Dads encourged to go along to '˜Men Behaving Dadly'

Milngavie man Matthew Edmonds (25), who is married to Alix, has a two-year-old daughter Brèagha, and three month old baby Libby started Men Behaving Dadly because there was no other similar group in East Dunbartonshire or even Glasgow.

Matthew said: “I wanted to create a place for men to come and spend some quality time with their kids and get to know other dads in the community at the same time.

“After my wife had our daughter I realised there were a lot of events and groups for mums and toddlers but none for the dads, and I didn’t want them to miss out.

“These groups are also a great stepping stone for children preparing to go to playgroup and help to build their confidence.”

Men Behaving Dadly is for pre-school children (0-4) and takes place on the second and last Saturday of every month from 9.30am-11am at Allander Evangelical Church in Claremont Gardens, Milngavie.

There are toys, activities and snacks for the kids and delicious bacon rolls, tea and coffee for the dads. They also have a short time at the end with a video for the children which looks at various Bible stories.

Matthew, who is currently training to be a a chartered accountant at Martin Aitken & Co and Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland (ICAS), added: “Since we started in October 2014 we’ve had over 50 dads and a few grandads come with their kids and we regularly have 15-20 each session.

“Men Behaving Dadly is a great place for dads and kids to play, socialise and re-energise.

“It’s a chance for the guys to give the mums a lie-in on a Saturday mornng and I’d encourage them to bring their kids along.

“We also arrange regular social events for the men that come along and we are planning a sports quiz and buffet and also a curry night in the next few months - further details will be published soon.”