Built for Oldham's families.

Our story

The Bear Hug Project began as an idea to address needs that are not being met.

Since Baby Bear's Play Cafe opened in November 2025, more than 3,000 families have come through its doors. Week after week, we met parents coping with low income, feeling isolated after the birth of a baby, worrying about speech and development, and anxious about their child's health.

Many parents don’t know what help is out there. Some know, but can’t get there, or don’t feel it is for them. We wanted to do something about that, so working with our co-directors we set up The Bear Hug Project CIC as a community interest company.

What we believe

  • Families know best. The people living it are the experts in what they need. We start by listening.

  • Support should be easy to reach. A warm introduction can be the difference between a family getting help and going without.

  • Communities can lead. Local parents and families in their own neighbourhoods and languages are often best placed to bring others in.

  • Add, don't duplicate. Oldham already has good services. Our job is to help more families use them and to fill only the gaps no one else is filling.

Our focus

We work across three areas of family life:

  1. Financial security and poverty relief: we want to address child poverty and support household debt. 

  2. Early development, health and wellbeing: helping children to be school readiness, providing antenatal support, reducing parent isolation and facilitating bereavement and baby loss support.

  3. Family safety and community resilience: we want to provide safe, local activities for families fleeing domestic abuse and children who have had traumatic experiences.

The pilot tests the need for each before we commit to it.

Small steps, in every corner of Oldham

We're running a 12-month pilot across all five of Oldham's districts. Families get real support from the very first month, while we learn what parents need before we grow anything.

The pilot at a glance

Parents and carers sharing their views

Pop-up family sessions, four in every district

Parents joining our sessions and groups

Introductions to existing support

Local community trainers recruited

What happens during the pilot

Parent connection groups. A friendly, regular group in each district from the start, so families benefit straight away.

Pop-up family sessions. Stay-and-play in libraries, faith settings, community venues and leisure centres, with a chance to talk about what would help and to meet local services.

The big listen. A survey of parents and carers, designed with delivery services and a research partner, with voices from every district. We report what we hear district by district.

Warm referrals. Personal introductions to family hubs, health visiting, funded early education, debt and welfare advice and specialist services.

Community trainers. Ten local parents and residents trained in paediatric first aid, safeguarding and peer conversations, then supported to co-lead sessions.

Across Oldham's five districts

  • North: Crompton, Royton North, Royton South, Shaw

  • South: Failsworth East, Failsworth West, Hollinwood, Medlock Vale

  • East: Saddleworth North, Saddleworth South, Saddleworth West and Lees, St James', Waterhead

  • West: Chadderton Central, Chadderton North, Chadderton South, Werneth

  • Central: Alexandra, Coldhurst, St Mary's

Get in touch with us

We’d love to hear from you—reach out to explore how we can make a positive impact together.