal scheme exist for women only?
Equality works both ways ladies!
I’m a mum of a strapping 15 yr old. Am I welcome too? Or is it just another mum and toddler group?
I too have a strapping 15 year old, and would like the discounts and free hot drinks please?
Fathers play a huge part of a child’s life. What if, I as a dad wanted to take my child to this group? What if I was on holiday from my job and wanted to join my wife and spend as much time integrating with my family.
Harvester – Are you going to offer the same for Dads? Are you going to give equal rights?
Hmm no response re dads or parents of older kids . This smells like discrimination to me.
Press release issued 30th June:
The Willow Brook Centre’s new club for local Mums was launched on Tuesday 28th June and was a great success with 85 Mums turning up at Harvester for the launch of the ‘Mummy’s Breakfast Morning’ club.
Between 9.30am and 11.30am Mums and their children got together and enjoyed a free hot drink and entertainment for the kids including art & craft workshop and a puppet workshop.
And for the Mum’s, a Boots Beauty Advisor was on hand to offer advice on makeup and skin care and chiropractors from the Willow Brook Clinic discussed musculoskeletal health and offered advice and free spinal checks.
Brantano were giving a free foot measuring service too.
Mums were also given a goody bag containing Boots No.7 make-up, designer perfume samples, a designer purse and discounts.
The next ‘Mummy’s Breakfast Morning’ club will be held on Tuesday 26th July and then on the last Tuesday of each month with many surprises and give-aways planned, so sign up for the free membership and we’ll keep you posted!
Adam Giles, General Manager at Harvester, said: “We were delighted to see so many Mums turning up for the launch event, and would like to thank them for coming and hope to see them again next month. In the meantime, don’t forget we have a great breakfast menu starting at just £3.99.
“The feedback has been very encouraging. It seems we have identified the needs of the local community by providing a venue for mums to get together and entertain the little ones not yet old enough for school.”
I enjoyed the mummys breakfast club… but, WILLOW BRROK MANAGEMENT, PLEASE, WHY DID YOU TAKE THE TOILETS AWAY! IT is most inconvienient to change a nappy downstairs, have to then take a toddler and a pushchair up in the lift to the ladies toilets where I have to leave push chair and toddler unattended in order to make myself comfortable! Thank goodness for the common sense of TESCO who we love, BOO to Willow Brook. Perhaps all our toddlers will just have to pee in the sink now the toilet has gone, which I believe defeats the object of taking the loo away! DOH!
This sounds like good fun for mums and young families but what about all the older people in the community who might enjoy a similar morning out? It seems to me that all activities of this sort are organised for families and there is nothing arranged for the over-50s who now have a high presence in Bradley Stoke.
Helen,
Unfortunately Harvester seem only interested in the supporting certain sections of the community. Mothers and toddlers gives that caring community restaurant impression, plus if the mothers like it they are more likely to return and spend more money there with the dad’s grandparents, celebrate birthdays there etc. Unfortunately the over 50’s are seen as a bit tight with their wallets especially the ones coming up to retirement in the over 60’s, thus I suspect Harvester wouldn’t entertain the same format for the older generation as once they have their free treats they tend to be off and don’t forget that Brantano and the other sponsors probably chipped in towards the cost. Can you see the older generation of Bradley Stoke queuing up to be meausred by Brantano for a smart new pair of shoes?
May I suggest deckchairs in the upper quadrant of the Tesco car park, that way all of us uninvited guests of Harvesters can enjoy a cup of coffee together.
I’m normally the first to be a ‘grumpy old man’ but I guess we should start being a bit more positive?
I.e.”what a good idea nice to have something provided for the mums (and some dads I believe?)”…rather than “so you’re doing that for them – what are you going to do for me…”
The world doesn’t owe us a living!
@ Dave P appreciate your comments, but surely is it not more feasible for hte local community to give something back to those hard working individuals who contribute, or have contributed, to the local area through taxation.
Not that I’m aiming that in a negative way at all those mothers with young children out there, but in a society where those few honest, decent, hardworking individuals support the rest, isn’t it time the world does owe us a living and not grant further benefits to those who already lap it up?
Harvester: when are you going to recognise that you should reward those customers who actually make your business profitable?
Mike L: as you say the Harvester (and others) are businesses. I.e. they’re not social projects and aren’t funded by taxes. I’m sure they figure that doing this makes good business sense, with mums probably more inclined to go along at other times with the rest of the family and spend more money.
My wife won’t be going along as she goes to another group on a Tuesday morning but we don’t expect any honest decent hardworking individuals to support her – that’s what I’m doing every day 9-5!
Also when you say the “local community to give something back’ – personally I’d rather they didn’t take the taxes in the first place…
Dave P,
Purely by having a child people are expecting support through various tax credits etc. By golly goodness they even get a tv advert to remind them to renew whatever it is they claim for. I would much rather watch a Wilkinson razor advert to remind me of the benefits of a supple moisturising strip to keep my skin invigorated before during and after the shave instead of being reminded that my taxes are being handed out on a plate to all and sundry. You don’t hear me complaining though do you? I’m just the tiny consumer wanting a Wilkinson Quattro in Boots on a Saturday morning!
The main point beig people obviously feel that there are only certain sections of the community who are catered for. Mums and toddlers being the most obvious one. I think it’s down to other groups to stand up for themselves. I’m sure if the over 50’s group set up a meeting and asked Harvester to host a coffee morning they would probably do it. It just takes one person to organise it. Next time I’m in Harvester trying to find a plump red tomato on the salad cart and deciding exactly what volume of dressing is required to coat my salad to a precise consistency I might ask a member of staff what the requirements are for free coffee.
Mike L,
Agreed on the whole benefits point. But I bet you’re not adverse to a free coffee if one gets put in front of you? If you receive benefits or no benefits it’s only human nature to take it. I don’t know anyone who would turn down an offer just because they simply believe it’s unethical and they take no benefits themselves. It is simply society today. I think it’s about time we all realised we are not going to change how life works today. Unfortunately it’s just take take take.