In Practice: Case study - How to host a successful open day

Objectives: Open days are a great way to showcase children's centre services and the work of partners and other local organisations. Greenwich Leisure, which runs leisure centres in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, was keen to promote enrolment. At the same time, Ridgeway Park Children's Centre in Chingford wanted to boost awareness of its services, so the idea of a family fitness day took shape. The centre was particularly keen to promote the fact it offers birth to 19 services.

What was done: A Fit Family Fun Day was staged at the centre in January, bringing together many different local organisations and agencies including the local primary care trust, police and Jobcentre Plus. It was funded through the North Area Partnership Group, a collective of local primary and secondary schools. Greenwich Leisure provided sporting equipment like rowing machines for families to try, activities like roller-skating and football were on offer thanks to the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, and youth services ran trampolining and drug and alcohol awareness. There was an array of health information including sexual health advice from the Terrence Higgins Trust. The centre cafe was open and pupils from Chingford Foundation School ran healthy food demonstrations. It was important to have lots going on, says centre co-ordinator Helen Bigham: "We didn't want people to come in and go "Is that all there is?"