Actor Bob Golding has teamed up with family support charity Home-Start Hertfordshire to record children’s bedtime stories to occupy little ones and support vulnerable parents during the coronavirus lockdown.

Home-Start Hertfordshire, which has its headquarters in Stevenage, supports families who have at least one child under the age of five and are struggling for reasons which could include disability, poverty or mental illness.

Bob is the voice-over artist for characters in the Tweenies and Thomas the Tank Engine, as well as St Albans’ Christmas panto dame, and his pre-recorded stories will be posted on Home-Start Hertfordshire’s Facebook page every Sunday at 7pm.

He said: “I couldn’t be more chuffed to be asked to read these stories. As a father-of-four myself, it’s lovely to get reacquainted with some classic pre-school books and hopefully help families out and have fun reading them.”

Suzy Moody, Home-Start Hertfordshire’s strategic manager, said: “It’s great to have Bob on board, we really appreciate his support. He‘s a fantastic storyteller and we’re so excited to start sharing the stories, they are awesome! I think parents are going to like them as much as the children!”

Life coach Katie Farrell is also supporting Home-Start Herts through a ladies-only online workshop to help make dreams a reality.

Vision Boards and Vino is being held on Friday from 7pm to 8.30pm and is £6 per person, with 50 per cent of sales donated to Home-Start Herts. For more information and to book a place, visit eventbrite.co.uk and search for ‘Vision Boards and Vino’.

The coronavirus outbreak has cut vital funding streams for Home-Start Herts, so last month the charity launched an Emergency Appeal Fund, which has so far raised £31,000.

Suzy said: “We are over halfway to achieving our target of £50,000, which will help make up the shortfall in funds we would have generated from fundraising events, postponed now due to the coronavirus and social distancing. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of so many - thank you.”

To donate, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com and search for ‘Home-Start Hertfordshire’ or send a cheque made payable to Home-Start Hertfordshire to 5 Bedwell Park, Stevenage, SG1 1NB.