Happy new year from us all here at Shropshire Family Information Service! Christmas feels an age a go now, but pay day seems even further away, so we thought we would bring you an issue that focuses on free things this month.

Remember, we cover everything and anything to do with family life, so if you have a question, chances are we’ll be able to help, or if we can’t, we’ll point you in the direction of someone who can. Find us on Facebook, Instagram or X. Call 01743 254400 or email ShropshireFIS@shropshire.gov.uk

Shropshire e-library

Did you know Shropshire Library’s e-library lets you read or listen to thousands of adults and kids books and magazines without leaving the house?

E-books and audio books

Cloud Library has thousands of e-books and audio books, which can be accessed on Android, Apple or Kindle devices. Just download the relevant app and login in with your library id and pin number (forgot your PIN? You can reset it here Prices and PINS | Shropshire Council). For younger readers there is a kid’s mode to make the app even easier to use.

E-newspapers and magazines

This service is provided by PressReader and gives access to over 7000 newspapers and magazines, including most of the UK national papers. So whether you are looking for recipe inspiration, fitness or fashion advice, or the latest news, save money and see if PressReader stock the publication you want.

To access this service you will need to click ‘sign in’ the select ‘Library or Group’ sign in, choose Shropshire Libraries from the list, and then enter your library card number and PIN.

Free access expires every 30 days but can be refreshed simply by logging out and then in again.

Find out more

Fun for free

At your library

Libraries are so much more than books, long gone are the days where you were expected to talk in a whisper. Shropshire’s libraries are warm, welcoming, community spaces. You’ll find loads of free activities on offer for all the family including things like:

Rhyme and story time sessions for 0-5 year olds
Stay and play sessions for pre-schoolers
Baby Sensory sessions
Lego and Duplo clubs
Board game clubs
Creative writing, art and crafts
Jigsaw libraries
Free school holiday activities

You can find out what is going on at your local library on the library events page Library events | Shropshire Council Some libraries also have social media pages where they advertise events and activities.

Watch plays at the library

Did you know you can watch recordings of National Theatre productions at the library, completely free of charge?

Use the library PCs or connect to their wi-fi, and there’s a collection of 20 to choose from – including Shakespeare; Wuthering Heights; and the 2022 adaptation of Philip Pullman’s ‘The Book of Dust’. Each comes with a learning pack, so it’s great for theatre-lovers, teachers, and students alike! Find out more here.

Play Ground Buddy app

This is a fantastic free app which helps you discover new playgrounds. It will show you where they are on a map and what facilities they offer. You can also keep track of the playgrounds you have visited, give them reviews and improve listings by adding photos and info. There must be hundreds of playgrounds across the county, why not challenge your family to visit every playground in your area this month? You can find out more and download the app here Playground Buddy – Helping Families Find Playgrounds

Free film making workshops for 11-18 year olds, Oswestry

Love Oswestry is partnering with the newly opened Maona Cinema, Oswestry to run a series of film workshops led by young people that will culminate in a public screening at Maona Cinema.

These workshops will take place in January 2026 and run until early February. The final film piece will be screened during the Love Oswestry Festival (16-21st February/half term week) at Maona Cinema.

The brief for the project calls for young people to create their story of Oswestry, to capture through their own eyes what they love, where they like to go, what they enjoy doing, and what they think is great about Oswestry.

Led by Tatenda Jamera, filmmaker and curator of Maona Art and director of Maona Cinema, the project will host a series of free workshops engaging a group of enthusiastic young people from a range of backgrounds who would like to explore storytelling and filmmaking.

For more info please email: loveoswestry2026@gmail.com

RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch

Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring. Click here to find out how to take part in this free event Big Garden Birdwatch.

To celebrate the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre are holding a Wild about Wings event.

Wild about wings – Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, Craven Arms SY7 9RS

24 January 2026 11am – 3pm

Bring the whole family along to celebrate all things birds.

With guided bird walks, bird song quiz, children’s activities where you can make bird feeders and much more.

Guided bird walk – FREE at 11am – 12pm and 2pm – 3pm
Join the Centre Manager for a guided tour of the meadows looking at winter birds and exploring a range of different habitats. No need to book, just turn up on the day.

Food banks to community food shares

Food Banks

If you are struggling to buy food you may be able to get emergency food through a food bank. To use a food bank you may need a referral. There are many people who can make a referral for you including health professionals, advice workers, housing associations and Shropshire Council. You can find your local food bank and further information here on the Shropshire Larder website.

Food Shares and Community Kitchens

Food shares and Community kitchens redistribute surplus food on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis – meaning you pay as much as you can or are willing to spend. These are often open to everyone and are aimed at stopping food waste. Local projects include:

Community Meals

There are several organisations where you can go for a light bite or meal, including:

Feel fit for free

If one of your new year’s resolutions is to move more, then these free fitness recommendations may come in handy!

Junior Parkrun

Junior Parkrun is a fun, friendly and FREE weekly 2k event for 4-14 year olds. Our closest ones are:

Shrewsbury (Quarry Park)
Telford (Town Park)
Hafan Yr Afon, Newtown
Wyre Forest, Bewdley
Queens Park, Crewe

They happen at 9am every Sunday. The emphasis is on having fun so you can complete the course however you want, run, walk, hop, skip, it’s all good! It’s a great way to get out in the fresh air, move your body and make new friends. Find out more here: junior events | parkrun UK

You are also welcome to complete the 5k Parkrun as a family, these are held on Saturday mornings you can find your local event here: events | parkrun UK

Couch to Fitness Programme with Our Parks

Get active from the comfort of your own home with Couch to Fitness by Our Parks. Bit by bit you’ll feel fitter, when you stick to their free online fitness programme. It’s amazing what a difference it can make! They have lots of different options as part of the programme including:

Prenatal and postnatal programmes
Family Fit
Dance workouts
Bitesize workouts

Find out more here: Couch to Fitness | Couch to Fitness

Virtual Village Hall

Brought to you by the charity, Royal Voluntary Service, the Virtual Village Hall is a free, online activity hub and community. It’s designed to help people stay physically and mentally active, socially connected and having fun, as well as supporting them to better manage their health, including long-term health conditions.

From Art to Zumba, there are 12-15 free live sessions every week and a library of 2,200 free sessions to choose from, all led by expert tutors and presenters, including some well-known faces. It’s free to join and take part with no sign in or subscription required.

They have some fantastic exercise classes including Street dance, HIIT workouts, Pilates and Yoga. You can see all the activities on offer here: Online Activity Sessions | Virtual Village Hall | Royal Voluntary Service

NHS Healthier Families

The NHS Healthier Families website has lots of ideas for games and activities, with your favourite Disney and Marvel heroes, that will keep your kids moving. The website also has advice on healthy eating, recipe ideas and lunchbox inspiration. You can visit the website here: Healthier Families – Home – NHS

Free health and wellbeing courses

Online courses

Make 2026 to be the year you feel more in tune with your family with these free online learning pathways from Togetherness.

Expertly designed by NHS professionals they will help you to become a more confident parent by learning about child brain development, behaviour that challenges, communication and your own wellbeing needs, because parenting is a journey that is always changing!

The pathways are broken down into bite-size learning that can be completed at your own pace. Pathways include:

Understanding your baby
Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager
Understanding your child with additional needs
Moving up to secondary school for children with additional needs
Understanding your child’s feelings
Understanding your child’s mental health and wellbeing
Understanding your teenager’s brain
Understanding your relationships
Understanding your own trauma

Shropshire residents can use the access code DARWIN18 to get the pathways for free. Find out more and sign up here: Online Learning

Local groups

We also have local in-person groups running for the following learning pathways, where you will be able to get expert advice from our Parenting Team and meet other parents.

Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager
Understanding your child with additional needs

To find out more about local groups please contact the parenting team via email parenting.team@shropshire.gov.uk or call 01743 250950

Free repairs

Repair Cafes

Have you heard of repair cafes? They were originally set up in the Netherlands in 2009 with the aim of helping people fix items for free to avoid waste and to build a sense of community. These are the repair cafes in Shropshire:

Walter’s Workshop, Bishop’s Castle, Fridays
Midweek Mend, Oswestry, Wednesdays
Ellesmere Repair Cafe, First Saturday of the month
Clothes Swap and Stitch, Oswestry, First Saturday of the month
Church Stretton Repair Cafe, Second Saturday of the month
Oswestry and Borders Repair Cafe, Second Saturday of the month
Shrewsbury Repair Cafe, Third Saturday of the month
Broseley Repair Cafe, Fourth Saturday of the month
Telford Repair Cafe, Last Saturday of the month
Pontesbury Repair Cafe, Second Saturday every two months
Bayston Hill Repair Cafe, Third Saturday every two months
Newport Repair Cafe, First Saturday, quarterly
Ludlow Repair Cafe, Fourth Saturday, quarterly
Wem Repair Cafe, transitioning to a regular event in 2026
Bridgnorth Repair Cafe, first event on 7th February

There are over 1619 across the world, in 33 countries!

Shropshire repair cafes are run by the community for the community. Skilled menders and talented amateurs give their time and expertise for free to help people fix items that might have otherwise been thrown away. Depending on who is there and what skills they have, they will attempt to fix everything from hairdryers to bikes to jewellery.

Free advice and support

Free support

Best Start in Life

The government have launched a brand new website for families. Best Start in Life brings together trusted information and support from pregnancy through your child’s early years and beyond. It has loads of really useful info including:

Childcare and Early Years Education support
Free breakfast clubs and wraparound childcare
Childcare support eligibility checker
Week-by-week guide to pregnancy
Breastfeeding help and support
Introducing solid foods
Baby and toddler teeth care
Learning to talk
School readiness

You can also sign up to received personalised weekly emails tailored to your stage of pregnancy or your child’s age – with expert advice on baby care, childcare support and getting your little one ready for school.

Best Start in Life website

Coffee and Chat – Early Help support

You can get free Information, advice and support on all aspects of family life, at our Family Drop-Ins and Stay and Plays. You can chat, have a cuppa and see how we can help you with:

Family life
Parenting support
Domestic abuse support
Money worries
Housing support
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
and much more

To find your local drop in please visit the Family Information Directory

Coffee and chat sessions

Drop in and chat to a Health Visitor

Did you know Shropshire Health Visiting Service run free drop-in clinics in Shrewsbury, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Highley?

Health Visitors can help families with children aged 0-5 years old. They can offer information, advice and support on a range of topics, including:

Infant feeding and breastfeeding advice
Child development
Emotional health and wellbeing
Parenting and local support groups
Behaviour
Sleep

If you would like support but are unable to get to a session, you can also get help by calling 0333 358 3654 or texting the team on 07520 635212.

Drop in and chat sessions

Panda Class

Tiger Class

Rhino Class

Jaguar Class

Snow Leopards