Fundraising Cowgirls Get A Surprise Christmas Present

Two ladies who have become familiar to club goers in Newcastle over the years for their charity collecting dressed as cowgirls received the surprise of their lives at Christmas when they found a new rival cowgirl collector on their patch in the Bigg Market. It was none other than TV personality Noel Edmonds who had come along to surprise them with a reward of a Noel's Christmas Present for all their hard work over the years in aid of Children North East and other local charities.

For the last 36 years Olive Cook (71) and Margaret Lawson (83) of Hebburn, South Tyneside have done many unconventional things to raise money and they have done it in style – raising over £1 million. For around 20 years they have been extracting donations from young (and not so young) clubbers on a Friday and Saturday night for Children North East while entertaining them with their line dancing and colourful cowgirl outfits.

Margaret's grandson, Malcolm, nominated the pair who have their own Facebook Fan Page, for a Noel's Christmas Present and on Sunday 20 th December viewers of the programme on Sky1 (watch on Youtube) saw the ladies surprised by Noel, then at a party held for them to meet the beneficiaries of their collections, they were whisked off for a trip of a lifetime to the home of country music, Nashville, Tennessee.

While in Tennessee, Noel took them to the Country Music Awards, bought them some brand new cowgirl gear, they met the Mayor and then the biggest surprise of all they met international superstar Dolly Parton who presented them with gold necklaces to commemorate their trip.

What a surprise for two loyal and hardworking volunteers of Children North East and their hard work paid off again when live on the televised show Noel presented them with one more present – a complete IT Suite for Children North East that will be installed in the West End Youth Enquiry Service when its refurbishment is complete later this year.

Charity Cruise Raises Record Amount

For the last few years DFDS Seaways, a loyal corporate supporter of Children North East, have been organising a Charity Cruise to raise money by offering a free Mini Cruise to Amsterdam to travellers if they pledge to make a donation to Children North East.  This year a record amount of £8170 was raised so thank you very much to

everyone at DFDS Seaways for organising this - it is a fantastic donation which will help all our work and will also make a considerable difference to our campaign to refubish the West End Youth Enquiry Service (WEYES).

HIDDEN HARM - CHILDREN NORTH EAST LAUNCHES NEW SERVICE IN NORTHUMBERLAND

Children North East's Families Plus is delighted to be launching its Hidden Harm service in Northumberland following the successful implementation of the service in Gateshead.  Following an intensive recruitment campaign the highly qualified and experienced staff team is now in place to begin the implementation of this ground breaking service county wide.

What is Hidden Harm -  It refers to families where the adults have significant substance misuse, alcohol misuse or mental health problems, or where there is domestic violence and the children are either having to care for the adults or the adult's problems are so great that they get in the way of them being good parents. Although many services may well have been working with these families in the past, the support offered may have been poorly co-ordinated – adult mental health and substance misuse services work with the adults but don't necessarily understand that adults are also parents; and services for children worry about the impact on the children of being young carers or of neglectful parenting; but no service sees the whole picture. Children North East's Hidden Harm services will engage with both adult and children's services to provide a co-ordinated service.

The main focus of the Hidden Harm services will be working with families when there is a crisis. The crisis could be the family being evicted, but it might equally be a hospital admission, an arrest or the threat of children being removed. A crisis point is a time when families are more likely to accept help so our ‘Hidden Harm' services will work intensely with them – as much as several hours a day every day for 4 to 6 weeks following a crisis point. Research in other parts of the country has found this is the most effective time to help families to change.

Hidden Harm staff will be specially trained to work intensely with families at a time of crisis making use of a variety of approaches. They will also liaise with all the other services involved so that the family continues to be supported once the initial crisis is over. In Northumberland we are also recruitinging volunteers to provide part of that ‘aftercare' for families alongside all the other services.

Hidden Harm is a significant new area of work for Children North East where we will be making a real difference for some of the most disadvantaged children in the region.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE BLOG

Keep up to date with our campaign to refurbish WEYES and other things by visiting the blog of our Chief Executive, Jeremy Cripps just log on to Jeremy's Blog

CHILDREN NORTH EAST AWARDED £462,022 FROM THE BIG LOTTERY FUND TO DEVELOP ITS WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN NORTHUMBERLAND

Children North East has been awarded £462,022 from Big Lottery Fund to develop two new young people's volunteering projects in the Hexham and Blyth areas of Northumberland.

The new Northumberland Youth Link projects aims to change the lives of disaffected young people aged 12-25 years living in these parts of Northumberland by matching them with specially trained volunteers from their own age group. The young person and their volunteer work together one to one to:

• improve communication between young people and parents to prevent a breakdown in relationships

• help young people feel good about themselves and encourage their dreams

• support young people being involved in or using local services and activities

• find ways for families to enjoy spending more time together

• help parents to be better parents

Children North East has been running a successful Youth Link pilot project in Northumberland for around 18 months supported by Northumberland Care Trust and the Department of Health, this new grant will enable to us to offer it to more young people particularly in Blyth .

Young people who volunteer with the project complete a nationally accredited course which gives them an NVQ Level 2 qualification, for some volunteers this is the first certificate they have achieved and has given them the confidence to go on to further training.

Children North East believes in supporting local communities by investing in our young people. The charity has found that young people are more likely to relate well to other young people rather than adults advising them what to do. Youth Link volunteers have helped other young people to overcome difficulties in their lives by befriending, mentoring and supporting them to find and stick with work experience and training.

A young person who has been involved in the Youth Link pilot project as a volunteer said: “ Youth Link has helped me with my confidence and supporting another young person has given me an insight into someone's life and given me a greater understanding and compassion for people. Before becoming a volunteer with the Youth Link pilot scheme I was at a bit of a loose end and struggling to know what to do in the future. I have now gained an accredited qualification and have just enrolled at college to take up nursing training”.

And a young person who benefited from the support of a volunteer said “I have ME and it made me tired and slow. All my friends left me and I was stuck at home with just me Mam for company and didn't go anywhere or do anything. I missed a lot of school and was really low but then I met my volunteer Emma and it was like having a new friend, someone to talk to and do things with – she wanted to listen to me and she still even came around on the days when I feel really ill with my ME. Emma really helps me and me Mam - I don't feel so alone anymore.”

"Outstanding" Service

Children North East's Families Plus Service was delighted to receive an Outstanding from the recent Ofsted inspection that was carried out at our Early Years Provision within the Hill Court Temporary Housing Accommodation in Newcastle.

Since 2000 we have been registered to provide Early Years provision in Hill Court which is temporary accommodation for families who find themselves homeless.  The

crèche room offers sessional day care for a maximum of six children in the Early Years age group of 0-4. When in the care of the highly trained Children North East staff the children are looked after to enable their parents, who are often struggling to cope with many different problems, to have time to deal with appointments, interviews, medical visits, shopping and general household chores.  

The provision offered at the Early Years group involves wet, dry and messy play, reading, drawing, creative activities, outside play and an outing programme which includes trips to museums, farms, shops and the seaside. The children also learn about the importance of health and hygiene by learning about things such as hand-washing, teeth-cleaning and how to make healthy choices.  

The Ofsted Report says : “Overall, the quality of the Early Years provision at Hill Court Temporary Accommodation is outstanding. Partnership working is exceptional. Staff reflect on their practice and confer with parents and other agencies to identify areas for improvement. They use this information the Ofsted self-evaluation form to assess their practice. Staff's knowledge of every child on the role is excellent. This produces an inclusive service that enables children to make very good progress in their learning and development and meets their individual welfare needs in full.”

Sylvia Copley , Head of Service for Family Support at Children North East says “We are absolutely delighted at receiving this wonderful report from Ofsted for the quality of the Early Years provision at Hill Court Temporary Accommodation. It is real testament to the dedication of the Children North East staff who work effectively in partnership with our colleagues at Hill Court to provide a service offering care and support to children and families who are going through particularly difficult times in their lives. Many of the children who come through our doors have left behind all that is familiar to them and often have only the clothes they stand up in when they arrive at the temporary accommodation unit. When they come along to us we try to ensure that the children have a happy time and their parents can be assured that while they are with us the children will be well cared for enabling them to have some time to deal with their often chaotic domestic situations. The Outstanding report we have received from Ofsted is confirmation that excellent results can be achieved even given limited resources with regard to space and equipment available.”

Children North East received the funding to provide the Early Years Provision at Hill Court Temporary Accommodation from Newcastle City Council and their spokesperson Martin Surtees Director of Children's Services, Performance and Commissioning had this to say on hearing about the Ofsted Report “this is a fabulous outcome, demonstrating the skill, care and expertise applied by the Children North East Staff, but also our commitment across the Newcastle Children's Trust to enable all children in the City to realise their full potential”

Sun Shines on Sandcastle Builders

The sun shone on all our sandcastle builders at the 2009 Sandcastle Challenge which was held at Sandhaven Beach, South Shields on Friday 3rd July.  Over 2000 children from 46 regional primary schools took part in the event to raise money for and awareness of the work of Children North East.  The theme for this year's event was "Then & Now" and we saw a wide range of structures that the children had devised with a little help from their allocated professionals from the worlds of architecture, design and construction.  Click below to watch a short film of the event giving you a taste of what it was like to be there.

The judges had a really difficult decision to make choosing just 5 winners who will all receive £200 for their school sponsored by GB Building Solutions.  All the schools and professionals had put so much work into the day but the 5 winners were:

Intrepid Zip Sliders Raise Loads for Children North East

Sunday 7th June saw 28 intrepid daredevils launch themselves off the Tyne Bridge on a zipwire ride across the Tyne.  The brave volunteers were all raising money for Children North East and we are really grateful to them all for all their hard work.

Golf Tournament a Swinging Success

Thursday 14th May 2009 saw 15 teams tee off at the annual Golf Tournament.  The weather stayed fine as golfers from some of the region's leading companies enjoyed the wonderful surroundings of Close House Country Club. The competition this year has raised valuable funds for Children North East and we are grateful to all those who took part and all those involved in making the day such a success.  Special thanks to Mercedes-Benz who supported our Hole in One Competition and although no-one won the dream of winning an Mercedes A Class was always there.

The results were:

1st - Tenon Ltd
2nd - Aesica Pharmaceuticals
3rd - Newcastle United Players Association

Appointment of New Chief Executive

Children North East is delighted to announce the appointment of its new Chief Executive. Jeremy Cripps will take over the reins on 23 March when current Chief Executive Tom Adams retires.

Jeremy joins Children North East from Northumberland County Council where he has recently helped to establish the Families & Children's Trust in Northumberland which brings together the NHS, Social Services and Education for children and young people.

In a child and family support career that began in 1976, Jeremy has worked for both voluntary organisations and local authorities. He brings to Children North East a wide range of skills and experiences to lead the organisation through a time when there is unprecedented national debate about childhood and family life.

Chairman of Trustees at Children North East, Steven Richardson said “We are delighted that Jeremy is joining us. He is bringing wide experience and expertise to the charity and will build on the sound foundation that our retiring Chief Executive, Tom Adams has laid down during his 5 years with us.”

Jeremy has always maintained that public and voluntary organisations providing services for children, young people and families should listen to the experiences of their service users and adapt to give the best service they can – an ethos that has always been very much at the heart of Children North East.

Jeremy says “Family Services should remember the only reason they exist is to serve children, young people and their families. Children North East has a long history of supporting local Mums and Dads and extended families so that our children have a happy childhood and our young people are enabled to reach their full potential. I am looking forward to expanding that good work and for Children North East to give a voice to families in our region who struggle to do the best for their children. This will become increasingly important in the current economic climate. “

Appointment of New Chair of Trustees

Following its AGM, Children North East, appointed Steven Richardson as its new Chairman of Trustees.

Steven takes over the role of Chairman from Catherine Weightman who will continue to serve on the Board of Trustees and as part of the Operations and HR & Training Sub-Committees.

Steven, a Partner in HW Chartered Accountants, has been a Trustee of Children North East for over 5 years and takes over the helm as the charity moves into a period of change with the forthcoming retirement of its Chief Executive, Tom Adams.

Steven says ……”I am delighted and honoured to have the opportunity of leading the Board of Trustees of Children North East. I have been involved with Children North East for over 5 years now and my firm HW has a long association with the Charity with the late Chris Potter having served as a Trustee for many years before my involvement. This is a fantastic Charity which does remarkable work with Children, Families, Parents and Communities here in the North East. We are the Region's longest established Childrens' Charity with almost 120 years of history behind us. I am looking forward to the challenge of expanding our services and increasing the profile of what I consider to be one of the Region's best kept secrets”

Christmas Sees Rise in Need From Families

Christmas is a time for families; a time for coming together around the tree to exchange presents and greetings; to indulge ourselves with turkey and mince pies. Can you imagine what it must be like to be homeless and in temporary accommodation; to be fleeing a violent partner; to be in a cold and strange land with no belongings to your name? Children North East works with families in these situations all year long, but somehow it seems even harder at Christmas. This year the credit crunch is making life much harder for many more families and Children North East is finding the need for material as well as emotional support to be increasing.

Every year through its Giving Tree Appeal Children North East collects gifts, toys and food parcels from companies and organisations around the region to be given to children and families who would otherwise have a very unhappy Christmas. This year the generosity of staff in those companies has been as expansive as ever. But the need of families seems to be greater than ever. No sooner has the Children North East collection van returned to the storage depot laden with toys and gifts than workers from our projects across the region sort and take them away to give to their families.

Appeal Director Catrina Flynn says:

“I've never seen the toys, gifts and food move so fast, often we can meet the demand from our own staff and have gifts we pass on to other organisations, but this year the need seems so great that we are struggling to cope.

Project workers are trying to meet the needs of families who can't really afford Christmas. They are telling me about families who are having to make decisions about buying presents or paying the fuel bills. Families who are arriving in temporary accommodation with only the clothes they stand up in and no way of affording even the basics of a family Christmas.

One of our Family Support Workers who has been at Children North East for a number of years says that she has never had to work with so many families at this time of year who have so little.”

Children North East is grateful to all the companies, schools, universities, groups and individuals who have given so generously to the Giving Tree Appeal and they can be assured that they have helped to make Christmas a little brighter for so many families in the region.

Bright New Look for Out of School Club

Children who attend the Out of School Club at temporary homeless accommodation in Newcastle now have a bright new club to look forward to.  Thanks to local companies _Space Architecture & Management and GB Building Solutions what was once a dull and cramped place is now a soothing, creative space with custom built storage facilities.  The teams from both companies worked hard on designing and remodelling the club.  They fundraised and called in favours from contacts to make the dream a reality and they have made the club, which a haven for the children away from the pressures of living in homeless accommodation, a great place to be and enjoy having fun.