Rock May with us!

May is here – and we’ve got plenty coming up🌼☀️

With longer days and brighter weather, there’s lots happening at Dads Rock this month. From our regular groups and workshops to special events and trips, there are plenty of ways to get involved, meet other dads and spend time with the kids. Make sure to check out our calendar or the links below to see what’s on near you.

We’re especially looking forward to some of our upcoming activities this month, including our Edinburgh Zoo trip, where dads and families can get outdoors, explore and enjoy a great day out together🐾

This month, a group of supporters will be taking part in a running event at Bellahouston Park on 2nd May in memory of Calum McNab. Some will be completing the half marathon, while others will be running the 10k, coming together to honour Calum’s life and keep his memory close. We’re incredibly grateful that they’ve chosen to support Dads Rock through this event. As a small charity, donations like this help us continue providing groups, workshops and support for dads and families across Scotland. Every contribution makes a real difference💛

You can donate here Team fundraising for Dads Rock

*We’re excited to be welcoming Changeworks along to our Dads & Dice session in* ***Edinburgh on Tuesday 12th May***. They’ll be joining us for an informal chat about all things low carbon living - sharing practical tips on saving energy, understanding bills, and exploring options like solar panels, heat pumps and electric transport.
*It’s a great chance for dads to ask questions, get advice, and pick up useful information in a relaxed setting, alongside our usual games night🎲*

Groups

If you are wanting to spend some quality time with your wee one(s) and chat with some other local dads, our groups are the place for you.

Most groups run every week but it’s always worth checking the calendar to make sure it’s on.

North Ayrshire: In Irvine we have weekly groups for Dads and their children on Sundays at 10.30am and the Three Towns Dads Group is on Wednesdays at 6.30pm🚴

Glasgow: In Maryhill we have a playgroup on every Saturday at 10am🐝

Edinburgh: In Gorgie we run playgroups every Saturday and Sunday at 10am. On Tuesday evening at 7pm is our Dads and Dice group - a games night for Dads with or without their babies🌻

Dundee: Saturdays the Boomerang Centre 10am🥁

You can sign up to come along to any of our groups: GroupSignUp and check the calendar to see it’s on: WhatsOn

Don’t forget our WhatsApp groups! If you’re not part of our community you can join here: WhatsApp

Trips

Edinburgh zoo trip- Join us on Friday 9th May for a Dads trip to Edinburgh Zoo - a great chance to get outdoors, explore, and spend some quality time with your little ones. It’s also a brilliant opportunity to meet other dads and families in a relaxed, fun setting Zoo trip🐘🦏🦒🦁🦓

Workshops

We run free workshops regularly in our different locations across Scotland. There are a range of topics that we cover and this month we will be running:

Hair workshop - Glasgow on Saturday 2nd May & Edinburgh Friday 16th May💇‍♀️

The original hair workshop for Dads and Kids! We know there’s lots of rip off versions now ‘daddy learns to braid’ and ‘pints and plaits’ but Dads Rock has been doing these workshops for around 5 years now! It’s a fun, hands-on session giving dads the chance to learn practical skills like plaiting, ponytails, and simple hairstyles, with support from our trained team. It’s designed to be relaxed and beginner-friendly, so no experience is needed- just bring your child along with a brush, hair ties, and anything else you’d like to use. This workshop is a great way to build confidence while spending quality time together. Sign up: Hair Glasgow Hair Edinburgh

First Aid Workshop for Dads and Mums Edinburgh- Join us on Tuesday 12th May, 7–8pm for a practical First Aid workshop designed for both mums and dads. This session will cover essential skills to help you feel more confident dealing with common situations, giving you peace of mind when it comes to your child’s safety. It’s a relaxed and supportive environment, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions and learn together. Click here If you’d like to find out more or book a space First aid workshop🩹

Dads Antenatal Workshops - Edinburgh on Thursday 14th May, 7pm & Ayrshire on Thursday 28th May, 6.30pm

This session is designed to help dads-to-be feel more prepared and confident ahead of their baby’s arrival. We’ll cover what to expect, practical tips for supporting your partner, and creating space to ask questions in a relaxed, supportive environment. It’s also a great chance to connect with other expectant dads and share the experience together Edinburgh antenatal Ayrshire antenatal

Online Sleep Workshop for Mums and Dads- Join us on 27th May for our online sleep workshop, open to both mums and dads. This session will explore common sleep challenges and offer practical tips to help support your child’s sleep, as well as your own. It’s a relaxed and supportive space to learn, share experiences, and ask questions from the comfort of your own home💬A great opportunity to feel more confident when it comes to sleep routines and what to expect Sleep workshop

Our workshops are free to attend but donations are always welcome! They are a great way to build confidence while spending quality time together.

You can find out more about all our workshops using the link here: Parenting Workshops

Other support

As always we’ll be supporting Young Dads in Edinburgh and Glasgow, New Dads through our PS service and families in Tayside and Ayrshire.

April Round-up

In April we welcomed two new members to the team! 🤝

Gordon is our new Dads Worker supporting families in East Ayrshire. Working with the Early Years Children and Families Service we’re expanding our services to support more dads and families! This service will initially focus on one to one support in the Shortlees area and we’ll soon be setting up another dads group too.

Chris has joined the team in North Ayrshire, working alongside Ryan and John to support Dads and families. He’s joined just as the service has been named North Ayrshire Charity Champion of the Year 🙌. Six of our awesome dads went along to the awards ceremony on Friday 24th April and were delighted to pick up the award!

Contact ryan@dadsrock.org.uk for more information.

Our Dads often tell us how rubbish UK Paternity Leave is, so on 1st April we joined in with the @dadshift uk campaign. First we caught up with Ross McKenzie- councillor for Sighthill/Gorgie and Scott Arthur MP, before heading along to Edinburgh Council at Waverley Court to gift bread, milk, fruit and veg - highlighting the fact that these perishables "Lasts longer than UK paternity leave". 🥕🥬🍞

We were incredibly proud to be supported by a brilliant group of young people from Firrhill High School in Edinburgh as part of the YPI (Youth and Philanthropy Initiative) programme. After delivering an amazing presentation about Dads Rock, they were chosen as the winning team - securing an incredible £3,000 donation for our work! Rachel went along to support them on the day. A huge thank you to the team for their hard work, passion and support. It means so much to us, and the funding will go a long way in helping us continue supporting local dads and families 💛

Below is a round up of April photos ⬇️