PARENTS of teenagers are invited to come along to a new discussion group being held in Branksome starting next month.

Reverend Charlie Boyle and his wife, Sarah, will be running The Parenting Teenagers Course, from January 15 at 7.30pm for five weeks at All Saints Church, on Western Road, and the meetings are open to anyone of any faith.

Sarah says that although the name of the course is teenagers, the group will be open to any parents, step-parents or carers responsible for children aged nine and over.

She said: “It’s a really practical course about parenting and when we ran it previously, when we were based in Cornwall, a lot of people said that they wish it had been running when their children were pre-teens.

She added: “So we have decided to include those parents of children maybe in Years Five or Six at school, so that they have that advantage and can prepare for when their children get a bit older.

“It’s not a ‘churchy’ thing, but rather a course for anyone who perhaps wants to speak to others who have children of a similar age and swap advice on how to deal with what can be a difficult stage.

“It’s also not about making people feel ashamed or saying they’re a bad parent, just more about saying other people understand and talking can help.”

Charlie added: “The course aims to reach out to the community and to help parents prepare for the challenging years.

“The church’s role is to put into practice and respond to the needs of local people, and we have heard that many people have benefitted from participating in this course before.”

Cost is £2 for a course manual and a small donation for refreshments.

For more information and to book a place, email V_moss@me.com or go to All-saints-church.com