Autumn Grant Round 2016

Doncaster Children's Service Trust

They provide resources and rooms to facilitate supervised contact for children and young people who are looked after by local authority.

Cash for Kids has funded picnic benches as theirs have recently broken, which has been problematic as the children and families have made good use of them over recent years to be able to sit outside together to eat and have picnics.

A pool table has also been granted as theirs is now broken and is very popular with all the children and young people.

This allows the young people to have a positive experience when in contact with their family members.

Girl

She has had a very difficult start in life which had an enormous impact on her life and on her family’s life and they have faced financial hardship due to the knock on effect that the trauma she has been through has caused. This has had an impact on her physical and emotional wellbeing.

Cash for Kids has funded clothes for her as she is set to start sixth form and needs some clothes to wear She would like to start sixth form off with a new outlook and perspective and start looking towards the future.

Maltby Town Council

Maltby Town Council was established in the year 2000. The town council has overall responsibility for the local community, offering support and advice as well as striving to improve the quality of life in the deprived town following the demise of the coal mine.

They have been funded books which will be suitable for children aged 0-12 years old that will be given out by Santa in their grotto at their Christmas event. The children that attend the event would not normally access books therefore giving them a book would encourage our deprived children to develop a love of books and reading.

Girl

She has spastic quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. She has reduced range of movement and increased muscle tone. She is only able to walk short distances with walking aids, and needs assistance for all transfers and personal care. She has very little speech and uses a communication aid and Makaton sign language.

She currently has an electric wheelchair that is quite large and heavy. This impacts upon transport options if she is going out in the community (e.g. to attend important medical appointments, visit community facilities) as it does not fit in a standard car boot, therefore a wheelchair accessible taxi must be used which are not always available and can be costly.

She has been granted a manual wheelchair which means she will be able to access community facilities with her family with greater ease and on a more frequent basis. This will increase her opportunities for learning and social interactions, and will enhance her quality of life and independence.

Girl

She has severe Autism as well as learning and behavioural difficulties. She likes to throw herself onto her bed and slam doors when upset.

Cash for Kids have granted her a bed and wardrobe as she sleeps on a mattress on the floor due to breaking her previous bed. She also broke her wardrobe meaning she had nowhere to put her clothes apart from a little box.

Boy

He has very complicated health issues (chromo/ profound hearing loss/ chronic lung disease/ global development/ vocal cord palsy) and often falls resulting in injury.

He has therefore been granted a rug for his room as it will make the room a safer environment for him, as well as an enjoyable place. He also uses orthotic shoes to walk in but by having the rug it means he will not have to wear these as often as his room will be a safer place.

Chancet Wood Children's Home

Chancet Wood Children’s Home in Sheffield provides short breaks (respite care) to children with multiple, severe disabilities. They are able to provide shared care for some children and offer an emergency service to children already using their service. Some children are from disadvantaged backgrounds and may have life-limiting conditions and try to make their time with them as special as possible.

The grant has paid for outdoor play equipment which has been designed especially for children with disabilities. The equipment will stimulate the children’s senses and encourage interaction as well as providing fun.

Two girls

The family have recently moved from another country where the climate is warmer and so the girls have very limited winter clothing. The mother cannot afford to buy this clothing due to being unemployed and is currently relying on food parcels to feed the family.

Cash for Kids have granted clothing for the children so that they can have a school uniform and other clothing suitable for the winter weather.

Mums in Need

Mums in Need is a new charity which supports those mums who have left emotionally abuse relationships and want to rebuild their lives. The charity provides them with a safe place to offload. It is a place which will be child friendly as the children will be able to be entertained whilst their mothers are receiving support. Also, due to their mothers being supported, it means that the children will be less likely to suffer from a severe mental illness.

Due to it being a new charity the premises has been granted to them but is currently empty and so Cash for Kids granted toys and equipment for children who would be visiting aged 0-16 years.

Firth Park Festival

The area in which Firth Park is located within has a very mixed ethnic population and is also an area of extreme financial hardship, however from previous festivals it has been found that they unite communities and promote cohesion of tolerant living.

Funds were granted that paid for the hiring of a real reindeer which the majority of children in the area had never have seen. The grant also paid for a brass band to attend, enhancing the atmosphere and ambience of the whole event.

Darnall Community Development Centre

Their project involves renovating a derelict building into a community centre in order to provide activities and services which will benefit the community. It is based in a deprived and disengaged part of Sheffield.

A community gym is included within this and financial support for the ‘junior gym’ is needed where fitness sessions including ‘box-fit’ take place.

Cash for Kids has provided them with a variety of boxing equipment including boxing gloves, head guards and speed and agility kits.

Two boys

The boys both have learning disabilities, Autism and ADHD. They are in the care of their mother who is a single carer with very limited support.

Cash for Kids have funded garden equipment which included fences and gates to secure the garden so the boys can play safely outside at their home.

Barnsley Youth Jazz Association

They offer anyone the chance to learn a musical instrument, gain a recognised qualification and join in group activities. The group provides musical instruments and subsidised music tuition. It is run by unpaid volunteers and the senior members also perform concerts to raise funds to support our younger members.

The group is based in a socially deprived area and parents cannot afford to pay for musical instruments.

They have been granted two trumpet packages allowing the young members of the group to learn the trumpet.

Zest

Zest aims to provide a healthy living centre delivering responsive services to tackle local inequalities. They also want to make everyone in the community feel welcomed, valued and play an active role in supporting other disadvantaged communities in Sheffield.

Cash for Kids has funded equipment for a range of activities at the centre for young people who would usually not be able to access these activities due to financial poverty.

Heritage Park School

The school is a behavioural, emotional and social difficulties specialist school. It has an offsite provision called The Lodge where some of the most vulnerable and hardest to reach students are based.

Cash for Kids have provided funds for an upcycling project for the students at The Lodge to take part in where unwanted items of furniture will be renovated and distributed into the community. The profits will go back into the project with an element being donated to charity. This will give them a practical and hands on experience.

Rotherham Parents Forum Limited

The forum is run by parents of children with a variety of additional needs. They support families with disabled children, offering support, information and advice.

Many of the children struggle with reading and writing and so find school difficult and so therefore Cash for Kids has granted a story workshop for them to attend. This will build their self-esteem, recognise their individuality and potential, discover and unleash their talents as well as improve their communication skills.

Brathay Trust

They work with young people and families who live challenging lives as a result of poverty, crime and low education/training opportunities.

They have been granted a projector which is needed at the hall as there is internet access therefore, tutorials on different subjects from You Tube can be shown to all of the children which will enable them to have the freedom and take ownership of their learning as well as widen opportunities.

Using the projector the children also wish to create a community pop-up cinema and this will then give them a new experience as they will be able to plan, lead, run and evaluate this project as well as build good peer relationships.

Boy

He suffers with Autism, Tourette’s, OCD, Anxiety and PDA. He also has high sensory needs and is chewing his clothes resulting in them having loads of holes in them.

He has been granted new t-shirts to wear everyday as he is running out of clothes for school and general daily activities.

Cash for Kids has also granted a weighted blanket which fulfils his need for deep pressure.

Lane End Farm Trust

They support young people who have learning difficulties as well as those that are disabled. This is done by providing practical work experience and therapeutic horse riding.

Cash for Kids has granted different items of clothing for the young people to wear whilst at the farm. They will be specifically used for the 10k Moorland Trek which will keep them focused on their development programmes and maintain involvement in sport over winter which often decreases, especially for the disabled. Without specific clothing the young people are not able to participate in this kind of activity.

Boy

He has Autism, ADHD and PDA. He has increasing insight into his difficult behaviours and how these impact upon himself and others. He is currently disengaged from education and his mother finds it difficult to take him into busy environments, due to his unpredictable behaviour as he has aggressive outbursts.

He has been granted new furniture for his bedroom as he does not have much more than a bed and due to his anxiety, this is where he spends a lot of his time. By having a better bedroom, his confidence would build as well as his self-esteem and self-worth.

Bright Stars Nursery

They are a community nursery with the aim to enhance the development of children primarily under statutory school age. It is based in an area which is ranked as one of the most deprived areas in the UK with a number of children having learning difficulties and/or disabilities, with many parents being unemployed and having English as a second language.

Cash for Kids has granted them an interactive whiteboard. This will be useful in the nursery as it will become a shared resource and the children will not have to crowd round a small screen to observe the teacher’s demonstration. Also, tactile learners can touch the board; recording tools can be used for audio learners and visual learners can track what is happening in a lesson as it happens. This means that the children can all actively engage with materials.

Boy

He was diagnosed with Autism and his social skills have hugely developed from being self-isolated to very sociable and interactive due to many lifestyle changes.

Cash for Kids has granted him oxygen therapy sessions which will help his sleeping pattern, speech and language, as well has his anxiety.

Riverside Doncaster Women's Refuge

It is a non-profit organisation that relies heavily on donations to support the families.

Cash for Kids has funded a climbing frame to go in the back garden of the refuge as even though there is a lot of space there is very little garden toys.

New mattresses have also been granted as the mattresses they have are old and so now uncomfortable. The children at the refuge will now be able to get a good night's sleep in what is already a difficult situation for them.

Sheffield Mencap & Gateway

They run a number of projects and activities which are devoted to children with learning disabilities.

Cash for Kids has granted equipment which has been carefully selected and sourced by their specialist staff. All activities are designed to help children with multiple and profound learning disabilities to fulfil their potential.

Get Sorted Academy of Music

The organisation provides a wide range of music and the arts to the people of Rotherham. This includes hard to reach young people, young people in care, children with special needs and disabilities, those with behavioural difficulties and those with autism and mental health issues.

The grant has funded a Skoog which is an accessible, tactile cube that allows children with disabilities to explore creative opportunities. They are ideal for anyone who wants to make and create music as they are easy to use as well as being really versatile.

They have also been granted an iPad which essential in order to control the Skoog.

Boy

He has Cerebral Palsy affecting both his legs and causes problems in his left arm and in his core muscles. It causes spasticity in his leg which frequently causes discomfort and affects his ability to walk independently. He currently uses a wheelchair to get around or a walking frame for very short distances.

Cash for Kids has granted the equipment needed for him at home after he has an operation in order for him to build muscle strength and improve his balance when sitting and in practising transfers.

Rossington Hall Riding for the Disabled

They offer riding experience to clients from Social Education Centres and Special Needs Schools. The whole group is operated by a team of volunteers with a lot of the staff being volunteers too.

They have a waiting list of children wishing to access our riding facilities but we do not have sufficient weight bearing horses to cater for them. Cash for Kids has funded a horse which would be suitable for disabled and autistic children to ride. By having another horse extra sessions can be provided.

Newsome Avenue

A unit at the children’s home has recently been decorated. The unit is a respite care unit used for children who have varying disabilities including Autism, Downs Syndrome, ADHD and behavioural difficulties.

Cash for Kids has granted bedroom furnishings for the unit including bedding, curtains and bedroom accessories.

Mexborough Cricket Club

The club is located in an area which has a growing drug and gang related problem. Areas of the town are in the top 1000 areas of deprivation across the UK.

Cash for Kids have granted the club cricket equipment as well as covering the cost of their league fees.

Park Community Action

They are a local forum that works to benefit the local community of Manor Park and Wybourn.

Cash for Kids has granted them soft play items, learning games, jigsaws, play items and a sofa for the lounge and youth club.