Spring
Newsletter 2015
Issue 17
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For many of our vulnerable children, summer is no holiday; it can be a living nightmare. Weeks away from the protection and support of school can be terrifying. Children get thinner and wander around the streets every day with nothing to do. They speak to us of feeling really lonely. Facing an increased risk of neglect and abuse during the long holiday, these children often seek protection in street gangs, where they find a misplaced sense of belonging and family. As such they are exposed to gang activity and violence, some driven to crime, substance abuse and even prostitution as they try to survive. Kids Company’s Summer Residential Programme offers much needed support during the holidays, with summer camps and day trips engaging children with fun, educational and confidence building activities. These broaden their frame of reference and provide enriching opportunities for emotional and physical development in safe, loving environments. Watch our new “Summer Is No Holiday” film and donate to Kids Company’s Safe Summer appeal here. It doesn’t cost much to provide these holidays, but the face of a 10-year-old who has just built their first sandcastle is priceless. Please help us make sure we can keep our children safe this summer, so they can return to school with exciting new stories to tell and fond memories to share in September.
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Contents Letter from Camila Success Stories Christmas SEE THE CHILD. CHANGE THE SYSTEM - Update sketch Restaurant Arts Centres - Arches II Urban Academy Treehouse Morgan Stanley Heart Yard Kids Venture Bristol Liverpool Speech and Language Therapy in Schools Programme Plate Pledge Kenbury Kitchen ‘No Nurture, No Chance?’ Conference Young People’s Hustings Comic Relief Joy Everley & Kids Company Charm Collection How Could the Arts Protect the Most Vulnerable Children? TFL and Mizuho Buses Science Museum Trip Star51 Annie Mac Therapeutic Rehabilitation at One40 Connected Generation T-shirts Corporate Volunteering Days Overseas Challenges Social Media Nuggets Meet the Staff Meet the Volunteer Special Thanks and Major Donors
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Letter from Camila Our summer newsletter brings with it a sense of renewal, and we are looking forward to our summer programme with the children, whose delight in being driven around in wheelbarrows and tractors on farms, and hurling mud at our staff is very touching. It is not until our team have spent intimate moments cooking and reading stories to children that we get to know just how important our care for them is. Even the most hardened young person expresses appreciation over cindered corn on the cob. So this month more than ever, as we negotiate adversity, we need your help. Some of you may be aware that we experienced some challenges with a very generous donor who claimed that we had never thanked her for her donation, or reported back to her on how we spent her money. Since I am obsessed with making sure people are thanked, and I personally sign every letter with my felt tips, I want to reassure you that not only was this lady thanked, but the Charity Commission had also approved her report. This negative, untrue publicity sadly has had a very detrimental impact on our fundraising, and we are hoping to recover from its consequences. What has emerged from this unfortunate incident is that the 650 Kids Company staff have remained resolute and committed to the children and families we serve. Thanks to the Big Give and the Childhood Trust, all individual donations up to £5,000 made during this first week of June will be matched until we reach £80,000. So imagine the most tender, poignant moments you’ve had with those you love, and consider whether you could provide a similar opportunity for
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children and young people who’ve often been devastated by lack of love. Our staff are prepared to cope with the fat bags under their eyes as the children deprive them of any sleep, knowing just how profound the summer holiday experience can be for an inner-city kid. Not only are these experiences important for their development, they also provide sources of hope when the times are bleak. In treasuring the memory of good things, children are reminded that they are lovable and, someday, they will find adults who will recognise that they are to be cherished. So please, rather than obsessing about the designer label on your sunglasses, the shade of tan on your gym-honed biceps and #NoCarbsBeforeMarbs, consider how you and your friends could give a child a holiday to remember for life. Without the generosity of our supporters, we couldn’t be here for these extraordinary children and young people. It’s with a deep sense of gratitude that I wish you all a brilliant summer with your loved ones. We’ll have lots of amazing pictures to share with you once our kids have put us through the mill! With love, Camila Batmanghelidjh, Chief Executive
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Success Stories
Michael Michael is 24. He came to us through a friend in June of last year. He was painfully thin, living on the streets, using drugs and had tried to commit suicide. We gave him food, clean new clothes and shelter, and found a wonderful rehab facility that took him immediately for the summer. He responded really well, and when he came back four months later – looking much healthier – we placed him in and paid for a residential aftercare facility in London. This month, we celebrated his UCAS application to university, something that he has wanted to do for six years. He has found a job and begun saving for a deposit to rent his own place when he becomes a student. Michael has just passed another clean drug test. He has passed every one since he left rehab.
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Sophie Sophie came to us last year. Her father had attacked her and thrown her out of the house during an argument. Aged 17, she was physically hurt and terrified to go back , and had confided in a friend who brought her to Kids Company. When she started talking, it transpired that she and her Dad were sleeping at a friend’s house, and she slept on the sofa as her Dad had the bed. There was no food in the fridge. She was so traumatised by the mental and physical abuse at home that she was unable to concentrate in school and failing her AS levels, which was particularly worrying for her as she was an extremely capable student. We went to Social Services for help, but they turned us away. So we found her a space in a safe house where the other Kids Company young people who there made her a nice bedroom and welcomed her in. We continued to negotiate this situation with the local authority, but in the meantime we had to act fast to get her back to school before she fell behind. A fantastic boarding school [which we can’t name for the protection of the young person] offered her an assisted place and she joined them in September last year. We are helping Sophie build bridges with her family, whilst keeping her place in the safe house, and a Kids Company keyworker who she speaks to at most days of the week,as well as a therapist through Kids Company who meets her weekly to help her process the trauma she experienced growing up. She is incredibly clever and hardworking, and we celebrated her getting As and Bs in her mock exams! As she comes to terms with her She has a bright future ahead of her. 7
Success Stories Olly Olly is a former gang member who spent some time in prison as a teenager. He came to Kids Company for help to get his life on track. Naturally charismatic, bright and keen to learn, he had inborn business savvy and a strong interest in fashion. So the amazing team at Grenson Shoes offered Olly an apprenticeship for three months, teaching him about all aspects of the business before sending him on his way with a proper reference, something which is crucial for getting future work. They loved Olly, and it was a pleasure for all of us to watch him make such a success of his internship. He was reliable, respectful and gave it his all, and he is now in a good position to find more work in the heady world of fashion. We know he will go far.
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Solomon and Signature Fragrances We are celebrating Solomon, who has successfully launched his own online fragrance company signaturefragrances.co.uk. This is an incredible achievement, as his journey has been a difficult one. Solomon grew up in south London, got embroiled in a gang and started committing crimes. His brother was handed a life sentence in prison. Desperate to get away from this environment, Solomon came to us on a friend’s recommendation. Kids Company mentored Solomon and provided him with a space to explore his talents, boosting his confidence, and he brilliantly turned things around to study a Masters in Applied Linguistics. He studied a TEFL qualification, and went off to teach abroad. It was on his travels that he came up with the idea for his business, and he hasn’t looked back. Solomon’s business is growing and we wish him all the best! As a token of his appreciation for the support he received, he has decided to donate a percentage of his profits to Kids Company. Website: www.signaturefragrances.co.uk
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Christmas Christmas Day 2014 is far behind us, but it is still a very present and a happy memory here at Kids Company. We want to give a huge thanks to our supporters for making it all possible and giving the gift of Christmas to our children and young people. Over the Christmas period we were able to: • reach over 12,000 children and their families with emergency food parcels throughout London and Bristol. • give toiletry sets to 1,200 teenagers. • distribute over 2,000 sacks of presents to children under 12 years old across our centres. On Christmas Day we held a huge party for over ,4,000 children and their families. Our activities included: Zumba, dance competitions, the Kids Company cinema, massages, a photobooth,
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bouncy castle, face painting, games and many more. All of our families went home with an additional gift bag which included a towel set, toiletries, a blanket, biscuits and games for the whole family to enjoy. None of this would have been possible without our generous supporters and volunteers. Over 2,000 volunteers wrapped, packed, painted and helped out in Operation North Pole this year, in addition to the 320 people who helped out on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We used over 4,100 rolls of wrapping paper in three weeks to individually wrap all the presents! Over 550 Items were purchased on our John Lewis gift list by the general public as well as an additional £24,787 worth of vouchers, which we used to buy family board games, Lego sets and clothing for those most in need.
What People Said about the Food Parcels & what Volunteers and Staff overheard on Christmas Day “Please send “I got the most beautiful Barbie doll. I can’t wait to look after her.”
“Thank you guys so much. Really is a huge help. Thank you thank you thank you.” Teen, aged 18
our thanks to yourself and ev eryone at Kids Company for Tyler’s presents, he is ve ry excited about opening th em.” Kids Venture Mum
Girl, aged 7
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have given us, you have made our Christmas.” Bristol Parent
“I really don’t know where to start from... Th ank you so very much for th e parcel... We greatly apprec iate it.”
‘’My mum’s cupboard is full now.’’
London Parent
, “The food is really tasty up... look at me munch it all ssed (laughter). We’re so ble you know!”
Child supported by the Schools Programme
Teen, aged 15
h! “I love this photo boot o ot ph I’ve never held a of me before.” Child, aged 12.
“It’s a great thing that you’re doing today. I’m so tha nkful that there is such a thing as Kids Company.” London Carer 11
Update Registered charity no: 1068298
The system is failing vulnerable children. Sign the petition at seethechild.org
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Our amazing advertising agency AMV BBDO have worked pro-bono for us to come up with this powerful series of ads to show how effective your signature was on our SEE THE CHILD. CHANGE THE SYSTEM campaign. Each one of you has helped to protect a vulnerable child. Design
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The SEE THE CHILD. CHANGE THE SYSTEM Taskforce has commissioned original research into the current state of child mental health and social services from Landman Economics. The review analyses the economic and administrative modelling techniques used in social care for children to determine which are the most effective and present the best value for money. The report found that there are clear grounds to anticipate an improvement in the future and demonstrates, via a series of case studies, the techniques 12
Registered charity no: 1068298
The system is failing vulnerable children. Sign the petition at seethechild.org
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that children’s services could extract in order to produce a more effective and ultimately successful service for children and young people. It is to be hoped that, in highlighting the potential for more sophisticated modelling, this report will assist the Taskforce in bringing about these improvements. Design
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In addition, a team of students from King’s College London have been compiling a database of information on the ways in which children’s services are organised in London and elsewhere in the UK. The project aims to help the SEE THE CHILD. CHANGE THE SYSTEM Taskforce get a clearer picture of the differences and similarities between local authorities’ approach to managing and delivering children’s services. It will also identify current, good and successful practise that could be adopted by more boroughs.
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Thank you sketch! In 2009, the Chief Executive of sketch restaurant, Sinead Mallozzi, brought her team together to choose a London charity to support. That week, by coincidence, they received Kids Company’s newsletter and they decided there and then to support us. It was to be an extremely significant day for the children of Kids Company. The fabulous Mayfair restaurant started adding a discretionary £1 to every bill they printed, and briefed all their servers with the story of Kids Company so that diners were made aware of what they would be supporting by contributing their £1. They have remained consistent and active supporters of Kids Company ever since, and have raised over £230k for the children of Kids Company. It is hard to put into words how grateful we are to Sinead, and her extraordinary team at sketch, for their love, commitment and crucial support. We absolutely adore you.
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“No child asks to be born . Once you are born your parents have a responsibility to care, nurture and provide the parenting skills you need in order to grow and flourish into good person . This is not the case for thousands of children in London. As a consequence Kids Company provides a home for our city’s forgotten children . Imagine dropping off to sleep at night not knowing if you can give your child breakfast in the morning – kids Co does this 365 days of the year. Able companies and citizens have a responsibility to pay it forward and this is ingrained in our values at sketch – this is why we work with Kids Co to help provide a nutritious breakfast to all of their children daily. If I had one wish it would be for more London restaurants to join our campaign – collectively we can make a difference!“ Sinead Mallozzi - CEO, sketch
Painting by Aston 15
Drawing by Arizona 16
God can you hear me? God can you hear me? I pray to you every night, For a special person you have carefully created, With beauty and love, To get rid of a curse, The monster that hold with in her, But why isn’t it gone? Everyday I see her in pain, Struggling day after day Doesn’t it make you quiver seeing a beautiful person in pain you had created? So please heal that special person, And make her smile more brightly, Like the rising sun in the morning, Make her glow with happiness, Like the bright silver stars in the sky, That’s all I pray for, So God please Can you hear me now.
poem by Rebecca This young person’s mother is very ill 17
Centres Arches II In March we celebrated the first birthday of our STRIVE programme. This time last year we experienced a surge in the number of young people coming to our Evening Club at The Arches II. They came in telling us of serious problems at home, and many of them were involved with gangs but didn’t have keyworkers and weren’t getting any help during the day. To combat this we created STRIVE, a daytime service to support these young people in every area of their lives, from advocating for them in the criminal justice system to budgeting for groceries. We have a drop-in service four days a week and the young people are attached to the team, rather than to an individual, so that we can be flexible and offer each young person a wide range of expertise and experience as they need it. This encourages the young people to be independent and to move into adulthood by placing the onus on them to be proactive. The young people use STRIVE for all sorts of things: support and advice in finding work; getting safe and stable housing; dealing with criminal justice issues; and for help with their mental health. Some of them come in for a chat and to escape from a rough home, others because they are in danger of gang violence.
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We attend police stations, court trials and sentencing as the appropriate adult when there is no parent around, and we make prison visits. We go to appointments with social services, mental health teams, hospitals and GPs. We do home visits and meet with the housing department to advocate for accommodation for those living in unfit and unsafe homes. We meet schools, colleges, Pupil Referral Units, and with local authorities to get young people back into education. And we go into the community to see these young people in their own terms in order to support them more effectively and witness first-hand the environment in which they are living. Over the past year, the team of six STRIVE staff members carried out 464 offsite appointments with young people. Of these:
154 62 26 26 26 51
were home visits were criminal justice appointments (police stations, prison, court appearances) were social services appointments educational appointments (schools, colleges and PRU) were housing appointments were the GP, hospital and mental health services
Of the 228 young people to have accessed STRIVE since it began a year ago:
62 6 28 2 27 24 11 17
of them are in a gang of them have been stabbed in the past year of them have experienced or witnessed a stabbing of them have been shot have been shot at or threatened with gun have been sexually exploited or assaulted have been seriously physically assaulted currently have very real and serious threat to their lives 19
Urban Academy So many young people who come to us have a passion for style and fashion. So Kids Company teamed up with academic institutions and designers to produce a course ‘Pathways to Industry’ that provides the useful and usable skills, insight and business processes to effectively equip students for competitive jobs within the fashion industry. The students work through four modules during the year, as they are guided through the process of designing and producing one finished garment to launch in the retail market. In this way, they learn firsthand each aspect of the job, its pitfalls and demands. The course’s sponsor organisations then play an active and invaluable role in helping the young people to gain places on diploma and degree courses and apprenticeships, and assist in finding viable alternatives for the really creative individuals with learning difficulties.
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Fashion and business leaders also come and lecture, sharing their stories and offering advice and encouragement - and some hard truths! - for working in the fashion industry. By the end of the course, the young people are equipped with the tools they need to get started, and have a viable product on the market. We work with them at this point to find work experience, and so far we are really grateful to Liberty, French Connection and New Look for offering these budding entrepreneurs a real taste of the action. We have been blown away by the dedication shown by the young people in the programme, and we are eternally grateful to everyone at LCF, Camden Working Men’s College, Lewisham Southwark College, Fashion Enter, Orsola de Castro, and all the external lecturers and companies who have made this programme such a positive and inspiring learning experience. We love you! Below: Pitching to Selfridges
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Treehouse Alongside our alternative education programme during the day, Treehouse runs a provision for our young people at the After School Club. Every day, the children receive a healthy snack when they arrive and a nutritious meal before going home. Between the meals they set to work on all sorts of activities from painting, reading, homework club, boxing, dancing, cycling proficiency, and circus routines, among others! One of our most popular activities in After School Club is The Den. Children can sign up when they arrive to spend some time in this art therapy room, filled with toys and a fish tank. Here they escape from the hustle and bustle outside and play in a safe and nurturing environment, one-to-one with a therapist. For some of the children, this is the only peace they get during the day. The children who come to us are living through poverty, and often neglect or abuse. Our team includes teachers, nurses, educational psychologists, therapists and keyworkers who work with the kids to see how best to support them. We have recently developed an Olders Club once a week for our secondary school children, who have made it back into mainstream school and are now becoming teenagers. We were inundated with requests from these kids to provide them with a space, away from the younger children, to come and see us, and have a chance to explore the new challenges they are facing as adolescents. We hold workshops or focus groups on a range of subjects in which they have
“You are the only good thing in my life�
David aged 13
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voiced an interest, which so far have included Drama and Theatre, Gang Prevention, Nutrition, Religion, Sex Education, and Racism. It has been remarkable to note that the relationships the children developed with us as primary school students have endured, and they value the opportunity to stay with us. What has been especially heartwarming is witnessing the older ones taking the little ones under their wings as they too approach secondary school in September. They are building their own culture of support and care through the backdrop of the Treehouse. It is such a privilege to be a part of it.
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Morgan Stanley Heart Yard Every Tuesday at the Morgan Stanley Heart Yard, our amazing staff member Chile runs a cooking workshop for some of our single mums. These women are referred to us from the other Kids Company centres, because our staff find that as they get to know families, the mothers are often struggling to cope. They are raising their children alone, often in extreme poverty and in dangerous neighbourhoods with no support networks. Many of them don’t have English as a first language, and have no one to help them. They are isolated, the majority suffer from depression, and a huge number of them are themselves victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking and family trauma. For these women, it is all they can do to get their children dressed and into school each day, but their depression makes the work of emotional care seem incredibly difficult. We find that the children have often witnessed the domestic abuse suffered by their mothers, and carry deep trauma associated with it. This adversity has serious consequences for the children’s development, on their ability to learn, their physical growth and their powers of speech and communication. So our provision at the Morgan Stanley Heart Yard becomes a therapeutic community, because we know that the best way to help these children is through empowering their parents and improving the quality of life for the family as a whole: the mothers bring their children to us because they have access to toys and books. Baking workshops encourage the cooking of hot meals at home, one-to-one and group therapy sessions work to improve mental health, and we add fun activities and residential trips to our provision in the holidays when the schools are closed. Since January of this year, over 3,000 therapeutic sessions have been attended, alongside the day-to-day drop-in nature of the provision. We are overjoyed that our therapeutic support can wrap around individuals and families like a community, a family. We are inspired to create something ever more beautiful! 24
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Kids Venture Kids Venture is currently offering a range of provisions for children and their carers, from tiny babies to older teenagers in secondary school. Our garden is really coming into its own, and we’re hosting Forest Schools and Nature Detectives groups, to develop creative thinking through woodland and garden activities, incredible for children who have never left the grey streets of south London. We have a beautiful allotment now too, the onions are looking particularly impressive! Our indoor space is host to our clubs and groups. Kids Venture provides a vital early years provision with the One O’Clock Club, to Kids Company young people and members of the local community in need of support. The club provides a relaxed and friendly environment for these young mums to bring their children and babies under the age of five, and we encourage and teach them how to play and interact appropriately with their children, as well as fostering supportive
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relationships with each other and our staff. Then, we have an under-fives drop-in session called Stay and Play and an early speech and language therapy group, focused on supporting speech development for young children who are behind their peers. At lunch time you’ll see us doing zumba, cooking and mindfulness classes - all of which work to promote emotional and physical wellbeing and resilience - and then when school finishes we are mobbed by our Club Time kids who run amok through the garden and take part in the usual line-up of activities, featuring everything from pingpong to painting. As we have assumed our place in this pocket of south London we have watched these children flourish. What we find particularly encouraging, is seeing our young parents form wonderful friendships and build their confidence in this environment, ultimately strengthening their relationships with their children and providing better love and nurture for their little ones.
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Bristol Our services in Bristol continue to tackle the emotional, practical and educational needs of our children and young people across six schools, our alternative education provisions, our streetlevel drop-in centre The Island, and the Le Coeur centre, our therapy and wellbeing centre. And in April we launched our newest addition - The Bristol Urban Academy. Modelled on the successful London Urban Academy, the centre offers flexible, therapeutically led further education and training to young people aged between 16 and 24. Each student has the opportunity to study accredited courses in conventional and vocational subjects, including GCSEs, Open College Network accreditations, Functional Skills and Arts Awards, thereby getting themselves firmly back into society through academic attainment. The demand is great, catering immediately for the 220 disassociated young people we support downstairs in The Island, as well as being open to new referrals. The journey begins here!
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At Le Coeur, our small family community is a place of solace for our young parents who are supported by our holistic therapeutic programme. We have a Tiny Tots mother and baby group, which provides a safe, nurturing place for parents and children to play and support each other, with the guidance of social workers and keyworkers. We also provide guided parent and play workshops where our trained therapists and social workers team up with our young mothers, fathers and expecting parents to learn practical parenting skills including how to manage the stress and demands of parenthood, and the importance of play. Hot, homemade lunches are served daily and we also provide emergency domestic support to parents in crisis, including food parcels and use of laundry facilities.
Liverpool In our last newsletter we celebrated the children, young people and staff in Liverpool who were working on our Performing Arts Programme, the Emotions Project. A few months on, we are delighted to share the fantastic news that The Emotions Project, has won the National Crimebeat award! This is an incredible achievement, and marks the first-ever occasion of a project from Liverpool has made it to the finals. The Emotions Project came about to give young people in the more deprived areas of Liverpool an outlet for their creative energies and to be part of a team project, one that might inspire them to improve their chances in life and steer them away from pathways into crime. The training was provided by MD Productions - run by the inspirational Miguel Doforo - alongside the Enhanced Care team from Kids Company. The project, which ran for eight months with a dozen performing arts workshops per week, offered a nurturing and vibrant environment for the young creatives, where they learnt to choreograph, design, dance and produce their very own show, culminating in an end of year performance at the Liverpool Empire Theatre.
“I’ve learnt I should believe in myself.”
Young person from the Emotions Project
We’d like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to Miguel Doforo for all his hard work and a big fat congratulations to all the young people involved, you’re all marvellous and must be so proud of what you have achieved! 29
Speech and Language Therapy in Schools Programme Kids Company is piloting a Speech, Language and Communication Programme in a number of primary schools in London. In September 2014, class teachers identified those children who were struggling to communicate at a level with their peers and were at risk of falling behind. Speech and Language Therapist Johanna Barclay grouped the children in threes to attend half-hour sessions once a week, helped by incredible volunteer Marnie. We arrived in time for the Communication Nurture Group at Heathbrook Primary School . Marnie and Johanna greeted three little girls who bounced in, heading straight for the bright cushions on the floor. They knew their routine, taking it in turns to choose a song (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star a firm favourite) and singing it to the group or having us sing with them. Marnie then read aloud a story, chosen by the girls, who joined in at their favourite bits.
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The half-hour session, which finished with a mountain of Play Doh to play with, was warm, inclusive and the girls were given undivided attention, with constant encouragement to speak and interact. They were openly relaxed and comfortable and it was interesting to see how loud they were, as an indication of how hard they had to work to be heard outside this room, just to be noticed and to keep up. ‘Approximately 50% of children and young people in socio-economically disadvantaged populations have speech and language skills that are significantly lower than those of other children of the same age. These children need access to early years provision which is specifically designed to meet their language learning needs.’ (Bercow, 2008)
The pilot programme - which currently supports 48 children with the aim of reaching more next year - has been very well received by teachers and parents alike, and Jo has been training the nursery and reception staff to improve communication with mirroring skills. At least 60% of young people in the youth justice system have communication needs (Bryan et al. 2007). We hope that these straighforward, sensitive and immersive group classes that Johanna and the Kids Company Schools Programme have developed will start - one child at a time, if necessary - to give these vulnerable children the extra boost they need, so that they don’t ever have to form part of that awful statistic.
“[She] has such improved confidence. with me and other chil dren. The sessions built a bond with me and she is talking and joining in games now and initiating interaction with other children.” Rec eption teacher, Heathbrook Primary
“I have a new way to approach my son which never I’ve done or th ou ght. He is able to focus on what he ’s doing, I can unde rstand his timing, what he wa nts to tell.” A parent at Sacred Heart Primar y School
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STOP HUNGER FROM RUINING A CHILD’S LIFE
To highlight the growing prevalence of food poverty and childhood hunger, Kids Company launched the Plate Pledge appeal in 2012, asking donors to pledge as little as £2 online to help us provide hot nutritious meals for our children. The campaign has raised over £600,000 to date and continues to mobilise the support of the public and businesses alike. With help generously donated by agency Carr Kamasa, we have given the Plate Pledge website a new look, and we have a new social media Pledge campaign to draw attention to the issue of poverty in the UK. It is easy to take part in the Pledge. Take a photo of your food whether you are in a restaurant or celebrating a homemade masterpiece. Share your meal with your social networks, tag #PlatePledge and donate £2 to www.kidscoplatepledge.org. Please, please encourage your friends to do the same and together we can stop hunger ruining our children’s lives. 32
We Need Your Help We can’t do this on our own. We need as many partners as possible to help us continue providing over 3,000 meals each week to hungry children, young people and families who rely on us to provide their main meal of the day. So whether you’re a big company, a small business or one enthusiastic individual, there are many ways you can get involved. We can offer comprehensive support to help you raise funds, from rounding up your restaurant’s bill to sharing our posts on social media. Anything you can do, no matter how small, can benefit children who turn to us in desperation. For further information about the appeal and to discuss how you can help please contact: Anna.Butterworth@kidsco.org.uk
Kenbury Kitchen The gorgeous Grace Brocklehurst has been working with the chefs at our Arches II street-level centre to design a menu that ensures that the meals we serve the children contain all the right nutrients for healthy growth, while still being up to the children’s high taste standards! Small simple changes to the foods that they children love has helped to increase the nutritional value: chicken breast, Quorn mince and of fish are now more prominent on the menu. The variety ensures we are including all the necessary vitamins and minerals.
go with the meal, such as homemade tomato salsa, guacamole and coleslaw. In this environment they get an opportunity to talk with the chefs, which sparks conversations that so far have covered everything from how chef first learned to cook, to why green and red peppers taste different!
A new club time activity known as The Chefs gives two children the chance to help prepare the salad, side dishes and sauces to
Journalist and comentator Jay Rayner came to visit the Arches II, and he wrote a piece about it for the Guardian newspaper. You can read it here.
What some of the children think: ‘The couscous with the chicken looked fu nny but tasted delicious’
here ‘I really like eating t to eat because I always ge with my friends’
Around the dinner tables these discussions continue with one of the children now claiming to be ‘one of the chefs’ to his friends as he has helped out so frequently and now knows how to make coleslaw without looking at the recipe.
‘We always get coleslaw with everything, its the best’
g ‘My favourite thin is the sweetcorn y’ because its yumm
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Conference at Homerton College, Cambridge. In May 2015, Kids Company partnered with the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge University to host a one-day conference on adolescent resilience. The multi-disciplinary programme brought together senior scientists in childhood trauma and resilience, epidemiology and brain development to explore the latest advancements in neuroscience and psychosocial research. The sessions were informed by exciting new evidence that enhances our ability to understand not only the consequences of early life adversity, but also the facilitation of recovery in adolescence from such experiences. Seminars came from leading academics in the field including Professor Ruth Gilbert, Dr Andrea Danese and Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, to whom we are so grateful for presenting their research and expertise. We are proud to continue to lead conversations about these issues, and champion research that aims to educate people in the devastating impact of childhood trauma on the brain, and to bring about discussion in the most effective methods for facilitating the recovery of traumatised children in order that they go on to thrive.
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Kids Company Young People’s Hustings On the evening of Tuesday 15 April, there was a real buzz in the air at Arches II as the gym of our south London street-level centre was transformed into a political hustings. Kids Company hosted MP for Camberwell and Peckham and interim Labour leader, Harriet Harman, and her challengers, Yahaya Kiyingi for the Liberal Democrats, Naomi Newstead for the Conservatives and Amelia Womack for the Greens. With speeches from each party candidate followed by an open Q and A session, our young people were given a real chance to get their voices heard and talk about what they want to see in a future that will benefit their everyday needs. It was a lively debate and a great success which left the young people inspired to research more into party policies so that they could make an informed decision come voting day. For many, this year was the first in which they voted. To read more about the lively and fascinating evening covered by the Evening Standard, please click here. (Photo below, credit Nigel Howard)
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Comic Relief When long-standing supporter Comic Relief got in touch asking us to create our own Draw My Life animation to be broadcast live across the country on Red Nose Day we were thrilled! One of our exceptionally talented young people, who hopes to pursue a career in animation, worked closely with the team to create a visual representation of her journey to Kids Company and beyond. The film is both beautiful and innovative and we are so proud of her! Click here to see it for yourselves!
Charms based on designs by children at Kids Company ! We have been so lucky to collaborate with Joy Everley Fine Jewellers to produce some very wonderful sterling silver charms, each based on a design created from drawings made by Kids Company’s children. Every charm comes complete with a special chunky silver jump ring just big enough to slide on and off a chain, and is proudly packed with a heartwarming message written by child to go with their drawing. We think it’s incredible that £16 from every charm sold is donated directly to Kids Company, and we are so grateful to the remarkable team at Joy Everley for their generosity towards our kids. Who could resist these adorable little creatures? You can get your very own Kids Company charm here.
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How Could the Arts Protect the Most Vulnerable Children? We are thrilled to be able to share with you a TED talk on how the arts protect the most vulnerable children, given by our phenomenal Arts Manager, Special Projects, Jebet Mengech. Jebet talks about the courageous children and young people we support and discusses why the arts are so paramount to Kids Company’s therapeutic work. She shows that through the children’s artistic expressions, we are given insight into their worlds and from here, the invaluable relationship between our staff and children is born and the children’s rehabilitation can begin. You can watch her powerful and insightful talk here. 37
TFL and Mizuho Buses As many of you will know, TFL and Kids Company partnered to make one of 60 buses as part of a collection painted and adorned by well-known and aspiring artists. The sculptures featured a fantastic array of designs including ones based around such iconic London landmarks as
Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, artwork featuring the designs of Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely, and even of the Queen’s Guard complete with faux bearskin hat. £25,000 was raised for Kids Company in the auction of the design buses.
FL and to the T to h uc m so u yo nk Tha Equifax and Mizuho, t en ev e th of rs so on sp signed by a hugelywhose own bus was de young person. talented Kids Company
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Spark-filled Science Museum Trip for British Science Week! To mark British Science Week in March, the Science Museum hosted a special event in collaboration with the British Science Association for over 400 children from schools supported by Kids Company. The children were entertained by the famous Launchpad gallery where they had a magical time immersed in the exhibits, with one child saying “I wish we could spend a week here!” They were then taken to the IMAX theatre for a special science show by Matthew Tosh. The children were gripped by Matthew’s dazzling scientific experiments, explaining what was going on behind the exciting sparks, bangs and flashes! We want to say a huge thank you to the Science Museum and the BSA for such a memorable day. We have some first class little scientists in the making!
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Star51 When childrenswear brand Star51 got in touch to offer us their support, we were ecstatic. Launched in March of this year, the label’s main objective is to create beautiful yet ageappropriate clothing, channeling its designs in innocence and purity. At Kids Company, we think this is a breath of fresh air and with prints full of bright and colourful patterns, it goes perfectly with Kids Company’s own style! Star51 are generously donating a percentage of their profits to us so there’s even more reason to buy your little ones an outfit they’ll have fun wearing! The full range is available to buy on their website www.star51.co.uk and at House of Fraser stores.
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Annie Mac The awesome and mega talented Annie Mac held her first ever festival over Easter weekend in Malta! Hosted by Annie Mac Presents, the Lost & Found Festival brought together some of the most revered DJs from the schools of house, dance, techno, dub, and drum and bass in a sunny paradise. It’s no wonder tickets sold out in a flash! We are hugely grateful to Annie and everyone at AMP for choosing Kids Company to receive a percentage of the ticket sale profits. And as if she wasn’t fabulous enough, Annie Mac is also donating the proceeds of her Sunshine Mix summer soundtrack to Kids Company. So this year the optional payment from her fans will come to our children and young people.
An nie we lov e you !
Therapeutic rehabilitation at One40 The therapeutic rehabilitation centre One40 approached Kids Company in 2014 to offer their programme to some of our young people suffering with substance addiction. This was a phenomenal offer, because we see great numbers of teenagers who abuse drugs in an attempt to numb the overwhelming emotional side effects of their trauma. Rehabilitation is long, painful and incredibly draining - on a mental, physical and financial level. So far, One40 has opened its doors to four of Kids Company’s young people. Each one successfully completed the detox. Two of the four stayed with the provision for a number of months; one is now headed for university in September, the other is holding down a job in London and is rebuilding his relationships with friends and family. Both are clean, and viewing life with refreshed confidence, determination and hope. It is magical when experts come forward to offer their support, providing tangible solutions to the children’s problems. One40 have provided these individuals with a priceless gift - the chance of a fulfilling, drug free future. To the wonderful team at One40 - behalf of the young people you have helped, we are forever grateful. 41
Connected Generation T-shirts This year we celebrated the launch of our partnership with ConnectedGeneration.org, an innovative new social enterprise selling quality ethical T-shirts with brilliant designs. For each T-shirt bought, ÂŁ5 is donated to a specific charity project, including a number of Kids Company initiatives such as IT and sports equipment for the centres, educational day trips and bedding, that the buyer selects and is then connected to. We are really excited to see the projects beginning to raise funds. We hope lots of you will check out the fabulous T-shirt designs available and donate to something that will help improve the lives of our children and young people.
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Corporate Volunteering Days Reed Elsevier Cookery Workshop
Windsor Castle Trip with Explore Learning
In March, volunteers from Reed Elsevier supported a cookery workshop with a nursery class from Jubilee Primary School. The afternoon was spent creating delicious quesadillas stuffed with cheese, peppers, onions and coriander. The children had great fun making faces out of the food, and then taking it up to the chef’s table to be cooked on the hob. Then they moved on to making a chocolate mousse, topped with exotic fruit, always a strong favourite with the kids and volunteers! The nursery class really enjoyed their afternoon of creative cooking; a highlight of the day for all was the discovery of the smoothie bike, which was part-bike part-smoothie maker. The children loved pedalling on the bike to blend the fruit inside the blender attached to the back, a truly inventive way to get children into healthy eating!
We had a fantastic school trip to Windsor castle with volunteers from Explore Learning at Shaftesbury Park School. The children couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of the Changing of the Guard ceremony and even managed to get a front row spot thanks to excellent manoeuvring by the lovely Explore Learning volunteers. We spent half-an-hour dancing to the beat of the drums, and trying to stop the children giggling at the guards’ straight faces! Later, we made our way to the Moat Room, for an hour of fancy dress and learning about the Queen’s role and duties. A couple of children even got mockknighted and they had lots of fun trying on the crown. It was an amazing day enjoyed by all.
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Overseas Challenges Make 2015 the year that you gift yourself an extraordinary experience while giving something extraordinary to the children, young people and vulnerable adults that Kids Company supports through your fundraising.
The Arctic Biathlon
The 2014 Arctic Biathlon was one of our best yet, as teams battled the frozen conditions of the Arctic Circle and each other in fierce but fun team sports. Competing across skis and with huskies, The Fury Yetis and the Legally Medium Copper Blondes took home the trophies. But the real winners were the children and young people of Kids Company. The collective fundraising of the phenomenal participants reached well over £100,000! Thank you so much, to all who took part and supported the participants. If you think you are hot for the challenge, sign up now for this year’s Arctic Biathlon with suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk.
The Pyrenees
We have a long love affair with the Pyrenees, the stunning European mountain range, and have three event challenges coming up there this year, two of which are still open for applications.
Le Chemin de la Liberté
Follow in the footsteps of allied pilots, stranded soldiers and those fleeing from Nazi persecution who forged this rugged path through the Pyrenees to safety. This wild mountain range presents a formidable natural obstacle, and this was one of the toughest escape routes tackled during the Second World War. This is your chance to take part in the historical Walk to Freedom journey from France to Spain through the beautiful surroundings of the Pyrenees. The challenge requires a high level of fitness as it includes steep inclines and high altitude, but worth every breathtaking minute. Event dates: Monday 10 to Saturday 15 August Registration fee: £250 Full details can be found here 44
Mount Toubkal
Following the continued success of Kids Company’s ascent of the highest peak in North Africa, we are thrilled to be able to offer this opportunity to more of our supporters. Known locally as Jebel Toubkal, Mt Toubkal stands 4,167m above sea level and commands superb views of the High Atlas Mountains. This challenging two-day ascent passes through remote villages and terraced fields, offering an insight into the life of the hardy and friendly Berber people. This challenge requires a moderate to high level of fitness as you will be hiking at altitude. Event dates: Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October Registration fee: £250.00 Sponsorship Target: £995.00 For more information, click here. You can also register by downloading the registration form here and emailing suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk
If you’d like to know more about any of our upcoming Challenge Events, please visit kidsco.org.uk/challenge-events or email Suzie at suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk
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Social Media Nuggets We have pulled together some of the inspiring messages we have of support we have been lucky to recieved in facebook and tweeter. ‘Well done to all involved. Tragic in this day that people depend on charities to live their lives. Bless you xxx’ ‘I think it’s YOU, the fabulous Kids Company, we have to thank, for everything you do, day-by-day, week by week. Mwah! To all of you!’
‘What Kids Company does is so incredibly important.’
‘I’m there in Spirit. I’m in Cape Town and I do read all your updates. Thank God for you. All my love and energy to all the less fortunate children in the UK. I love you. No child deserves any form of abuse !! They are gifts to this world and they are our future. *fun is joy to all kids heart and soul*.’
‘Thank YOU for what you do.’ ‘It shouldn't be like this but it is. Thankful that Kids Company and volunteers are here to make the difference to so many lives.’ 46
‘It was a pleasure to do voluntary work. Wrapping presents and decorating Oval Cricket Ground, for the Christmas party. Knowing there would be loads of happy children, teenagers and families gave me the BIGGEST joy! It is so nice to give something back, as I am a service user. Thank you Kids Company for being there for me and my Boys!’
‘Thank God for Kids Co. Your good work has saved many families from the brink of starvation. KUDOS!!!’
‘My 'like' is for the unstoppable Camilla, CEO of Kids Company. What a woman!’
‘What a great job you are doing to get the word out there!’ ‘My like is for the beautiful children who trust Kids Co to do right by them. Trust is a tough thing to give when you feel lost. Xx inspirational children xxx.’
‘You're amazing Kids Company!’
‘They do therapy in the school I work in and do a brilliant job’ 47
Meet the Staff Pamela Piper
How did you begin working for Kids Company? I started as an intern a couple of years ago; I had heard a lecture about Kids Company and was keen to be involved. My role initially was to source gifts to be given to young people as Christmas presents. I enjoyed it, and then got talking with the Research and Evaluation Team who were based in the same room in Head Office. The atmosphere felt welcoming and homely, and I enjoyed coming in to work. What is a typical day for you? When I arrive for work, the team gathers to catch up on our various projects. We are audited every quarter as part of our due diligence for our government grant. This requires a detailed log of the interventions carried out for our most high-risk clients over the three-month period across eight criteria. We work closely with the department responsible for grant applications, gathering intervention statistics from our bespoke database to help with proposals and then to produce accountability reports for donors. A great deal of our work revolves around keeping track of data and improving our methods for doing this. 48
And then on Fridays, I go to Club Time at our Kenbury Centre and help with activities. I enjoy this part of the week, I love working with the kids and it keeps me in touch with the front-line work. What is it about Kids Company that makes you stay? When I was growing up, I imagined working in an office to be stuffy, and full of disjointed work cubicles. The atmosphere in our office couldn’t be more different from the ominous stereotype! The environment is bright and welcoming, and our team gets on really well. There are times when our work is incredibly stressful as data pile up and deadlines approach, but it makes it even more rewarding when we secure grants and pass audits. I know the work Kids Company does makes an impressive difference to children’s lives, and it is a great challenge to think creatively about new ways we can communicate this with others. Knowing that I am working with such a passionate and dedicated group of people is also a great motivator. Has Kids Company changed you? orking at Kids Company has taught W me to be much more resourceful! As we rely on donations, we always want to make the most of what we have, so a constant challenge is working out ways to do the most work possible with what we have access to. It’s a great chance to get creative, and really encourages me to think on my feet.
Meet the Volunteer Kyle Garland
How did you become involved in Kids Company? As a second-year university student, I was looking for a personal journey as a Kids Company volunteer because I was looking to ‘leave the student bubble’ and do something a bit different. Kids Company really is a fantastic charity and the work they do with underprivileged innercity children can be challenging, of course, but overwhelmingly satisfying. In recognition of my efforts with the charity, I recently received my vInspired award for over 100 hours of voluntary work with Kids Company which was great! What have you found the most challenging thing? One of the most challenging things is dealing with the emotions of the children. Many of the children lead a challenging life at home and so it’s imperative that we create as fulfilling and enjoyable an environment as possible. That way we hope that they will develop socially and emotionally alongside their academic work whilst at school. What has been your favourite moment? My favourite part about being a Kids Company volunteer is the welcome
I get from the children and staff at the school every single week. The Kids Company badge makes you a kind of celebrity, and it’s almost embarrassing when the children clap and cheer as I walk in, the teacher has to calm everyone down! I wouldn’t change anything about my experience as a Kids Company volunteer if I were to do it all over again. Receiving a birthday card made by all of my class was a great moment too. If you could say anything to any future potential volunteers what would it be? Firstly, it’s fantastic that you’re considering becoming a volunteer: well done. The time and effort that you give up for the children does not go unnoticed and you will develop amazing relationships along the way as I have. If you’re going to volunteer in a school, have a think about the ages of the children you would be comfortable working with. Also, be warned, as soon as you put that Kids Company badge on, children will want to play with you! It does instantly make you feel welcomed within the school, which certainly settled nerves. It just goes to show the amazing reputation Kids Company has in these areas and long may it continue. My voluntary work has helped me secure an Internship with Bentley Motors Head Office in Crewe and I will be looking for similar volunteering opportunities there. To all the future volunteers with Kids Company: good luck! THANKS YOU SO MUCH KYLE FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL HELP!
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Special Thanks Thank you to all our wonderful supporters who chose to use their ballot places in the Virgin London Marathon to raise sponsorship for Kids Company. This year they raised over £30,000! Drake and Morgan Aside from being fantastic with their Pennies donations, the team have kindly provided space for us to host our Tea with Camila event between offices moves. Thank you! Entertainment One Not only have they raised substantial funds for us, they have also directly supported our young people by visiting the Urban Academy to give talks and have had pupils into their offices. In addition, they have donated such a large amount of basic goods to the Poverty Busting programme,that they are getting their very own plaque! Foxlow for their generous donations and their dedication and commitment to the Urban Academy’s catering project. The White Company Having made a big commitment with their donations they also gave us 6000 toiletries which were sent to children around Kids Company’s schools network. Barclays Thank you Barclays for your invaluable support this year! On top of financial support for the Urban Academy, the team have engaged in a year-long programme of activities with our Positive Experiences
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programme, working towards an enterprise hub with the young people attending the Urban Academy. Banana Republic The lovely lot at Banana Republic donated an incredible amount to our Christmas campaign last year and a huge amount of clothes to our children and young people. They are also supporting one of our young people through a work placement with them. MTN-I For the past two years, the wonderful people at MTN have done countless fundraising initiatives on behalf of Kids Company. This year the team returned to an old favourite with the London MTN Kayaking event, which raised an incredible £3,500 last year! We are so impressed with their dedication, thank you MTN-I! Uniqlo who invited 70 of our young people into their store in Stratford for a shopping experience before they embarked upon work experience. Each young person was given a voucher to spend on clothes and the staff generously gave their time to help them pick something to suit them all. Debbie Ninnis and Hayley Williams for generously donating their time, resources and talents to create our Christmas film promoting our Christmas campaign. Their passion, enthusiasm and commitment to Kids Company has been inspiring. Thank you Debbie and Hayley!
Headmasters who has supported Kids Company tirelessly over the past three years. The team has raised over £37,000 by jumping out of planes, cycling from London to Brighton and one girl shaved all her hair off. Several young people attended their academy and they also donated basic goods. Comic Relief for their continued support of various projects at Kids Company as well for the phenomenal efforts to include us in the Red Nose Day campaign helping to raise awareness about Kids Company. Macfarlanes LLP who have supported us with pro-bono legal work, working flat out to help us with the lease on our new building. Little Dish for donating a percentage of sales from their British Lamb Hotpot meal. Restaurant Associates who are helping us renew our kitchens. Diagonal View our new digital campaign partners. Aesop who are creating campaign imagery and a video to promote our our summer residential fundraiser. Watch this space! Ella’s Kitchen whose partnership has meant that tens of thousands of people have seen our Hungry Childhoods exhibition and understood what food insecurity means for vulnerable children.
Artemis for their ongoing generosity financially and for the commitment and dedication the staff have shown through numerous corporate volunteering days. Premier Foods who continue to support our food programme in various capacities including donating vast amounts of food and provided training to our chefs. AMVBBDO Our best media friends with whom our pro-bono advertising and campaigning work keeps getting better and better.
The Innocent Foundation for their support, encouragement and funding in helping us feed hundreds of children each week.
Carr Kamasa Design whose commitment to excellence has been inspiring in creating our new Plate Pledge appeal website.
Connected Generation for championing our young people and their creative talents so that they have the confidence to continue developing their skills.
The Childhood Trust who, via The Big Give, managed to fundraise significant funds for our Christmas to Remember appeal last year, and are doing the same again thanks to match funding via The Big Summer Give for our Summer is no Holiday campaign.
Sfit Media and Sift Digital for their phenomenal voluntary support in helping us decorate and set up the Bristol Urban Academy and for their tireless fundraising efforts.
Major Donors CORPORATE SUPPORTERS Allianz Global Investors AMV Arch Insurance Bank of America Merrill Lynch Barclays Foundation Barclays Foundation Charles Russell Speechlys Clark Brownscombe LTD Credit Suisse EMEA Foundation Drake & Morgan Entertainment One FENDI Foxlow GLH Hotels LTD Global CHA GPS Britain Ltd Holdings Structure Ltd ICAP Liberty Retail Limited Majedie Asset Management Mizuho MTN-I LTD Newton Europe Noble Foundation Oracle Corporation UK
LTD Pencarries Ltd PSD LTD 2014 Radley Retail Limited – DR146 2014 Reed Elsevier Sacred River Ltd Simply Business Sketch TFL Thames Tideway Tunnels The Anglo- American Charitable Foundation The Artemis Charitable Foundation The Berkeley Charitable Foundation The Columbo Group The Ivy Market Grill Caprice Holdings Ltd United Biscuits Warner Music UK WholeFoods Workspace INDIVIDUALS Alain de Botton Andrew & Blanche Sibbald Annie Mac David Dudding
F.W.A Esiri John Freida Jonathan Clarke Martin Glenn and Karen Sebley Mary Howard Michael Kirkman Miss E Banks Mr R W Barnby Patrick Howard Sanaz Zaimi Vishal Gupta TRUSTS Bailhard Trust Caring as one Foundation Hearn Foundation J Van Mars Trust John Coates Charitable Trust Lewis Hamilton Foundation Linden Family Trust Lloyd Webber Foundation Oak Foundation LTD Reed Page Charitable Trust Rose Heyman Foundation Sigrid Rausing Trust
Southampton Row Trust The AB David Charity The Charterhouse Charitable Trust The Charterhouse Charitable Trust The Childhood Trust The David and Rose Heyman Foundation The Delves Charitable Trust The London Community Foundation The ORR Mackintosh Foundation The Sten Mortstedt – For London Projects Worshipful Company of Paviors Livery Trust for Charities SCHOOLS Clifton College Garden House School Hawkesdown House School Queens College School Unicorn School Woldingham School GOVERNMENT Government Grant Lambeth General
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KIDS COMPANY 1 Kenbury Street, London SE5 9BS T: 0845 644 6838 E: info@kidsco.org.uk W: www.kidsco.org.uk Registered Charity Number 1068298