The last few months have seen yet more wonderful Mums joining the Mini First Aid team, which has meant some serious Train miles for me as I zoom around the county (with the odd delay) to support the launch of each of these new businesses. One of the things I love about Mini First Aid is the randomness of our training venues. Our promise is to take Baby & Child first aid training out into the community and locations accessible to Parents Grandparents and Carers but I wasn’t quite prepared for how my wonderful trainers would take up the challenge. So here it is, the Mini First Aid Bucket list, the top places (far superior in my view to any travel magazine) to run a first aid class. And of course this wouldn’t be possible without the support of the private class hosts, proprietors and bookings managers who welcome us, promote us and invite us back!   Post Box Deli – Manchester Previously a post office, this compact deli serves a menu of traditional sandwiches to hearty kitchen cooking. Karen the owner loves food and after redundancy decided to follow her dream and set up a deli in the heart of the community. Folk in error, still arrive to collect and post parcels, and then end up staying for lunch. Pull the table and chairs to one side and this space with the addition of a gorgeous comfy sofa becomes a Mini First Aid training venue with the very welcome addition of a full menu during the class and on-tap refreshments. Bliss.   Eastfield Inn – Bristol With children when you choose to eat out or go out for coffee or a few drinks, family welcome is a must. Venue’s that make the children as welcome as the grown ups are onto a winner with the parents. The Eastfield Inn, in Bristol has been voted the most family friendly pub in the UK for the last 2 years. In this beautifully refurbished Gastro pub with its comfy grown up areas, fabulous soft play and range of animals in the garden, parents flock for home made food and mouth watering wines and beers. Here you will find Mini First Aid every month running classes, an essential class, babies welcome, yummy food and drink to wash it down what more could you ask for?   Histon Baptist Church – Cambridge This Church is located on land donated by a famous Jam Manufacturer in the leafy village of Histon on the outskirts of Cambridge. This large building offers cool rooms, which are big enough to wheel prams around in and shade from the East Britain sunshine. The baby changing, baby toys and ample room for parking make this a great venue for local parents to flock to.   East Leeds Snooker Club – Playzone & Toddlerz Feeling like you could pot a ball or two, this unusual snooker club is all about family. Whilst the snooker and the beer are a local highlight built on the rear is a soft play and café, providing not only a great place for the little ones to play but table service so parents in need of a break can sit back and enjoy something to eat and drink whilst the little ones roam. For our classes, not only does that café offer food, but also the attendees are invited to grab a drink in the bar before the class. This one is a winner with the Dads!   Yoga & Therapy Centre Dorchester Expectant mums are very bendy, fact. Relaxin in their bodies makes them that way during pregnancy. Pregnancy Yoga helps mums to use the stretch to help their bodies deal with the pounding of pregnancy and added weight of a growing baby. Post-natal mums use Yoga to heal and relax from birth onwards. In this tranquil heaven in Dorchester comes Mini First Aid, Mum’s finish a class with babes in tow and can join us for essential first aid, all without leaving the mat.   Playcafe Torquay Soft plays, something that pre-babies and children probably didn’t even register with most adults, in fact most without children would probably rather be anywhere else than in a soft play, but oh how that changes when little ones arrive. This huge converted ex nightclub in the centre of Torquay serves both local families and holiday makers alike, as well as your standard play equipment and café this bright coloured kids paradise offers an in-house hairdressers, sensory room and pre-school activities for those needing activities to do. Mini First Aid feature most weeks in the busy schedule and our trainer is reported to have worked in the building it its previous life as a nightclub!   Grey Leather Sofa This 2 piece suite belongs to a new mum, breastfeeding hourly and leaving the house little at the moment. Seated on the sofa are 2 friends from NCT, one with baby sleeping in the pram in the hall, one feeding on the sofa. Grandma, who will be supporting childcare when new mum goes back to work, last first aid training was some 40 years ago and 2 expectant friends, facing the reality that bumps are soon to produce beautiful babes and wanting, between the twinges, to be as prepared as possible for their new responsibility. The refreshments are lashings of good strong tea and cake made by the hostess. Home comforts in all their glory.   Town Street Playgroup This suburban pre-school wants to offer its children not just top quality pre-school education but the parents enrichment activities related to parenting. A big thumbs up from Ofsted. The gym hall is vast and parents are invited to leave their children in the pre-school to play whilst they learn essential first aid, all before lunch. Top marks.   Tiny Toes Husband and wife team Pete & Claire run this soft-play and community hub on the outskirts of Leeds, whilst providing a great soft play and café, Tiny Toes offers breastfeeding counselors, a sling library, ‘Tiny Tales” story telling and of course Mini First Aid classes. Their latest plans to expand to a new venue in Leeds in partnership with the Real Junk Food Project are exciting their dedicated family supporters.   And I could continue, the list of wonderful venues that Mini First Aid have run classes is endless. Recognise any familiarities with a venue you attend? Or maybe you are the family with the big sofa that fancy that class at home? Make sure you can tick off one of our Bucket List. (and if you are weird and wonderful or just a super family welcoming venue that would like to host a class please get in touch)