A group for Spanish-speaking mums and children is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Bishopston.

La Casita takes place every Wednesday morning at the Quaker Meeting House on Gloucester Road. Its members comprise mums from Spain as well as countries in South America such as Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru.

Many of the mums who come to La Casita from across the Bristol area say that the three-hour sessions are just as much for them as for their children, because it could be the one opportunity they have during the week to speak solely in their native language.

Iranzu Esparza, 35, a teacher, originally from Navarra in Spain but now living in Bishopston, comes to La Casita with her two-year-old daughter Maria.

She said: "La Casita runs very organically. When some mums stop coming because their child is too old, other mums take over.

"It has worked very well so far by word of mouth, but there are still some Spanish-speaking mums in Bristol who don't know about it.

"It's a great opportunity for us mums to just chat and chat. We are slightly unusual in that respect.

"The people who come here every week really care about the language. We only speak in Spanish here.

"We do treat everybody equally here, but we are not going to speak in English."

At La Casita, the older children are free to play on their own while the mums chat about the latest gossip from Bristol or Spain, but there are also group activities.

The mums sing songs in Spanish and read Spanish books. Like their mums, this could be the one time in the week when the babies and children only hear Spanish and for many of the mums, this is very important if they want their child to be brought up bilingual.

Pilar Muñoz, 45, who works at UWE and lives in Redland, came to Bristol from Toledo in Spain and has never left.

She comes to La Casita with her four-year-old daughter Carmen.

Pilar said: "There is a really strong Spanish-speaking community in Bristol and this is a really good way for more people to get to know one another and keep our country's culture alive.

Elena Lopez, 32, a pharmacist of Bradley Stoke, and originally from Madrid, brings her four-year-old daughter Miriam to La Casita. She said: "We both really enjoy it here and we have both made some really good friends."

La Casita takes place every Wednesday between 10am and 1pm at the Quaker Meeting House, 300 Gloucester Road, Bishopston. Sessions cost £3.

For more information, telephone Ane Mayora on 01275 817048.