THE Colchester branch of a charity for new parents has thanked the Gazette for giving their group a new lease of life.

Last month we reported the Colchester and District branch of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) was in “dire circumstances” and had sent out letters to members urging them to get involved.

But thanks to the article, the branch’s annual meeting held last week saw a clutch of new members turning up, including one man.

Kate Abbott, branch committee member, said: “The article certainly created a reaction within the branch and I’m pleased to say it was a positive response.

“We had four new faces turn-up on the night and plenty more via the e-mail got in contact with us offering to help out.

“We also got our first man, which is great news for the group, and hopefully we can get some more involved.”

Mrs Abbott said out of the meeting a number of contact groups were being revitalised including the Town Tots, which from January will take place on the first and third Friday of the month at the Quaker Meeting House in Church Street, Colchester, from 10.30am to noon.

They have also just started Babas Bistro, a breast feeding drop-in cafe, which takes place every Monday at the Ark Methodist Church in High Woods, Colchester.

She added: “It has really fired up everyone to do something and we want to take advantage of that and really move forward to create a family friendly community within Colchester.”

Mrs Abbott said they were still looking for local businesses for support and asked anyone interested to call them on 0844 243 6093.