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THE PORCHLIGHT POST WWW.PORCHLIGHT.ORG.UK | ISSUE 7 SPRING/SUMMER 2015 Supported by GENNA’S STORY 40TH ANNIVERSARY ROUND-UP MOUNT EPHRAIM 10K Choose Porchlight as your Charity of the Year! Welcome from the editor WELCOME to the spring issue of The Porchlight Post. I manage the Dover young persons’ shared houses project and look after nine young people, aged between 16 and 24. I am part of a wider Porchlight team which supports more than 200 homeless young people each year. Their experiences are all different but many have faced trauma and isolation from family breakdowns, which can lead to mental health issues including anxiety and depression. It’s my job to help the young people I support towards independence by increasing their confidence and self-esteem and giving them a future they can look forward to. We have many successes along the way (amongst all the hard work) including service users getting jobs at P&O Ferries, Saga and Holiday Extras! (turn to page 7 for Genna’s story). I’m pleased to say that three of my current service users are studying hard at college and another has got a work placement as a graphic designer. My job is extremely rewarding and every day is different. The ‘kids’ keep me on my toes, but I like to think that I keep them on theirs too! Read on, and enjoy... Wendy Checksfield (pictured centre, front) Porchlight project leader/resettlement coordinator WE’RE delighted that Kent law firms Whitehead Monckton and Cripps LLP have chosen us as their charity of the year. Both have a wealth of experience in charitable support and are definitely on a mission to make a difference! Whitehead Monckton aims to beat its own record by raising more than £10,000 this year. Associate director Garry Warman said: “We’re so pleased that staff have chosen to support Porchlight and we hope to raise both funds and social awareness over the course of the year.” Activities include staff picnics, dress down days, Christmas parties and there are even plans to rent out the car park over the summer period. Cripps staff are putting their heads together to discuss sweet sales, BBQs and roller discos. There’s more about the different ways we work with companies at porchlight.org.uk/ corporate The Porchlight Post is produced by the Porchlight Fundraising and Communications Team. Head Office, 2nd Floor Watling Chambers, 18-19 Watling Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2UA T: 01227 760078 • E: [email protected] • Registered charity no. 267116. Est 1974. Design by Deeson Group We’re Crisis Champions! WE’RE proud to announce that, once again, we’ve been awarded Private Renting Champion status by Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people. We’ve been working with Crisis since 2011 to develop relationships with landlords and improve people’s access to private rented accommodation. This year’s award recognises our work in the area of health and wellbeing, specifically the partnership between our private rented sector access service and our Primary Care Community/GP Link service. This partnership helps to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we support, with the result that tenancies are more likely to be sustained. “Rough sleeping must be kept in the spotlight” AT the beginning of the year we launched a fundraising and awareness campaign to save our rough sleeper service. Local authority funding cuts have seen our rough sleeper team of 20 reduced to just six covering the whole of Kent. This is against a backdrop of increasing demand, our latest figures showing that rough sleeping in the county has doubled in the past three years. “We’d like to thank our supporters for getting behind our campaign and sharing our message so effectively,” said Jane Redman, Porchlight’s director of fundraising and communications. “We do, however, have an ongoing challenge which is to keep the issue of rough sleeping – and the cuts to our vital service – firmly in the spotlight. Sadly, there are hundreds of people living on the streets in Kent and they don’t stop needing our help just because the weather’s got warmer. “Many have extremely complex needs which require very specialist support. Our concern is that with numbers on the increase, and our service already stretched to breaking point, this situation is set to become even more critical.” Donate now at www.porchlight.org.uk 40TH ANNIVERSARY Conference OUR conference was the highlight of a very successful 40th anniversary year. The event saw leading representatives from across the homelessness sector come together to discuss innovation. Our 40th anniversary year saw us help 4000 homeless and vulnerable people Here’s some other 40th birthday facts... Over 821 people organised or took part in a fundraising event Porch lig celebr ht conferen ates 4 ce 0y of inn ovatio ears n 0 #Porchlight4 • Key messages focused on the importance of keeping service users at the heart of all developments. • We launched our groundbreaking research which shows that better support is needed in youth homelessness projects for people who have become homeless because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. • Read our conference report and watch our short highlights film at porchlight.org.uk/press-releases Raising a total of £36,255 to help support our work 21 local companies signed up for Purple 4 Porchlight,taking on a range of crazy purple challenges to help us raise vital funds Well done to staff at Barclays branches across Kent who raised a whopping £2133.98 with matched funding! Thanks for your support – we couldn’t do it without you! Take on the challenge WE’VE come up with loads of ways to raise money – and your pulse – this year! You don’t even need to be superfit, there are events to suit all abilities from a gentle walk or ramble, to a daring abseil, a 54 mile bike ride or a gruelling triathlon. Go on, you’ll enjoy it! And, best of all, you’ll be helping us provide a better future for the many thousands of homeless and vulnerable people we support. KM Assault Course Saturday 3 October, Fowlmead Country Park, Deal IT’S time to get down and dirty! Teams of six compete to tackle a number of obstacles including balance beams, a rope walk, a water jump and a tyre wall. Nominate us as your charity of choice and we receive 70% of any sponsorship raised! We had eight teams taking part last year, enjoying some healthy competition to raise a total of £1722! The Mount Ephraim 10K Sunday 23 August, Faversham GOOD news for runners! Porchlight’s own 10K event is back for a second year and we also welcome a new event sponsor, Pharon Independent Financial Advisers! This popular race takes you through the beautiful Mount Ephraim estate and the surrounding countryside. Entry starts at £14 and includes free family admission to the gardens. Last year over 220 runners raised an amazing £3265 for us. Sign up today and if you raise £20 or more in sponsorship, we’ll send you a Porchlight running vest! porchlight.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise Twitter: @Porchlight1974 Facebook: facebook.com/Porchlight1974 AARON’S STORY Transforming young people’s lives PORCHLIGHT is currently supporting 70 young people in accommodation projects across Kent. We provide more than just a roof over their heads. We offer a full programme of support, encouraging and challenging our young people so that they develop the life skills and the confidence to live independently in the future. AARON, 22, lives in one of Porchlight’s young persons’ shared accommodation projects in Dover. He’s been homeless and in temporary accommodation since the age of 15 when he was forced to leave home because of family issues. “I’ve been with Porchlight for almost a year now and it’s the first time I’ve felt really settled and secure,” he says. “My key worker Wendy has supported me 100% from the start and given me the encouragement that I’ve never really had before.” Aaron has some learning difficulties and didn’t do well at school. But with Wendy’s guidance he’s completed courses in health and safety and first aid, as well as put together a CV and undertaken a range of work experience placements. “I’ve worked with Growth Rings and Abbot’s Mill which are Community Interest Companies offering practical opportunities to young people like me,” he explains. Aaron’s also been involved with the BASTA project, a Swedish social enterprise model which allows people to grow their self-esteem, at the same time as gaining professional skills and experience. “I make sure that I take every opportunity going because it’s all helping me with my confidence,” says Aaron. “I also really enjoy keeping busy and when I’m not on placements, I like to volunteer for gardening and other projects.” Aaron is currently working seven days a week at a carvery restaurant – a job he enjoys – but is hoping to reduce his hours so that he can continue moving towards his dream of setting up a small carpentry and cabinet-making business. “I want to start my own social enterprise so that I can offer vulnerable people a chance to do something meaningful and productive with their lives and help them see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” he says. GENNA’S STORY £40 could fund a room and staff support for a 16-year old for a day in one of our hostels. Donate at porchlight.org.uk/ donations or on 01227 813 199 GENNA, 21, was made homeless when an already troubled relationship with her mum completely broke down. “I stayed with my dad for a while but he lives in a bedsit so it was just too difficult,” she says. Genna’s now being supported by Wendy in one of our shared accommodation projects and describes the work that Porchlight staff do as “just amazing. “Wendy and all of the others have been there for me every step of the way,” she says. “I was at such a low point but they’ve supported me on a practical and an emotional level, helping me build my self-esteem and regain some of the confidence that I’d lost.” Genna’s done so well that she recently landed a full-time job at Holiday Extras after being introduced to the award-winning holiday add-ons company through our jobs, education and training scheme. The scheme gives our service users the opportunity to develop the skills they need to compete in the job market by helping them build CVs, take part in interview practice and find work placements. Genna, who previously worked for P&O, was hoping to be considered for a work experience placement but bosses were so impressed that they invited her back to interview for a permanent role in the contact centre. She says that being offered a full-time job is a dream come true. “It still doesn’t feel real... Holiday Extras is such a fantastic company, I’d have been happy with a work placement, so to get a permanent job is so brilliant.” Genna’s plan is to stay with Porchlight until she’s built up her confidence enough to live independently. “I’m not there yet but I hope to be soon,” she says. “I’m just so happy because I’ve already come so far – I wouldn’t have believed any of this was possible last year.” Holiday Extras was the first to sign up for our Employability Sponsorship Scheme. Turn to page 10 for more information. Giving in memory ASKING for donations instead of flowers at the funeral of a friend or relative is a wonderful way to remember their life and helps us to continue changing people’s lives for the better. Last year, family and friends of Ceri Palmer (née Howells) donated an amazing £719 to Porchlight in her memory. Ceri tragically passed away aged just 22, and her family chose Porchlight as one of the charities to support with the collection at her funeral. Ceri’s mum, Alison, said “We suggested that people may like to donate instead of giving flowers. “Ceri felt passionately about the plight of homeless people and became aware of Porchlight’s work after moving to Canterbury to study. We were so pleased with how generous people were and that one of the ways we were able to celebrate Ceri’s life was by supporting the charity in this way.” Go Purple 4 Porchlight! We’ve been blown away by the many businesses, schools and community groups that have supported us by going Purple 4 Porchlight. Last year’s fundraising total was a whopping £5833! THINK you can do better? Mark World Homeless Day this October by going ‘Purple’ once again to help raise vital funds so that we can continue to support homeless and vulnerable people across Kent. It’s easy to get involved; take part any time in October and wear purple for a day (the crazier your outfit the better!), or hold a Purple bake-off or cake sale. Be bold, be creative – as long as it’s PURPLE! The highest fundraisers will receive the prestigious Homelessness Heroes trophy so there’s every reason to set yourself a purple challenge this autumn. Many thanks for the support! We really enjoyed going Purple 4 Porchlight and doing our bit to support the work of this fantastic charity Claire Fosbeary, Asda For further information, visit porchlight.org.uk/ fundraise Helping people back to work WE actively encourage our service users to become involved in education, employment and training because we recognise these as the main routes out of poverty. Our weekly activities programme includes basic maths and English lessons, as well as university taster sessions and access courses. Our ultimate aim is to help people realise their full potential so that they can move away from homelessness for good. Visit our website for more information on our jobs, education and training service. “I never fail to be impressed by Porchlight’s commitment to providing practical opportunities to help people gain, and sustain, employment. Hugo Fenwick, High Sheriff of Kent Calling all local businesses! Become a Porchlight Employability Sponsor WE launched our Employability Sponsor Scheme at the end of last year. The scheme engages the support of local businesses to help young people and adults back into employment by giving them the confidence and skills required to compete in the job market. Simply donate £500 or more and join companies like Holiday Extras, the Brett Group and Robinsons Solicitors in funding our vital work and helping us change the lives of more people like Genna and Aaron. Visit www.porchlight.org.uk/employability-sponsor to find out more or contact [email protected]/ 01227 813 199. Thank you Huge dedication from community fundraisers WE are extremely grateful for the generous donations received from several Rotary, Lions and Lioness Clubs across Kent, and their dedication to getting involved in and helping improve their local communities. Special thanks to Ramsgate Rotary Club who have committed to supporting us with £3000 over the next three years towards our work in Thanet. And relax... THANK you to the staff and pupils at Holy Trinity & St John’s Primary School in Margate for getting comfy in their onesies and raising £472 by wearing their PJs 4 Porchlight! Festival flair THE St Nicholas Festival chose Porchlight as one of its charities for 2014 and decided to donate an amazing £3000 towards our work with young people in the Canterbury District. We are so grateful for their generosity and support. Cutting a dash Braving the elements THANK you to the Canterbury Academy students who braved the elements and did a Sponsored Sleep Out for us in November, raising £838! If you think your students, scouts or youth group would enjoy and value this experience, contact us for a Sleep Out Pack to help organise your event. IN November, Peter Berg and Alan Callaghan attempted the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run in a 1902 Curved Dash Oldsmobile. Although not quite reaching the finish line, they did make it to Brighton and raised £378 for the charity! Thanks and well done! Marathon effort THANK you to the six intrepid runners who ran the Brighton Marathon for us in April 2014 and raised £2281! A great achievement! We’ve got another six determined supporters taking part in the London and Brighton Marathons for us this month – Go Team Porchlight! THANKS to the Garfield Weston Foundation which has supported our rough sleeper service with a donation of £10,000! WE’VE also been awarded £85,000 by The Henry Smith Charity towards our jobs, education and training programme. We are looking for superstars to take on a challenge in 2015 and raise money to help homeless people across Kent have a better life. Could you make a difference by taking part in one of these events? 31 7 14 31 May Folkestone Coastal 10k A flat route, traffic-free and a great race for beginners and more experienced runners. Entry starts at £13. 28 7 June KM Colour Run Baypoint Club, Sandwich A fun, non-competitive 5km run where you get coloured powder paint thrown at you! 14 June KM Folkestone Abseil Leas Cliff, Folkestone See the English Channel from a totally unique vantage point! £12 registration fee and we receive 70% of your sponsorship total! Any time in October Mark World Homeless Day and change the lives of homeless people in your community by doing something Purple for Porchlight. 28 June KM Charity Walk Mote House, Maidstone Choose from a gentle 5 mile or a more challenging 10 mile walk through pretty Kentish countryside. 05 5 July 23 23 August KM Dragon Boat Race Mote Park, Maidstone Book a team of 11 for this 250m race! It costs £400 to book a boat, use code KMDB15 for a £50 discount! Mount Ephraim 10K Mount Ephraim Gardens, Faversham Porchlight’s own 10K run is back for a second year! Entry starts at £14 For more details and to get involved in any of these events please visit porchlight.org.uk/events-and-challenges email: [email protected] or call us on 01227 813199