A VILLAGE playgroup is appealing for volunteers as it celebrates its first anniversary.

Tiddlers at Salway Ash is gearing up to mark its first year as a revamped playgroup, with staff sad to see some children graduate to primary school after the summer break.

Along with the children leaving, the playgroup will also lose some parents who volunteer their time to set up and clear away each week.

Staff have warned that the group may not continue running without new volunteers.

The Tiddlers leader, Emma Pawley, has spoken out about the importance of volunteers to the running of the group.

She said: “The group is relatively easy to run.

"Setting up and clearing away is much more fun if there are a few of us sharing the load. Ideally we would need a couple of mums or dads to join the team, possibly with a view to taking over the group from July 2017.

"These community groups simply wouldn’t survive without the help of volunteers giving up their time to run them.”

The Salway Ash playgroup had a complete revamp last summer after a huge amount of fundraising replaced virtually all the toys for children to use. Since then, the group has gone from strength to strength, and has a regular number of children attend each week.

If further help is not found, the group fears it may not be able to continue running after next year. Anyone interested in helping, or needing any further information on the group, can call Emma Pawley on 01308 426466.

Last month, the Tiddlers group took the decision to change the opening times to enable mums to get to the group after doing the school run. The playgroup is now open from 10am until 12pm on every Wednesday during term time at Salway Ash Village Hall.

The last session this year will be on Wednesday, July 20, when the group will hold a party to say goodbye to all the leaving children. All children are welcome to attend.