A local charity providing outstanding support services for young people

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Annual Review 2013 - 2014

Youth Resource Services (The Rendezvous Sherborne) LtdUnder Cheap Street ChurchSherborneDorset DT9 3BJ

01935 814496 information@therendezvous.org.uk

Charity no: 1064021 Company no: 07592624

ANDREW MAY

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Chairman’s Report

I was delighted to take over as Chairman of The Rendezvous earlier this year, although rather thrown by such an early appointment when I was still finding my feet as a newly appointed trustee. I am getting to know the charity as fast as I can and everything I have learned so far confirms what an invaluable organisation it is and how lucky we are to have such a determined and committed staff and executive committee.I must pay tribute to my predecessor, Dr Sylvia West. Sylvia was effectively running the Centre for the last couple of years and with the trustees and staff held the charity together during a period of great uncertainty. She has handed me the baton with the finances restored and more importantly with a stable staff and a dynamic new Centre Manager in Helen Da Silva Wood in place. This has meant that the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee have been able to step back and resume the non-executive roles that trustees are meant to play: advising, challenging and supporting but allowing management to run the day to day activities of the charity.My main role is to run the Board of Trustees and to make sure the objects of the charity are met, primarily to help the young disadvantaged people of Sherborne and its surrounding

villages make the most of their lives and become useful contributors to society. It is unlikely that we shall ever secure funds from government to properly support our work, therefore it is important that we try and secure more local support from individuals to complement the brilliant fundraising efforts of Professor Bob Eccleshall and The Friends of the Rendezvous. Inevitably we shall still be highly dependent on obtaining grants from local and national trusts and it is very important that we are in a position to show how well the charity is run and that our young people are really benefiting from the activities and advice that we offer. We need therefore to improve our governance and our ability to monitor outcomes.As always we would like to thank all our supporters, and in particular Cheap Street Church, for their continued help and encouragement. Andrew May

PatronsJK Wingfield Digby Esq.Rev. Dr. Christina Le Moignan

Executive CommitteeAndrew May (Chair)Bob Eccleshall (Vice Chair)Linda Bygrave (Vice Chair)Caroline Tuffin (Secretary)Chris Walpole (Treasurer)Julie WarrenPempy WallingtonMartin Singer (Dorset Youth Service)Barbara Porter (Church representative)Anne O’Grady (Sherborne Town Council)

We wish to thank all ourfunders, donors & supporters

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Centre Manager’s Report

Joining the Rendezvous as the new manager at Christmas 2013 was exciting and a little daunting. Whilst I can no longer claim to the ‘new girl’ I’m still excited to be here and feel privliged to be part of such a committed team of staff, volunteers and trustees. Over the last year young people have had help with housing, application forms, health issues, parenting, debt management, benefits and relationships. They’ve gained qualifications, jobs, volunteered, made films, taken part in the annual Dragon Boat race, performed at open mic sessions and done it all with the support and encouragement from the Rendezvous team whom they trust and are there to celebrate their successes and turn to in times of need.We continue to operate six hours a day, four days a week for young people from Sherborne and the surrounding villages although some come from much further afield. We are not bound by borders and we see young people from Somerset and even have one young person who visits from Taunton. That young people are willing to travel over 30 miles for support is testimony to the value placed on the Rendezvous by the young people who visit and the confidence they have in our youth workers and volunteers. Behind the scenes we are improving our systems and processes and improving our ability to monitor and evaluate our work to help us plan for the future. Meanwhile, our increased staffing capacity has enabled us to be more outward facing and proactive in developing relationships with other agencies and partners. The Rendezvous is at an exciting time in its history and we’re looking forward to making great headway with our business plans as we strive to become one of the best services of its kind in the county. Helen Da Silva Wood

Friends of the Rendezvous Report What we do

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the year competition at Sherborne School.

There is growing support for the Rendezvous in surrounding villages. In November Bee Grant Peterkin exhibited her paintings in Yetminster, with proceeds from sales designated for the centre. The Chair of the Friends addressed the Wriggle Valley Women’s Group; and also the Charlton Horethorne ecumenical Lent lunch group which sent a cheque for £625. Elizabeth Turnbull, organiser of Leigh Food Fair, chose the Rendezvous as a beneficiary for the third year running.

Kris Wessels, outgoing administrator of the centre, raised £350 in sponsorship by participating in a Naked Bike Ride which, to the disappointment of some eager to observe the spectacle, was routed through London rather than Sherborne.

As well as contributing to the general revenue of the Rendezvous, the Friends continued to support individuals and projects. They again paid the team’s entry fee for the Dragon Boat Race at Sherborne Castle Country Fair, and as a principal beneficiary of the Fair the Rendezvous received £4250. They met the expenses of the weekly ‘healthy eating’ sessions attended by young people of both sexes, assisted with job interview and diploma costs, and contributed to a visit to Paignton Zoo by the Young Parents.

Funding & SupportersWe are grateful to The Patsy Wood Trust who awarded a grant to cover the centre manager’s salary until December 2015 but they are just one of a number of trusts and Foundations, local organisations who continue to show us financial support. With only 10% of our income coming from statutory sources, grants from trusts and foundations, local groups, organisations, inviduals and the Friends are invaluable in keeping the centre afloat.

Bob Eccleshall

“A young person told me about the work of the Rendezvous and I was so impressed I started to volunteer on Friday mornings and really enjoy it.”

There are now about 150 Friends, a large number for a small charity, many of whom contribute to the revenue of the centre through monthly or annual subscriptions. Some of the Friends keep in touch by attending the twice weekly coffee mornings at which Marilyn Davies has replaced Cilla Richards as co-ordinator of the cake makers and coffee brewers. The team is also responsible for refreshments at events through the year.

Among them were two concerts thanks to the determination of Raymond Wood to make Jazz at Cheap Street Church an enduring feature of the calendar, with proceeds to the Friends. The first, by Mike Denham of the Sunset Cafe Stompers and trumpeter and vocalist Ben Cummings, made £1100. The second, featuring all the Stompers along with singer Louise Parker, attracted sponsorship of £600 and an audience of 160. £1700 was raised.

The Christmas Fair, again supported by Oxford’s bakery and with the Quilters selling their creations, made over £700. Holding the Fair at the end of October ensures the sale of numerous Christmas cards using designs and photographs by local people. Christine Gibbs emerged from retirement to organise a splendid buffet supper for this year’s Christmas event in Digby Memorial Church Hall, an evening of entertainment by the Amateur Players of Sherborne with the talented young female musicians of Ryme Intrinseca. £1400 was made.

Another event requiring refreshments was a concert by the Pilgrim Singers who were joined by the young soprano Marta Fontanals-Simmons. The Singers, of whom former Rendezvous Chair Dr John Crossman is a member, drew about 70 people despite the lure that night of the international young musician of

Friends of the Rendezvous Report What we do

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Qualifications have never been as important as they are now. Unfortunately, many of the young people we see have struggled to succeed in a traditional educational setting and without literacy and numeracy qualifications now find themselves excluded from the workplace. Across the group there is a high level of learning needs and learning styles making our ability to work with young people as individuals critical to success.

Highlights• Functional skills – long standing volunteers

Christine and June continued to work with young people on an individual basis and helped five gain accredited qualifications at either Level 1 in English and Maths or Level 2 in English

• Job Club - launched in the spring with the support of Oliver Letwin, MP. The Friday morning drop-in sessions offer support with job search, CVs and interview practice

• Summer learning programme – university students provided individual tutoring enabling young parents and young people to gain confidence and skills in literacy and numeracy

• Mentoring – building on relationships with the Gryphon school Keith Harrison, Stuart Moore and volunteer and retired teacher Pam Stanley gave additional support to small groups of Year 11 students helping keep them engaged and motivated in the run up to their final exams

Health & Wellbeing “I like coming here because you can be yourself and people don’t judge you and I like that.”

Growing up is a testing time for most of us. For those with mental health issues or suffering ADHD/ASD it is even more so. These conditions affect more than half of the young people using the centre. When combined with chaotic backgrounds it often leads to further problems including relationship breakdown, inability to cope in mainstream education, substance misuse and the ability to hold down a job. By providing a stable environment and activities designed to encourage talking we can build relationships and be there for them in the good times and not just the bad. Highlights• Healthy Eating with Michaela – weekly

cooking sessions with young people who decide on their menu, do the shopping, the cooking – and then the eating!

• Shadows – the Dorset youth drugs and alcohol service visit the centre on a fortnightly basis for a mixture of individual meetings and group sessions

Future plans• Developing Health & Wellbeing Training

programme for staff and volunteers to increase inhouse knowledge

• Increasing the number of external agencies taking part in regular visits to the centre

• Holiday outreach programme

Training & Employment‘We believe that all young people should have access to local and national opportunities to develop skills for life and work and to create a more responsible, engaged and cohesive society’. (DfE Cabinet Office, 2014)

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• Vulnerable & Disadvantaged Young People’s Fund (Cabinet Office Centre for Social Action) – we were successful in achieving funding to appoint a volunteer and training manager for a year to improve our training offer to young people and build and improve our volunteer programme

Future plans• Gryphon School – deliver the ASDAN Cope

award to selected groups of students• Volunteering – deliver volunteering opportunities

for 19-25 year olds who are either out of work or under-employed (suppported by the South West Foundation)

• V-inspired - introduce the nationally recognised award for young volunteers

Housing“I was a young pregnant 21 year old with a disabled mum. Jemma and the Rendezvous have given me advice about housing and taught me how to find housing for myself. They taught me how to talk to people on the phone, fill in forms and take control of my life.”

With few employment opportunities in the town and limited and expensive transport, housing continues to be one of the key issues that young people turn to us for help and support with.

We work closely with local housing associations including Magna, BCHA and the local council to find suitable accommodation for young people. This could be supported accommodation, a house share or affordable housing of which there is a real shortage.

Highlights• Oborne House – appointed by Magna Housing

Association to provide support for young people in supported living accommodation. The property is now full with the majority of residents either studying at college, in work or seeking employment

• Donations – an overwhelming response from the community to our request for donations for the young people moving into Oborne House who were given beds, bedding, tables, curtains - our thanks go to everyone who helped

• Jemma Turner – our resident housing expert and senior youth worker left us for six months to have

a beautiful baby girl but came back in March and is again firmly at the helm

Future plans• Awareness - increase understanding of

the problems young people face with accommodation through events such as an Oborne House open day

• To support the delivery of money management programmes for young people

• To explore the opportunities of family mediation

“I saw what the Rendezvous did to help me and I wanted to do the same” - ex Rendezvous young person now an aspiring housing officer in Bournemouth

Young Parents“I like the group because everyone is very friendly and there is always helpful advice and information on lots of things including housing and health.”

All young parents want the best for their children no matter what their circumstances. As their children hit school age many feel ready to re-enter college or find a job and this is just one area in which our Young Parents group helps. The group of young mums (and sometimes dads) meet with their children on a weekly basis to socialise, get information from visiting speakers or advice and support from the team. We have an average of 14 young parents registered with us.

Highlights include• Sarah Childs took over running the group

and has continued to put on an outstanding programme of events and activities

• A summer party for young families and a pantomime at Christmas

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• Group fund raising activities including a successful tabletop sale to raise funds for trips and the Friends very kindly made a donation to subsidise the costs

• Two young parents have gone back to work; one gained her Level 2 English and is going on to do her Maths; one secured a place at college

Future plans• Improve our communication and promotion of

the group with a new Facebook group to be managed by the young parents

• Increase the number of talks on safety including road safety for children and internet safety at the request of parents

• Hold more sessions on diet and exercise and healthy lifestyles

In the Community

“I like coming down to the Rendezvous because the staff are really nice people and it’s a place if you need help, you will get it.

Although our focus is on advice, information and training we encourage and support our young people to take part in communal events and play an active part in the community.

Highlights include• Dragon Boat Race, Sherborne Country Fair -

every year we put forward a mixed team of young people and staff and although we’ve yet to lift a trophy it’s great fun. We are grateful to the Country Fair for its ongoing support

• Community Arts projects – we have close ties with Artslink, a local arts charity, and many of our young people have taken part in arts projects and a dance group

• Open Day – in December we held an open day which saw over 50 people come through the doors to find out more

• Buckingham Palace Garden Party - the work done with young people over the years by Caroline Evans was recognised publicly when she was nominated by a member of the community to attend a Buckingham Palace Garden Party this summer – something she was thrilled to accept

Future plans• Youth Forum – our new youth forum will launch

in the summer of 2014 giving young people the opportunity to have a say in plans for the Rendezvous and the local area

• Creative Media Mentor – Artslink are generously supporting a year long media residency which will bring animation and movie-making using ipads to the centre

The Studio

“I come here to use the studio, have fun, socialise and make friends. It has a relaxed atmosphere and I’ve learnt a lot.”

Music is an important part of helping young people define themselves through either listening to and aligning themselves with different genre or creating their own music to express themselves. Because of this the studio continues to be a popular facility at the Rendezvous. Young people can get help from our studio engineer, Stuart Moore and a team of volunteers to write songs, produce their own tracks, learn to play various instruments including drums and guitars.

Highlights• Rendezvous studio regular, Melissa Wroe, is

now studying music in London

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• Work experience – real-life experience in the studio for four young people from local schools

The numbers• Over 2500 visits in the year• An average 51 young people use the centre

every week• 61% of young people are under 19 / 39% are

between 19-25• 74% male / 26% female• 50%+ present with diagnosed mental health

conditions or ADHD, ASD

• A night of music – more than 20 young people were involved in an evening of music ranging from rock to vocal harmonies to acoustic where they performed to a local audience at the Digby Hall

• Open mic sessions at the Rendezvous give young people the chance to gain experience performing in front of a small crowd and boost their confidence

Future plans• Studio fundraiser to help replace and update

some of our studio equipment – particularly speakers, computer and peripherals

• Introduce the Arts Award to provide opportunities for recognised qualification for out of hours learning in music

Volunteers“Since starting my volunteering at the Rendezvous I’ve developed a lot more confidence and have a clearer idea of how to develop my interest in working with young people. I love it.“

Rendezvous volunteers are a tremendous help and resource and support our work in a variety of ways from direct work with young people to admin and organisational tasks.

We have more than 25 volunteers who range in age from 18 to those who are retired. We are committed to matching everyone to an opportunity that is right for them and are constantly reviewing our volunteer offer.

Highlights• Two volunteers successfully completed their

Level Two Youth Work qualification• Funding from the Vulnerable & Disadvantaged

Young People’s Fund has financed Keith Harrison’s role as the Open Doors Volunteer & Training Officer to develop our volunteer programme

Future plans• Set up a volunteer training prgoramme and

regular support meetings• Develop a team of mentors to support young

people involved with the Open Doors project

• Support four volunteers through level two Youth Worker qualifications and 15 through the Introduction to Youth Work course

AdministrationBehind the scenes the organisation has continued to function smoothly thanks to Kris Wessels who has brought sense and systems to the organisation.

Highlights• Apprenticeships – in September two Level 2

business apprentices were appointed to work with Kris Wessels our Administrator

• Business plan – a new business plan will help us do the best we can for young people in the area

Future plans• Website – our first website will launch this

autumn• Ambition accreditation for our work – we plan

to be amongst the first youth organisations in Dorset to achieve the new First Steps kitemark

• Kris Wessels is leaving this summer but he has given us plenty of notice to find a suitable replacement in the form of Joanna Lowndes