The Springboard Project 2002 – 2003

The
Springboard
Project
Annual Report
2002 – 2003
“ Where F un is Compulso ry! ”
WE’RE EASY TO FIND……
SPRINGBOARD HOUSE 52 HURST ROAD
HORSHAM WEST SUSSEX RH12 2EP
OUR MISSION
“Springboard is a c ommunity based charity providing a safe, accessible, inclusive
play and recreation Centre for young people with special needs or disabilities
and to families with young children irrespective of their ethnicity or status”
OUR BOARD OF TRUSTEES & ADVISORS
Sue Morley
Chair
Dave Wright
Hon. Treasurer
Peter Catchpole
Hon. Secretary
Peter Fever
Trustee
Stewart Grant
Trustee
Tim Lane
Trustee
Vela Rasarthnam
Trustee
Peter Billington
Hon. Vice-President
Paul Kane
Advisor – Three Oaks Trust
Sarah Kane
Advisor – Three Oaks Trust
Hugh Parrott
Advisor – SCOPE
Cllr. Peter Tobutt
Advisor – Horsham DC
OUR STAFF
Nigel Scott-Dickeson Project Manager
Jacqui Merridew
Project Co-ordinator
Jane Tickner
Activities Co-ordinator
Helen van Yperen
Financial Co-ordinator
Loraine Bird
Maureen Butcher
Ann Grant
Irene Orford
Julia Perthen
Linda Southward
Fleur Chelton
Sasha Kane
Vicky Lillywhite
Emma Mancini
Project Assistants
Project Housekeepers
SPRINGBOARD IS……..
SPRINGBOARD has now been established for 14 years, having been originally
formed from the nucleus of the “Grasshoppers” self help group and other
voluntary groups for young children with disabilities.
Since then, it has been transformed into the Springboard Project, a multi-faceted
community-based leisure and play facility available to both the disabled children
for whom it was originally intended and as a drop-in centre for families and their
young children – mainly under 5’s – during the weekdays. In 1997, the three main
areas of the Springboard Family Membership, Grasshoppers and The Toy Library
were amalgamated to form the SPRINGBOARD PROJECT . Since then, we have
incorporated “Outburst” for our teenagers needing special support, the Twins and
MoM’s (Mothers of Multiple Births) Club and our “Step-by-Step” Dance Group for
youngsters with additional needs. The Family Membership group has now been
given its own name of “Cheeky Monkeys”.
CHEEKY MONKEYS
the family members’ group that provides daily
use of our Centre that is open to members and
other families between 10 am and 5 pm Monday
to Friday with private hire facilities available
for parties and functions outside these times
GRASSHOPPERS
offers specialised leisure activities and a
Saturday Club for children aged 5 to 13, who
have disabilities and/or special needs and also
provides respite care for families and carers
OUTBURST
enables teenagers (13+) with additional needs
and/or disabilities to move on from Grasshoppers
and enjoy specialised leisure pursuits that are
more suited to their age group whilst providing
respite care for their parents and carers
“STEP-BY-STEP” DANCE GROUP
TWINS & MoM’s CLUB
a recent addition to the Project established to
give youngsters with special needs and
disabilities a regular club to enjoy dance and
music with a trained therapist in a safe and
friendly atmosphere
recently set up to cater for parents of twins
and multiple birth children providing a regular
meeting place, support and activities with the
guidance of a dedicated Health Visitor
TOY LIBRARY
contains toys, play equipment and fancy dress
hire on loan to all children up to age 8 with an
extended range of specialist play equipment for
special needs children
SPRINGBOARD HOUSE
SPRINGBOARD HOUSE was obtained as a Centre for the
Springboard Project in 1996 and, thanks to the generosity of
the “Three Oaks Trust”, it has been provided free of rent or
mortgage since that time.
The House dates back to the Victorian era and has therefore needed
significant modernisation to meet the needs of the families and their
children who extensively use these facilities:
The Adventure Room….
….is a fully fitted soft-play area with a large ball
pool, trampoline, musical hopscotch pad, and is a
great place to use up all that excess energy or
take those first few steps as a toddler
o
The Lounge….
……provides that “home from home” feel with
comfy chairs, a piano, rocking horse and a range
of toys and books with drawing pens and paper
to while away the hours and catch up with
friends for a chat
The Sensory Room….
…. features a glowing ball pool, bubble tubes,
optic fibres, a swinging hammock, soft music and
a variety of sensory equipment to relax both
children and adults…especially the disabled
youngsters
The Kitchen….
..…provides an area for children to have lunchtime
snacks and light refreshments with a fridge, cooker
and microwave provided and a favourite place for
“Saturday Club” when our special needs children can
enjoy cookery
The Jubilee Leisure Garden….
..…following a massive facelift in 2002 to mark the
Queen’s Golden Jubilee and further improvements, is
fully enclosed providing a large outdoor area with
picnic benches, swings, slides, a play house, a “seaside”
blue play bark area with sandpit and safe surface
centre circle with play logos and hopscotch pad
QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS
In January 2003, a second review was undertaken by the Learning & Skills Council to
ascertain how the Project had progressed since the original assessment awarding the IiP
standard in November 2001. The Review confirmed that the standards had been
maintained and in many cases, had been greatly improved over the course of 14 months.
Particular areas of the Project’s work received positive comment including the level of
training support available and the excellent interaction between staff and volunteers. It
was also recognised that the Project’s trustees, staff and volunteers had a clear sense of
the organisation’s values, progression and direction.
In April 2002, the Project was awarded a grant by the New Opportunities Fund through a
consortium bid organised by West Sussex Early Years and Childcare Partnership. With
that funding the Project undertook to work towards the Quality Kitemark, which assesses
eight levels of competency across a variety of standards. This is carried out through
modules that are based around what can best be described as an organisational NVQ. To
date, we have achieved the first module gaining praise for the “clear understanding of
what (they) are aiming to achieve through the work with children, parents and the wider
community”.
The government introduced a new set of national guidelines for childcare to be operated
through OFSTED in 2001, including “Out of School Care”. Our Grasshoppers group, which
operates the Saturday Club and Holiday Activity Schemes, became subject to those
regulations and in August 2002, the group received a transitional inspection under these
new arrangements. The National Standards cover fourteen areas of the setting including
play and care, health and safety, special needs, equal opportunities and transportation. All
of the relevant policies were extensively reviewed and amended in line with the standards.
“Grasshoppers” achieved all of the standards and in some cases exceeded them.
Additional focus has also been placed on the investment to train staff including the
attainment of NVQ’s in Caring for Children and Young People.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
It has been a privilege to be Chairman this year, with the Springboard Project starting to
reap the rewards of all the hard work of the last two years. As my predecessor Tim said
last year, although we were not successful with the Community Fund and Children in Need
bids, this has not deterred us and with a bit of lateral thinking and a lot of hard work by
everyone in the Project, we are now getting back on track and the future is looking
brighter.
The Centre’s opening hours are now back to where they were before all the problems and
challenges of 2000 and the Springboard’s name is getting recognised within the community
- is this from all the school assemblies Nigel keeps speaking at? Whatever the reason, we
are now having people approaching us to ask if they can raise money for the Project – this
is great, but doesn’t mean that we can sit back on our laurels, as far as fundraising is
concerned, we still have to work hard to keep the bids coming in, making sure that
everyone knows we are here and that the work we do is growing. In fact, the Charity that
I became Chairman of is not the Charity I am Chairman of today – just in a year we really
have grown! The Springboard umbrella now incorporates the Step-by-Step dance group
for children with special needs and the Twins and Mom’s Club. Our family membership is
growing and we now have well over 100 families on our books for the Grasshoppers and
Outburst groups.
How did this all happen? As a result of all the hard work and enthusiasm the staff and
volunteers of the Springboard Project have, along with their willingness to take on even
more challenges. One major priority this year was to bring the Project into the 21st
Century and make sure that we are up to date on the minefield of legislation that is out
there. This has bought home to us that - ‘Yes’ - we are a Charity, but we are certainly not
exempt from all the legislation now in place, so we sent Jacqui on a steep learning curve to
bring all of our business procedures bang up to date. Jane also took on the task of some
extensive policy writing to bring us in line with all the OFSTED national standards that we
now have to comply with. We now have a computerised payroll system run by Helen and all
of our office procedures are now EU compliant! I believed that we were doing something
right and this was confirmed last August when we received a glowing report from OFTSED
Early Years on our first inspection. We also passed our second review this March for
Investors in People and the staff are working hard to gain the West Sussex Quality
Kitemark. This is no mean feat and something I hope everyone involved in the Project is
proud of, they should be - if it wasn’t for them we would not be were we are today.
So – yes - I am very proud to call myself Chairman, yet I feel a bit of a fraud for doing so
because without the other members of the Board and Nigel managing the great team of
Springboard staff and volunteers throughout the Project I would not be where I am today
and as Tim said in his report last year being Chairman is the easiest role, perhaps it is or is
it because we have such a fantastic team supporting the Chairman that it appears to be
the easiest role?
We are sorry to saying farewell to Tim Lane, Dave Wright and Peter Catchpole who have
all decided to step down from the Board this year. Without their hard work it is unlikely
that the Project would be the success it is now. All are highly skilled and have been very
active members within the Board, Tim as Chairman, Dave as Treasurer and Peter as
Secretary. They worked very hard to keep the Project going and have brought us through
some of the very tough and difficult decisions that had to be made. They will be missed,
but we wish them well for the future and thank them for all their hard work and support.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
We are also sorry to say goodbye from the Board to Peter Tobutt, our advisor from
Horsham District Council, who we lost due to the local council elections in May. He too was
a skilled and very active member of the Board who will be missed. Lastly Peter Greaves,
the Chairman of Grasshoppers, stepped down in December having been on the Committee
from 1989. We wish Peter and his wife Margaret well and thank them for all the time and
hard work they have given over the many years they have been with us.
Now we look forward to welcoming the new Directors/Trustees to the Board and our new
adviser from Horsham District Council. As I said last year, I believe the best way for the
Springboard Project to move forward is to keep fresh, not go stale and to keep new ideas
coming forward. To do this we need new faces, so if anyone feels there up to the
challenges and rewards of being a Director/Trustee this is a fantastic Board to be part of.
Why? Because you could not have a better team of people involved in the Springboard
Project around you!
Sue Morley
Chairman
The Springboard Project
Did you know……
o
Nearly 450 children use the Centre every week
o
There are over 250 Springboard Family Members
o
We also have 105 “Grasshoppers” & “Outburst” families
o
Nearly 25% of all our families live outside Horsham Town
o
It costs over £1,700 a week to run Springboard
o
Only 14% of our income is received from local government
TREASURER’S REPORT
During the year, the charity has successfully built on the achievements I reported last
year when we were able to create a sufficiently strong financial foundation to go ahead
with plans to invest in the Centre and improve the quality of services available to our
families and their children. The children’s activity schemes have also been able to benefit
from a wider range of pursuits and leisure interests. Major capital investment has been
made to Springboard House both with essential repairs, creating a new improved Leisure
Garden and refurbishing the Adventure and Sensory Rooms.
The financial controls of the charity have been extensively improved and modernised to
bring the Project into line with the Charity Commission’s latest code of practice. Helen
van Yperen, our new Financial Co-ordinator was appointed in March 2003 to assist the
Project Manager in planning and reviewing the organisation’s finances so that the Project
Manager has more time to focus on the delivery of services to the children and their
families who use the Centre.
The charity has increasingly received recognition within the local community and continues
to strengthen its profile and reputation both locally and across the county, working closely
with our funders and many other partners especially West Sussex Early Years, SCOPE,
MENCAP and Sussex Connexions. The value of these networks is reflected in the demand
and extent of our unique range of services.
The charity is now reaching the end of the 3-year business plan approved by the Trustees
in 2001, from which we have achieved substantial progress. The next challenge is to plan
ahead over the same period of time with aims and objectives that anticipate and reflect
the rate of change and demand on our facilities operated by the Project.
The importance of Quality Assurance standards play an essential part in the charity’s
success and the benefits are twofold – to improve and maintain the quality and safety of
our services and also attract the required levels of funding to successfully sustain all of
the charities activities. In the last year, the charity was inspected by OFSTED Early
Years and successfully passed all the National Standards. The second Investor in People
award review was successfully completed and the first module of the West Sussex Quality
Kitemark has been recently attained.
These standards also assist the charity in
demonstrating its levels of professionalism and trustworthiness based on the underlying
principles set out by the Charity Commission.
The reserve policy has been revised by the Trustees to a level of three month’s
expenditure, which more accurately reflects the need of the charity for sufficient cash to
cope with variations in income from month to month. The Trustees will keep this and all
other significant policies under review to ensure that the charity’s future is managed in a
practical but secure manner.
Dave Wright
Hon Treasurer
PROJECT MANAGER’S REPORT
Another year has passed and another AGM is already upon us – where does the time go?
In my previous report, I mentioned about the challenges of rebuilding the Project and we
have now been able to take further steps in improving our facilities and extending the
range of services we offer to local families.
We have been able to build on last year’s progress and Springboard is now reaping the
rewards for a lot of hard work with an excellent profile in the local community and
extensive links with our partners across education, social care and children’s issues. More
often we are being called upon to provide advice for others and be an integral part of the
many forums and working groups across the county, giving us an excellent platform to
portray the unique work of the Project. We are now involved in the Children’s Fund, Parent
Carers’ Forum, Early Years Partnership, Specialist Educational Provision, Parent
Partnership, Horsham District Planning Forum, Children’s Play Council, Twins and Multiple
Births Association (TAMBA) and the South East Regional Play Association (SERPA).
In the last twelve months, there has been some extensive capital investment in
Springboard so that we have the quality of facilities that our families should expect and
also to help our staff and volunteers at work. Cllr John Charles officially opened the
redesigned Jubilee Leisure Garden in July at the beginning of two really enjoyable “Jubilee
Fun Days” during a weekend that attracted over 350 parents, carers and children. There
have been a number of essential major repairs now completed to Springboard House, but
like the Forth Road Bridge, there are always areas that need attention. Our attendance
figures have increased, which is excellent, but that also means the play equipment and
facilities are experiencing harder use and need more frequent maintenance. The Jubilee
Leisure Garden will be receiving another improvement before the AGM and we hope to
have the funding in place to refurbish the kitchen by this time next year.
Two new groups have been started – the “Twins & MoM’s Club” (MoM’s being Mums Of
Multiple births) and “Step-by-Step”, a Dance Group for youngsters with special needs and
disabilities. Both have been a great success and more information about them appears
later in this report. However, the demand has not stopped there. We are also looking to
set up a group for under 5’s with special needs and disabilities, which will also double up as
a parent support group. This will help to fill a gap in provision, as we do not currently take
these youngsters until they are old enough for “Grasshoppers” at 5 years, so we are both
taking up a very essential need and providing transition into “Grasshoppers”. The second
initiative is a “Buddy Scheme” for youngsters needing additional support at secondary
school age, so that they will be able to share friendships and enjoy weekday activities
during their school term time, which other teenagers would take for granted. This will
also extend our range of respite to parents and carers.
Our funding levels have been successfully sustained during the year, despite the extensive
capital improvements and more investment across the Centre. The levels of Family
membership have increased which in turn means more subscriptions. We received two very
welcome large grants from the New Opportunities Fund and Sussex Connexions to help us
with our “Grasshoppers” and “Outburst” group activities and some equally welcome
fundraising activities from local schools, clubs, groups and colleges. David Wales ran the
London Marathon for us this year, so a big thank you to him.
However, the fundraising landscape has become increasingly more challenging, with funding
streams over one year now almost non-existent and a pre-occupation with “new project”
funding, which frequently requires us to reinvent ourselves whenever new funding schemes
are introduced.
PROJECT MANAGER’S REPORT
New projects always stretch the imagination and we have already demonstrated our ability
to create new opportunities, but there also has to be sustainable funding available,
especially for revenue, as covering operating costs ensures continuity. Paying our gas bills
or water rates is not an attractive fundraising proposition, but it has to be done.
There are now six aspects of the Project covering membership of families and for the
children with special needs or disabilities who attend our Centre. The families who visit
the Centre will now be able to enjoy their own identity with the “Cheeky Monkeys”
membership. Springboard now has over 250 Family Members in this membership group
who use the Centre during the week, as well as 20 organisations. Over the course of the
last year, we averaged nearly 800 visits per month, which proves the need for a facility
where parents can stay and play with their children as well as having the opportunity to
meet and form lasting friendships with other parents giving excellent peer support rarely
available elsewhere on a day-to-day basis. The Toy Library continues to be a popular
resource providing large toys, videos and fancy dress for hire. The Twins & MoM’s Club
now has 25 families with a dedicated Health Visitor who is able to provide regular support
as well as other frequent visits from other professionals able to give guidance and support
at their fortnightly gatherings.
Our “Grasshoppers” and “Outburst” groups for children and youngsters with special needs
and disabilities continue to grow in strength. We now have over 110 families drawn from
across Horsham District, Crawley Borough and Mid-Sussex. The value of this respite
provision cannot be underestimated. The children who attend and their parents all
continue to benefit enormously from the regular “Saturday Club” and Holiday Activity
Schemes. We have been able to access some excellent training programmes through the
year, including NVQ’s in Caring for Children and Young People and our links with West
Sussex Early Years Partnership have helped provide valuable support. I would like to take
this opportunity of thanking the Activity Leaders – Jane, Liz and Julie – and their
supporting staff for providing an excellent programme throughout the year, which all the
youngsters have thoroughly enjoyed. This would not have been possible without the help
of our growing band of volunteers whose enthusiasm is so vital to the groups’ success. Our
new special needs Dance Group – “Step-by-Step” – has also been a great hit and my thanks
go to Maria Dunkley and all the volunteers for giving their youngsters such fun and
enjoyment as well as building their self-confidence with every week that passes.
The Project completed its second review for the Investors in People standard in the New
Year and was congratulated on its progress since the first review a year ago. In August,
OFSTED inspected our “Grasshoppers” provision under the Early Years Out of School Care
national standards, which were all passed and in some instances exceeded. My thanks go
to Jacqui and Jane respectively for making this possible. Our Project Assistants have
played a vital role too this year with each of them taking on a specific responsibility – Julia
for the Twins Club, Maureen for organising our Gift Aid Scheme, Loraine for her
continuing involvement in special needs family liaison and Ann for assisting with finances.
In September, Irene took responsibility for our West Sussex Quality Kitemark standard,
which can best be described as an organisational NVQ with eight modules covering
comprehensive aspects of the Project’s work. Success in all these areas has demonstrated
the fantastic commitment and application of the staff and our volunteers who have worked
so hard across the Project this last year. I would also like to finish by thanking the Board
of Trustees and advisors for giving their time voluntarily to support the Project.
Nigel Scott-Dickeson
Project Manager
GRASSHOPPERS AND OUTBURST
This has been an extremely busy year for Grasshoppers and Outburst as we came under
the OFSTED umbrella. We had a very successful inspection during the Summer 2002
Activity Scheme, which saw us presented with our certificate of registration. We have
also been observed and questioned closely by Investors in People, which helped the overall
Project to gain the award and by the West Sussex Quality Kite Mark (3 in total) that led
to our passing the first module. Our OFSTED review came with funding which enabled us
to buy new computers and a decent photocopier for the Project as a whole as part of the
grant to be used for new equipment. With this and other funding we have received, we are
now able to run at the present level to December 2004, although we can never rest on our
laurels and as we speak we are always looking for new ways to fund our projects.
We have been very grateful for our donations towards particular projects this year:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
For family trips out as we did last year when we took a coach trip to Legoland.
A Resource Library to help parents and their children come to terms with their
additional needs.
New equipment, including New Age Curling, a Play Frame which we can make into
various role-play items such as an Ambulance, a Fire Engine, a Shop and a Puppet
Theatre and recently.
A Video Camera so our young people can make Video Diaries of some of their
outings.
A small Pool Table, which will be housed in the Youth Centre for our youngsters.
Holbrook School kindly donated some portable Soft Play Equipment, which our
children thoroughly enjoy.
We now have over 100 families on our books of which the majority of families have
children who attend Grasshoppers in addition to 29 families whose youngsters attend
Outburst. Approximately 30% of the families who now use our service are from the
Crawley District, with 69% coming from the Horsham District. The remaining few come
from Surrey, Haywards Heath and East Grinstead. We are now getting calls from as far
afield as Bognor Regis owing to our recent article in the Wellspring magazine for carers.
Visits to Holmbush Farm during the Holiday Activity
Schemes are always a very popular day out
Sadly we said goodbye to Maria Ruz due to new work and family commitments. Maria was
our Activity Leader at Outburst for many years and is going to be greatly missed by the
children and the helpers. Suzanne Bailey continues to run Outburst when she is able to,
now with the able assistance of Julie Beckley.
GRASSHOPPERS AND OUTBURST
We also said goodbye to Margaret and Peter Greaves who have been part of Grasshoppers
since the beginning of time. We will miss them both but hope they will keep in touch and
pop in. Without these two, there would be no Grasshoppers or Springboard Project.
Stewart Grant has been our Acting Chairman since then for which we are very grateful,
but as this is temporary, we are actively looking for a new Chairman and a link to the Board
of Trustees.
We have been lucky to be involved with some new projects in Horsham and have
successfully linked in with Karin van Maanen, the special needs co-ordinator at Horsham
DC Leisure Services. The most notable event was the “Blue Oasis”, a Nightclub for Young
Adults with Learning Disabilities. We were very fortunate to be involved and “Carousel”,
an organisation based in Brighton, came and ran Banner Making Sessions with our Outburst
Members. These were hung around the venue at Horsham Drill Hall on the night and are
proudly in our possession now.
To say that Grasshoppers and Outburst would not exist without our committed helpers
would be something an understatement. If anyone wants to know what the youth of
Horsham is doing during their Holidays or on a Saturday morning, then come and visit us.
At least 50 of them are helping families to have at least one day’s extra respite (for some
the only day’s respite) by volunteering at the Saturday Clubs and Holiday Activity
Schemes. Without their help we would not be able to help so many children needing special
support to have a fun packed day and their parents have a valuable day to themselves.
Grasshoppers joined the Jubilee Day
Parade in Horsham Town with Marti n and
Claire as our own Jubilee King & Queen
Caroline, Laura, Becky and Hanna (l-r
front) collect their North Horsham Youth
Awards accompanied by Liz Ferran, John
Charles and Jane Tickner (l-r back)
Becky Taylor, Caroline Ferran, Laura Murray and Hanna Wachnianin were recently
honoured in the North Horsham Youth Awards for a group working in the local community
and all of us here are very proud for them. With this award came a cheque for £200,
which the girls are now busy unselfishly thinking how to spend it on the Activity Schemes.
Many of our helpers are now Outset Volunteers and all their hours with us get added
together so they receive the recognition they deserve. Some are eligible to be Millennium
Volunteers (over 16) and Claire Beacher is to be awarded her 100-hour certificate at the
Outset AGM in July 2003.
GRASSHOPPERS AND OUTBURST
The Outburst group now has its own Logo thanks to a competition held at Millais School
and chosen by the participants on the Outburst Scheme. This will appear on all information
regarding Outburst and also on the staff and young adults’ Sweatshirts and Polo Shirts.
Their new logo is shown near the front of this report.
My last duty in this report is to say a big thank you to the many organisations and
individuals without whose help this year my job would have been very difficult:
•
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The Activity Scheme staff and volunteers
The Activity Scheme parents and carers
Horsham Youth Centre – for their facilities and help, the day at Lodge Hill and for our
new Kiln - pottery is now going to take on a new dimension
Marks and Spencer in Horsham – for continually supplying quantities of food
Holmbush Farm – for making our visits so special
Horsham Super Bowl – for making us so welcome and always finding a lane somewhere if
they possibly can
Horsham Library – for making our visits so magical for the children
Smith and Western – for your food, your welcome and your ‘deals’
UGC Cinema Crawley – always an enjoyable trip for our younger adults
Christ’s Hospital – for finding time for us to swim in their pool
Wey and Arun Canal – one of our newer outings which is proving popular
Ingfield Manor – where would we be without your minibuses
Councillor John Charles – for being so supportive to us during your year as Horsham DC
Chairman and enjoying our presence when we were at nearly every event you attended
I have thoroughly enjoyed my roller coaster first year at the helm and hope the ride
starts to slow down a little so that I am able to get off once in a while.
Jane Tickner
Activities Co-ordinator
SPRINGBOARD FAMILY MEMBERS
Every week, except for the Christmas break, the Centre at Springboard House is open to
all the various members that form the Project. However, the vast majority are our family
members who bring their children and toddlers during the week and enjoy all the facilities
that the Centre has to offer.
The membership rates have been maintained during the year at either £5 a month by
standing order, or £50 a year. For families on low income or benefits, they can join under
the Horsham DC Leisure Access Card scheme with a reduced rate of £3 a month or £30 a
year. Organisation rates have been increased to £100 a year.
Family Membership has grown dramatically over the last 12 months with 180 members
currently paying monthly and 65 members paying annually. The membership income we
receive is now regular and helps us to plan ahead knowing that this is now a dependable
source of income, having almost doubled from £7,263 in 2002 to £13,215 in 2003.
As with all parts of the Project, usage of the Centre has increased and the attendance
figures for the financial year (April 2002 – March 2003) totals a staggering 10,053.
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
April
June
August
October
December
February
Monthly Attendances
Our Centre is very unique in the way that is unusual for parents to be able to stay and play
with their children rather than being a childcare centre where the children do not have
quality parental time. This develops parenting skills and the children also develop play and
social skills in a safe enjoyable environment.
During the year, we have been able to organise regular arts and crafts sessions with Vicky
Maxwell, who has been with us prior to leaving for a teacher-training course. The children
have enjoyed these sessions tremendously and the quality of their work has been excellent
for under 5’s. Such has been the success that we are now looking at ways of developing
these sessions into a permanent feature and extending the use of the building on the first
floor which will also help to solve our problems with increased capacity. By developing a
Play Worker role, we will be able to give the families a regular resource of play, music, arts
and crafts sessions which they will be able to book in advance.
The Family Members will also be able to enjoy their own name and logo as part of the
Project. The “Cheeky Monkeys” membership will give them their own identity and enable
children to have a sense of belonging to something they can relate to which portrays all
the values of enjoyment, fun and safety that we try to provide at every visit.
STEP-BY-STEP DANCE GROUP
Half way through 2002, one of the “Outburst” parents – Maria Dunkley – asked if we could
help her set up a charity for a special needs Dance Group. Her daughter Helen has severe
epilepsy and therefore finds it difficult to go out to local discos or dance groups because
of her condition. After a very long discussion and looking through reams of forms from
the Charity Commission, it was decided to set up the Dance Group as part of the Project
and after some initial funding from the West Sussex CC Carers Grant, the Group started
in September 2002.
They meet every Monday during term time in Cowfold from 5.30pm-6.30 pm under the
guidance of Justine Souster, who is a qualified State Registered Dance Therapist. There
are now ten youngsters (all girls so far, although boys are welcome too) all needing special
support, who regularly attend together with a group of young volunteers who partner them
for the hour, giving the parents some short respite too. So far, additional funding has
been received for musical equipment and dance props from the Foresters Children’s Fund
as well as some very colourful orange tops with their own designed logo provided with a
grant from Mercury FM’s Operation Santa.
The group needed a name and their own badge, so with the involvement of the youngsters,
their volunteer helpers and parents the name “Step-by-Step” was devised. Helen, whose
original idea it was to start the Group, helped to design the logo which proudly adorns
their orange tops and tee-shirts.
A highlight of the year was when they all attended a local production of “Fame” at the
Hawth Theatre, the tickets being very kindly sponsored by the Golden Lion Children’s
Trust. The youngsters have visibly grown in confidence and thoroughly look forward to the
sessions every week. A recent performance at the “Blue Oasis” - a disco for people with
special needs - was a testimony to their ability and enjoyment. The Group has been a
tremendous success under Maria’s enthusiastic leadership and a promising future is
assured.
“Step-by-Step” at the production of “FAME” with their new tops
(above) and at the “Blue Oasis” event before their debut (left)
SPRINGBOARD TWINS & MOMS CLUB
In addition to Family Membership (or “Cheeky Monkeys”) at Springboard, there is also an
organisation membership scheme for other charities and support groups to bring children
to the Centre during normal opening times. The Twins Club was one of those members until
November last year when its leader, Jacquie Blackwell decided to resign. Unfortunately,
all the other Twins Club parents were all as committed as she was in being parents with
more than one to cope with and the strains of running the Club were obvious. It was then
decided to bring the Twins Club within the Springboard umbrella so that the families would
have this very valuable resource available so that the Project could undertake all the
administration, fundraising and membership tasks.
Julia, one of our Project Assistants, took up the challenge of running the Springboard
Twins & MoM’s Club (a “MOM” is a mum of multiple birth children – not an Americanism!)
and we now have a growing me mbership, currently with 27 families of which 25 have twins
and two are with triplets.
The Club meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays monthly alternating between mornings and
afternoons with occasional guest visitors who give guidance on a range of issues such as
sleeping patterns, pre-school development, dental health and toddler behaviour. We have
also been very fortunate to have Sue Hassan, our own dedicated Health Visitor, who visits
the sessions and uses the opportunity to speak informally to the parents about how their
children are progressing and discuss any concerns.
The parents also gain tremendous peer support and additional assistance for the club is
received through TAMBA (Twins and Multiple Births Association) a national association
that we are affiliated to. Some recent funding has been received from BBC Children in
Need, which includes the opportunity to arrange an outing for the Club this summer to
Legoland Windsor. The Club is a very valuable resource for these parents and Springboard
is pleased to have them as part of the Project’s work for local families, including some
from further away.
A pair from the Twins Club finds
that extra space in our Sensory
Room to take some time out
Project Assistant Julia (left) discusses
the ups and downs of Twins parenthood
with Jacquie Blackwell
OUR PHOTO DIARY OF THE YEAR
Our present Board of Trustees after
election at the 2002 AGM with new Project
Chairman Sue Morley (front third left) and
guest Cllr John Charles, Chairman of
Horsham District Council
Rewarding all our valuable volunteers at the
2002 AGM. In total they save the Project
about £15,000 a year in equivalent wage costs
The re-designed Jubilee Leisure Garden was
officially opened on the first of our two Jubilee
Family Fun Days in July 2002 by Councillor John
Charles accompanied by (from left) Project
Manager Nigel Scott-Dickeson, Annette Jones
from BAA Gatwick and Colin Allen from LIFE
Community Baptist Church, who both co-funded
the project with Horsham DC
The 2002 AGM Garden Party was a great
success with over 120 guests attending
OUR PHOTO DIARY OF THE YEAR
Large cheques of any size and
denomination are always gratefully
received. This one was presented by
Collyers 6th Form College Student Council
following a typically exciting Rag Week
A number of major refurbishments were
carried out during the year including the
Sensory Room that now features a star lit
cloud ceiling and mobile light machine
Many of the children under 5 who visit the
Centre during the week enjoy the arts and
crafts sessions with some of their excellent
work often decorating the Lounge area
Several of our “Grasshoppers” children
enjoy some understated attention with their
carers at a recent visit to Holmbush Farm
OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
The Centre at Springboard House is open from Monday - Friday between 10am and 5pm
and its core team of staff and volunteers work hard to provide a fun and safe environment
for Springboard families, members and visitors who visit during the week.
The success of Springboard is its people and we have been fortunate to have such a
dedicated and professional team of staff and volunteers working within the charity.
Our thanks for the past year go to our resourceful Project Assistants
- Loraine Bird,
Maureen Butcher, Ann Grant, Irene Orford, Julia Perthen and Linda Southward and
to our hardworking Housekeeping team - Sacha Kane, Fleur Chelton, Vicky Lillywhite,
Emma Mancini and Loraine Bird and to our Project Volunteers
- Heather Grant,
Christine Huckstepp, Linda Isles, Diane Issacs, Vicky Lillywhite and Julie Mileham.
We would als o like to thank Frances Fry, Rebecca Gardner, Carol Turner, Chloe
Sexton and John Mattison who have also volunteered their time for the Project
throughout the year.
With the help of Project volunteers we have begun to offer art and craft activity sessions
to our family members, which have proved to be very popular with both children and
parents alike.
Special thanks go to Hannah Cheesman (Summer 2002), Lisa Bowler (Spring 2003) and
to Victoria Maxwell (October - April 2003) who have worked hard to develop t he range
of children’s activities being offered. We would also like to wish Victoria every
success with her teacher training course in September.
Work placements have also been very successful at Springboard and help young people to
gain valuable work experience. Our students have come from Deerswood, Millais and
Tanbridge schools and Crawley College. We have also offered placements to Breakaway,
New Deal and Princes Trust.
Thank you to all our young people - Claire Beacher, Lysandra Cave, Kirsty Obbard,
and Sam Fitch. Also to Nikki Cutler, Bethany Haughton, Ella McEwan, Hayley Royle,
Laura Shotnik, Holly Bassett, Hannah Martin, Mary Parsons and Loren Selby.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Training and development is a high priority here at Springboard and we were pleased to be
commended on this by the Investors in People Post Recognition Review in March 2003.
Investors attributed the excellence of our service to our members to “…the
continuous development of its staff and volunteers…and the commitment of the
Project and its management team to supporting (this) development..…”
Throughout the year, our Project staff and Project volunteers have attended courses on
computer skills, First Aid in Early Years Settings, Child Protection, Financial Accounts,
Managing Stress, Calligraphy and Gardening. We have regular team briefings and individual
appraisals to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to personal development.
Individual and team objectives are also linked to the strategic goals of the Springboard
Project.
OUR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS
QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS
We are also committed to national and county quality standards, which include OFSTED,
Investors in People and the West Sussex Quality Kitemark. It is important to us that we
achieve a high level of organisation and professionalism that is recognised externally, as
this directly impacts on our fundraising capability and the level of service provision to our
members.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES
The Springboard Project could not operate without the support of its team of volunteers,
who provide valuable help in a number of different ways- fundraising, working in reception,
managing the Toy Library, organising art and craft activities, reading sessions, helping
parents/carers with young children, assisting with indoor and outdoor play, being involved
in health and safety initiatives, managing member feedback questionnaires, gardening - the
list is both varied and endless.
During 2002/2003 the Project was able to offer 25 new volunteering placements, of which
nine involved individuals with special needs, which ranged from learning and social-related
difficulties to physical and mental problems. As a result of these placements, the Project
has received very positive feedback from the individuals who find our working environment
welcoming and supportive, as well as from those organisations that approached us. We
strongly believe that we can offer the ideal environment for individuals with special needs
because of our experience and due to our supportive structure of planned induction,
training and mentoring.
Congratulations to our Volunteer Prize Winners in 2002
NOVARTIS CUP - FOR OUTSTANDING VOLUNTARY WORK
WINNER
JO PRATT
RUNNERS UP
BECKY TAYLOR
ABBEY CLARKE
CARADON TREND SHIELD - FOR THE MOST COMMITTED HELPER
WINNER
PHILLIPA LEWIN
RUNNERS UP
CHRIS JOHNSON
CAROLINE FERRAN
GRASSHOPPERS PLATE - FOR BEST NEW HELPER
WINNER
LUKE WOODJETS
RUNNERS UP
LISA STOCKER
LAURA MURRAY
SPECIAL AWARD
SARAH HAYES
SPRINGBOARD CUP – FOR VOLUNTARY WORK AT SPRINGBOARD HOUSE
JOINT WINNERS
MARY HAMPSHIRE & CHRISTINE HUCKSTEPP
Hellos and Goodbyes at Springboard House
In March 2003 Helen Van Yperen joined us as Project Financial Co-ordinator, Linda
Southward joined the Project Assistant team and Emma Mancini joined the Housekeeping
team. Past Project Volunteers who left during 2002/03 are Jiya Beard, Mary Hampshire,
Brenda Hughes, and Carol Crowhurst and also Sacha Kane and Vicky Lillywhite from
Housekeeping. We wish them well for the future.
Jacqui Merridew
Project Coordinator
AND A BIG THANK YOU….
The Springboard Project would not be able to exist without the magnificent
generosity of its funders and donors throughout the year
During the last financial year, we have been able to consolidate our funding and
although some of our sources were unable to repeat their support in successive
years, we have been able to cover the Centre’s day-to-day running costs, provide
activity schemes for the Grasshoppers and Outburst children and have been able
to invest in new equipment and facilities for the families using Springboard.
Medium term funding over a period of one year is now almost non-existent and so
the task of providing the Centre with a sustainable future has become more
difficult. Additionally, most large capital funding schemes are set up for “new”
projects and therefore require a good deal of thought and ingenuity when
assessing our future. However, during the last financial year we have received all
the help listed below and more besides, without which we would not be here…
Grants from:
BBC Children In Need
Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust
Horsham District Council
Mercury FM Operation Santa
North Horsham Parish Council
Par 72 Limited
Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Group
West Sussex County Council
Connexions Sussex
Foresters Children’s Fund
Henry Smith’s Charity
MENCAP - Crawley & Horsham
Learning & Skills Council
Peacock Trust
Three Oaks Trust
Fundraising Activities on our behalf:
The Bedford Hotel
Collyers’ 6th Form College
Invensys APV
NatWest Bank Wine Society
Pennthorpe School Annual Ball
Rudgwick Music Festival
WH Smith Horsham
Broadbridge Heath Bingo Club
David Wales - London Marathon 2003
Knepp Castle Polo Tournament
Oil Co Golf Society
PWA
Brian Shortiss
Gifts in kind from:
Golden Lion Children’s Trust
Marks & Spencer plc Horsham
Novartis
J Sainsbury plc
Unilever
…..and the many other donors all too numerous to include on this page, some anonymous.
THANK YOU ALL – your support is greatly appreciated!
The
Springboard Project
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended
5th April 2003