BBC Children in Need Feed

Who You Help: Keys to the Future Shelter project in Knowsley

2014-01-27T11:01:48+00:00

This is the start of Poverty and Homelessness Awareness Week and a good opportunity to highlight the work being done around this subject by organisations funded by BBC Children in Need. We have been funding the Keys to the Future project in Knowsley, Merseyside through Shelter since 2009. The aim of this project is to support children and young people who are affected by homelessness.

The Knowsley Project

The following case studies highlight how young people have been helped by this project.

Case Study 1 – Sophie and Marc

Sophie and Marc came to Shelter after meeting one of their Support Workers whilst visiting a friend. They had recently moved to Merseyside from Cardiff with their two children, Julia (aged 8) and Richard (aged 2). At the time, Sophie was pregnant with their third child and was suffering from depression.

The family were really struggling to settle into the new area. The stress of extensive debt as well as disrepair issues with their new house meant that both Sophie and Marc were finding it hard to support their children through a difficult period of transition. As a consequence, both children, and in particular Julia, had worrying behavioural issues. Julia had developed problems with anxiety; she refused to travel on public transport and was also having difficulties with other children in the neighbourhood who were taunting her because of her Welsh accent.

Shelter’s Support Worker assessed the family and set up a holistic action plan for improving their situation. Sophie started to attend a parenting course, which helped her to deal with her children’s behavioural issues and improved her confidence in her parenting ability. She also received advice in addressing the family’s financial problems from Citizens Advice and was able to negotiate an affordable repayment plan for the family’s debt. Shelter’s Support Worker worked with Sophie and Marc on contacting their landlord and getting him to finish the outstanding repair work to the property. She also successfully petitioned the local authority for a free place at nursery for Richard, and worked one-on-one with Julia to improve her confidence and deal with her worries.

As the action plan was completed the family’s functioning began to improve. Richard started nursery, giving Sophie precious time to prepare for the new baby. Julia is doing far better at school and is now taking dance classes, which have substantially enhanced her confidence. Moreover, she has learnt to cope with some of her worries, and is much better at dealing with challenging situations. All the repairs to the house have been completed and the family now enjoy spending time at home together. Both parents have improved self-esteem and are now confident, engaged parents.

Case Study 2 – Michael and Tracy

Michael and Tracy were referred to the Knowsley Project as the family were getting targeted in the community, their living condition was very poor, the family had experienced homelessness in the past and had several moves. The referrer said the housing situation had an impact on the children; Michael and Tracy have four children, John 18, Anna 15, Sophie 14 & Ellie 10.

The family was assessed during the initial visit with complex needs around housing, family dynamic, mental health and the children’s education. The issues with housing were around overcrowding, the condition of the property, disrepairs/safety and rent arrears. With five adults and the three children living in the 3-bedroom property, the house was overcrowded. The three daughters had to share one bedroom which had an impact on their relationship, education and personal development.

The family were in rent arrears with their current and previous landlord, so they could not apply for social housing. As their landlord had sent armed men to collect some rent arrears previously, they were too scared to be referred to an enforcement officer to chase the landlord to complete the repairs. The family had to move, as soon as possible, to a decent area, bigger house and into private housing.

The housing situation had an impact on the parents too, who were both suffering from depression, especially Michael. As both Michael and Tracy were not mentally well, this had an impact on their confidence and parenting. They did not communicate with their daughters’ school and did not deal with Anna’s attendance and behaviour issues. The three daughters were referred to a child support worker for one-to-one support.

After six months of support and multi-agency work with the council’s housing team, the family was re-housed into private housing. The deposit was guaranteed by the council, as the landlord is accredited by the council. Michael and Tracy have managed since not only to sustain the tenancy but also to maintain the condition of the property up to a decent standard. The family receives full housing benefits and have maintained a good relationship with their landlord. Their parenting skills have improved and all family members take responsibility to keep the home tidy and clean. Both parents take an active part in their daughters’ education too. All family members have stated they are all happier since they moved.

The work that is done by this project wouldn’t be possible without the money that you raise and donate to BBC Children in Need. Your generosity helps young lives right here where you live in the UK. Find out more about the Shelter – Knowsley Child Support project here.

Thank you to all our fundraising heroes!

2013-11-22T14:27:52+00:00

Here at Pudsey HQ we’ve had a little bit of a celebratory week - last Friday our cracking Appeal Show saw us raise a record-breaking £31.1 million – a remarkable amount that we couldn’t have reached without the support of fundraising heroes from all over the UK. Not only were we honoured to see such a wide variety of fundraising activities, we saw all these wonderful activities translate into a remarkable on-the-night total. It'll make an unspeakably huge difference to the lives of thousands of children and young people all over the UK, and right where you live. So, on a celebratory note, let’s take a quick look at what a select few of our fundraising heroes got up to last week.

Firstly, a great big THANK YOU to the wonderful students in the LEAP group at Crosby High in Liverpool. These brave warriors took to their bikes to battle against the elements in a fundraising bike ride! The battle wasn’t in vain – the rocking riders raised a wonderful £300! Crosby High teacher Lesley Hall got in touch to say just how proud she was of her heroic students!

As you may know, our biggest fundraising theme this year is ‘heroes’, and we’ve been asking all our supporters to get out there and prove themselves heroes in the name of Pudsey Bear! Our next shout out goes to a group of teachers who took this theme to the max! Staff at Galliard Primary School in London asked all the whole school to dress up as something starting with the letter ‘P’. We bet the pupils at the school were delighted in the morning when instead of being greeted by their familiar teachers, they were instead greeted by a group of rather nifty fundraising Power Rangers, presumably taking a day off from fighting intergalactic monsters to focus instead on tackling unruly classrooms! The group proved to be heroes indeed, raising an astonishing £671.00 for BBC Children in Need, and they evidently had a cracking time doing it. A big thanks to Luke Dedman (the everyday alias of the Red Ranger!) for sending in the below photo.

Staff at Galliard Primary School get set for a day of epic fundraising!

Another brilliant group of fundraisers which illustrate nicely just how varied the groups we received support from this year truly were, are the The Screaming Eagles Living History Group are a collective of history enthusiasts. The group attempts to utilise their historical knowledge to accurately portray the events surrounding the 101st Airborne Division of World War 2. Each year the Eagles raise money for a chosen charity by walking the training routes of the US airborne, located in Aldbourne.

This year the walk was a great success, with a number of enthusiasts coming out to walk the route dressed in full combat gear! Alongside these, veterans from the original 101st airborne division had come over the USA to lend support! It was quite a wet and soggy day but the determined fundraisers from the 101st Airborne Division marched on regardless and kept their spirits up! Pudsey himself even got involved, learning how to march like a true soldier! At the end of the day, after everyone was warm and dry, it was agreed all involved had a wonderful time, and what’s more, quite a lot of pennies were raised for Pudsey, too – over £3,000!

Pudsey gets in line with The Screaming Eagles!

Our last hero comes from within our own rank of troops – the BBC! Chris Yanda, based in our BBC offices in Salford, made a very unusual proposal this year in an attempt to bring in the big bucks for the Bear. Chris promised to cycle one kilometre for each pound he raised for BBC Children in Need. There’s nothing that unusual about that, you may be thinking, but here comes the fundraising masterstroke – Chris vowed to cycle each mile in a tutu! If you’ve been recently bewildered by a Tutu-clad cyclist zipping around Manchester, then this just might explain it! You can check out pictures of Chris’ adventure on his Justgiving page, and why not donate a few more pounds to see him go even further? Thanks for all your support Chris!

That’s it for this week’s round-up, we’ll be back next week to celebrate some more of our glorious fundraising heroes who have helped to make this year such a success. If you’d like a mention, we'd love you to get in touch and tell us about all your fundraising. Simply email your local address on this page, and tag us @BBCCiN on Twitter and Instagram or @Pudsey Bear on Facebook. It’s easy. So go, help us celebrate your decision to #BeAHero!

#BeAHero for BBC Children in Need!

2013-10-10T15:29:45+00:00

They may not have superpowers, they might not wear spandex (well, not that we’ve seen), and they may not be saving the earth from any sort of impending alien invasion, but our fundraising heroes are just as heroic as any you’ll see on the big screen this year. They’re changing real lives for the better all over the UK, and most importantly, right where you are.

Fundraisers rarely come more charming than Mateo Sanderson, a bona-fide, solid gold hero from Morecambe. Sixteen-year-old Mateo, who has cerebral palsy, is a seasoned pro when it comes to fundraising – he’s been raising money for BBC Children in Need for the last seven years now. His experience was evident this year as he took on the challenge to #BeAHero, and he certainly succeeded.

Courtesy of Bay Lancashire TV

With a little help from family and friends, Mateo organised a Fun Walk along Morecambe Promenade which took place on Sunday 29 September. Participants were treated to a scenic morning walk along the seaside, and as Mateo himself was also taking part, they were in great company. Those who completed the race were awarded a medal by Mateo himself, and there were even a few famous faces in the crowd – players from Mateo’s beloved Morecambe FC, as well as the local MP, were part of the crowd lending cheer to the event.

With a little help from the local press, Mateo was able to get the word out before the event, and on the day itself over 300 people took part! Mateo got in touch with us shortly after the walk to tell us that he had a great time and was very pleased that the walk raised over £2,500! Half of the proceeds will go to BBC Children in Need, and half will go to Alexandra House in Lancashire. Good work Mateo – we can’t wait to see all the fundraising you’re going to get up to in the years ahead!

Next up, we have a daring international fundraising mission – the Teddy Tour Challenge. Presented by the Hywel Girls' Choir & Hywel Boy Singers, The Teddy Tour Challenge had some seriously big aims: to deliver by car 25 teddy bears to 25 orphanages across 27 countries spanning 7,000 miles in less than 350 hours. Nothing like a bit of healthy ambition for fundraising success! Head over to the Teddy Tour Challenge’s Twitter page to see some great pictures of the Pudsey and the team on their travels.

Pudsey got to improve his knowledge of Europe this August!

The Teddy Tour Challenge took place in August, and we’re luckily both Helen and Jeremy, the husband and wife team behind the event, made it back safely! We’re also very pleased to say that over £6,700 has been raised for BBC Children in Need so far – an amazing amount!

Our final Hero this week is Dawn Craven from Moreton, who has courageously chosen to go Bear-headed for BBC Children in Need this year. Dawn is an employee of one of our awesome fundraising partner’s, Burton’s Biscuits, who have really pulled out all their stops with their fundraising this year, and Dawn is one of their standout fundraising heroes! Check out the picture below – even Pudsey stepped in to wish Dawn good luck on her big day. Dawn’s haircut has raised an amazing £3239.96, every penny of which will go towards changing the lives of children and young people right here in the UK. Thank you Dawn!

Burtons Biscuits head shave

Have you got what it takes to #BeAHero for BBC Children in Need this year? We think you do! For lots of great fundraising inspiration check out our ideas page and download one of our free 2013 fundraising packs – it’s full of great ideas that’ll have you up and about in a fundraising frenzy in no time at all!

If you’ve already chosen to be a fundraising hero this year, we think you deserve some recognition. Help us to celebrate you and your great work by getting in touch and telling us about all the brave fundraising adventures you've been embarking on in the name of BBC Children in Need.

Simply email your local address here, and tag us @BBCCiN on Twitter and Instagram or @Pudsey Bear on Facebook. Don't forget to use our official hashtags to help us spread the excitement - #bakeit, #pyjamas, #songanddance and our main hashtag for 2013 - #BeAHero!

BBC Children in Need funded project wins film award

2013-03-21T16:05:53+00:00

BBC Children in Need funded project Twin Vision has won Best Documentary Film at the 2013 First Light Film Awards in London.

The documentary is called Echoes of Substance Misuse

Twin Vision is a project which provides access to video and digital equipment to children and young people who have suffered bereavement.

Their film called Echoes of Substance Misuse won Best Documentary Film and was chosen because of its honest portrayal of substance misuse.

One of the judges was TV presenter Dawn Porter. Talking about the documentary, she said: "It showed great maturity in tackling such a serious issue. The film tackles the issue head on, never skirting around the topic. A very powerful and informative piece… a film and a message that needs to be told. I believe other young people would greatly benefit from seeing this film".

Twin Vision worked with young people from across Liverpool making sure they treated the sensitive personal stories that developed with respect.

The story is based around local rapper Mike aka Innuendo who fell into a life of drugs and crime before turning his life around and is now a successful music artist. But the film also revealed a wide range of narratives showing the negative effects choosing a life involving drugs can produce.

Find out more about who BBC Children in Need help in your area by clicking here.

Watch our appeal films by clicking here.