Walk through the doors of any parent and toddler group in the land, and chances are most of the males in attendance will be wearing nappies. Such gatherings are notoriously female affairs (adult-wise at least), with the odd – and I mean occasional rather than strange – father braving it in a mother-dominated world.

But the latest weekly group to hit the pre-school circuit is set to change all that. Run by Thomas Lynch and David Marshall (pictured here with their lively offspring), Dads Rock is Edinburgh’s first and only playgroup tailor-made for fathers and children aged 0–4.

‘Both David and I have experienced playgroups and realised there was nothing specifically for dads in Edinburgh,’ says Lynch. ‘Our aim is for Dads Rock to be a place for dads to come and share their experiences, and that peer support will develop. We’ve seen this happen in other (mostly female) playgroups and believe that Dads need that support, too.’

As the name suggests, games aren’t the only things being played at Gate 55 – music is also high on the agenda. ‘There will be a focus on kids being able to play musical instruments, to express themselves and rock out,’ says Lynch. ‘Music means a lot to David and I, we think it’s a fantastic way to express yourself and is such a positive life affirming medium that brings people together. When we started talking about a dads group, we both knew we wanted music to be central to what we were going to do.’ See listings and the Dads Rock Facebook page for more details.

Every Saturday, Gate 55, Sighthill, Edinburgh.