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In October, The Youthy took 14 young people to Bewerley Park Educational Outdoor Residential Centre. With The Youthy not having delivered a residential since 2018 due to COVID and lack of funding, this was a real opportunity and test for the young people. This was a trial for future residentials – and it really passed the test!

The young people who attended, were part of the mentoring scheme where Five Lamps and Corner House Youth Project are working together as part of Grow Together Stockton Project to encourage young people to access a career in Youth Work. Therefore, this residential was a reward to the young people who have worked hard within their role as a youth mentor. This role consists of multiple training sessions to support their development, supporting the youth clubs with their sessional work on the evening and taking part in giving back to the community.

With an arrival time of 6pm on the Friday evening, we were met for meet and greet and introduction. The young people were shown their dorms and encouraged to make their own beds. This is where the real test began. With some explanation, this task was completed very successfully. After laying down the law, it was finally time for some tea. The food selection was very impressive and catered for everyone. Itching to get back to their dorms, the young people were able to enjoy some free time with their friends. It was already clear that the young people appreciated this opportunity and were very happy for the freedom they were given away from their normal home lives.

One child stated, “I love these dorms, I am so excited to be having a sleepover with all of my friends.” Their last meal of the day was supper time, with some light refreshments and then the young people were shown a table plan to work off to set up for breakfast for the following day, which was a great success, giving our young people their own independence.

The next day, once 14 young people had been torn away from their beds and fed breakfast, the real fun was about to begin. The young people were given a choice of the activity which they wanted to do. The Saturday morning options were high ropes or mountain bikes. With a few groans of wanting to do both, the young people were split into two groups.

The young people who carried out the high ropes, showed a high level of determination and resilience. The ladders were not fixed; therefore, this made the climb much scarier than initially imagined. However, this did not stop any of the young people. Each young person showed that they were able to complete the climb – with some screams, but nonetheless it was completed. The young people (and staff!) who had the courage to fulfil the ‘leap of faith’ exclaimed how incredible they felt afterwards.

“I was so scared, but I was so happy when I finally did it!”

The second group of young people had a morning full of mountain biking. With a test run around the grounds – on soft terrain may I add – the group were then taken to the reservoir to test out their new bike skills. This was a shock to the young people, with a gradual incline to begin with the ground soon became a rough terrain. The fog was heavy. The young people again, showed a high level of resilience. Although it was a hard task, there was some tears and screams the young people battled through their negative thoughts and completed the task that was set. When reflecting on the mountain biking, the young people decided it was worth the fear they experienced just to be able to say that they done it.

When arriving back to the main site, the young people were able to catch up with their peers to share their stories of the morning. It was evident in their faces that they were all equally as proud of their friends for completing the activities which were set for them.

After disturbing a sneaky afternoon nap with an old-school dinner bell, the young people were rallied up to complete some team building exercises off-site at the nearby lake. The young people were divided into groups of who wanted to go into the water, and those who did not. However, by the end of the afternoon, all young people had taken their chances in the water – with three of them diving completely in when their canoe tipped over. Battling some fears by tying canoes together and having staff sit with them within the canoes to improve their confidence, the young people stated that they loved it.

“The canoeing was so much fun. I loved it more than I thought I would!”

On the Saturday evening, a night walk was planned after tea to really drain those energy levels to encourage a good night sleep. Safety first with the hi-vis vests and head torches, the young people and staff were ready to go! The excitement was brewing, mostly due to the shop break that was promised for some snacks, and it was as fun as you could imagine. With some groans of ‘how much longer’, the young people soon stopped complaining when they realised how therapeutic the walk was turning out to be. The field full of sheep towards the end was a pleasant surprise for a lot of the young people. With a small back and forth to find the correct entrance to the site, the young people were finally able to change into their comfy clothes and relax with their friends. Shocked to find most young people had lights out by 9pm, the night to chill was a success.

The final day had arrived, and the young people had been given tasks to clean their dorms and pack their belongings. Without a complaint, this was swiftly complete. In fact, the only complaint that was to be heard was about having to go home.

“Can we just stay another night? I’ve had so much fun.”

The young people were surprised with one last activity to carry out before heading home.

Off we all jumped into the onsite minibus to Brimham Rocks. With helmets and appropriate waterproofs on, the young people were able to experience climbing up, under and over the rocks. Impressed by the ice aged view, the young people did not want to go home – even when tempted by a Parmo when they arrived back in Teesside.

A short dinner break later, and an infamous management speech, the young people were worn out and ready to hit the road. Napping on the way home, the journey back was much more peaceful without the constant ‘are we nearly there yet?!’

Our Aim for the weekend was to gain confidence, motivation and resilience and good communication skills.

Overall, the residential test was a success and Five Lamps could not be any prouder of the young people who attended and the resilience which was shown. We have already began planning the next residential for our young people who attend our Senior night session. The countdown is on, and we cannot wait to share the following successes with you all.

During the February half term, Five Lamps were able to provide 119 additional meals on top of the 119 breakfasts already provided to the young people that attend The Youthy using Food Aid funding. Due to a generous £5,000 donation, Five Lamps will be able to provide two meals to the children attending the summer HAF allowing us to battle holiday hunger.

Five Lamps deliver a HAF (Holidays Are Fun) programme in partnership with Stockton Borough Council, Catalyst and Department for Education where children between the ages of 5 and 16 years old enjoy free, fun activities at Five Lamps The Youthy. The activities include a breakfast club, free climbing wall access, street dance delivered from Urban Kaos, healthy cooking classes, arts & crafts and sports games just to name a few! To be eligible for this programme, families must be in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, in receipt of Universal Credit or experiencing financial difficulties.

Five Lamps have received a generous donation of £5,000 on behalf of a lady whose mother grew up in Thornaby and has recently passed away. Thornaby is a town with a very strong community which was close to this lady’s heart as she spent numerous happy years here before moving away for employment reasons. She often visited Thornaby and reminisced fondly on the memories she made in her youth. The lady worked as a midwife throughout her life and her daughter is a retired schoolteacher, therefore, children have been a huge part of their life experiences. The donor explained to us that she has seen the life changing work Five Lamps deliver to the young people of Thornaby and would love to be able to financially support us to continue the vital projects. With the £5,000 cash donation, Five Lamps plan to not only provide a breakfast every morning during the HAF six weeks, but to provide a second meal of a packed lunch that can be taken home. This healthy lunch will contain a sandwich, juice/water, a piece of fruit, a yoghurt, energy bar and a packet crips. This donation will also help as a starting point towards the October half term breakfast and lunch.

Due to the current cost of living crisis, families throughout the Stockton-on-Tees borough are struggling to feed and support their children. Five Lamps want to combat this as no child should have to go hungry and this selfless donation will allow us to make a difference. If you would like to make a donation to help us deliver our mission, please click here.

To register for the HAF, visit www.stockton.gov.uk/haf or email darreniveson@fivelamps.org.uk. Walk-ins will be accepted each morning subject to availability.

Five Lamps have recently reopened the sensory room with exciting new equipment, located in The Youthy on Thornaby Road.

The new equipment has enabled us to meet a variety of different needs and disabilities, one of which being autism. When ordering the equipment, we wanted to be able to identify what would suit and work for the range of different disabilities that attend our youth centre. We had a lot of input not only from the carers, but from the service users too. Our new tactile busy board and fidget toys help our children and young people with fine motor skills, as this is something they usually have difficulty with. The floor tiles and exercise ball help with gross motor skills, as this is something that can also be delayed, especially with young people who have autism. Time spent in the sensory room can improve the persons visual, auditory, and tactile processing, and now we have some fantastic therapy toys and equipment we can support and achieve so much more. This space provides a calm and relaxing environment, which helps the young people to self-regulate their behaviours as well as improve their overall wellbeing.

The sensory room has become an important tool within our youth service, not only for our Tuesday and Friday VIBE sessions for people with disabilities, but it is also now open on a Wednesday evening with some of our mainstream children accessing it too. This has benefited one of our young people immensely, as being a child with autism in a mainstream primary, he has never accessed something like this before. It is rewarding that The Youthy can provide a room that meets his sensory needs. The young person said that the room is “nice, cosy and calm”. He also said that his favourite part is “playing with the big ball” which is a new piece of equipment and “going to sleep to the relaxing music”.

Another young person, who usually spends his whole evening on the computer during the VIBE session, has now started venturing into the sensory room. It is lovely to see the young people trying and enjoying something that is out of their usual routine. In addition to this, the sensory room has attracted lots of new people to the youth club particularly on Friday evening.

If you or someone you know would benefit from accessing our sensory room, please contact Darren Iveson, Youth Inclusion Manager, on 07894567938 or email darreniveson@fivelamps.org.uk

* In Barnard Castle it’s actually called The Bank, but it was too good a headline to pass up…

I’ll quit with comparisons of the diminutive ginger one there. Daniel would never dream of driving at 90 down country lanes nor buying neat spirits and drinking them straight. Honest.

Nor did he break his leg at 6 years old running from his brother. He doesn’t even have a brother.

However, at 6 years old Daniel was already showing a talent for design. Granted it was with crayons and plasticine, but talent is talent whichever way it manifests itself.

For Daniel, what he really loved to work with was patterns and fabrics.

Growing up in Darlington, he completed school with qualifications in textiles (amongst others) which he used to gain entry to The Northern School of Arts where he passed his BA (Hons) in Textiles and Surface Design with a first.

His designs were already sought after and he was soon shortlisted for a number of national design awards, going on to win him the illustrious ‘Liberty Fabric Studio Award’ which resulted in him securing a Surface Pattern Designer internship in London with Liberty London. At the conclusion of that, he then began working on freelance designs and exhibiting at trade shows across the country.

But Daniel wanted to work for himself. And he wanted to work in the North-East. And just as importantly, he was introduced to The Five Lamps…

Five Lamps are long known for their Enterprise Team and are delivering the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) Enterprise Routeway across the entire Tees Valley, offering in-depth support to young people aged between 15 and 29 who have a business idea and are not in employment, education or training. Daniel had decided he wanted to open his own interior design boutique in Barnard Castle.

With his Business Advisor Simon Coe, they worked on his business plan, creating financial forecasts and giving Daniel the business skills he would need to get out there and make it a reality. Daniel completed online training and attended business skills workshops, giving him the tools he would need to set things off on the right track.

Daniel said “When I first started to think of opening a business in the northeast there was very little support or funding available until I researched Five Lamps. They helped me with weekly catch up meetings focusing on planning my shop opening and giving me constructive feedback on my business plan and sales predictions for the upcoming few years to see if the business proposal was worth while. I also took part in a short course about business which helped me to decide the direction I wanted to take for my business as well as what kind of company would work best for me. We covered important issues which sometimes are overlooked if setting up on your own like insurance, licenses and the importance of social media and the press for a business. They also helped me to gain funding to buy my till point and display props for my products in the shop. 

I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to start a business and think they are one of the best things I have done at the start of my business venture.”

Embleton Interiors opened to fantastic local feedback on 1^st Dec 2022 and has gone from strength to strength since. Daniel’s eye for the beautiful, plus his own designs have created a haven of stunning pieces ready to transform the most mundane of homes. He also sells online at www.embletoninteriors.co.uk, but we’d strongly suggest popping in yourself for a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating tour of the shop and a chat with the man himself.

If you’re interested in finding out more about how the YEI programme could help make your business idea a reality, simply call 07713 215460 or email simoncoe@fivelamps.org.uk

Five lamps were successful in securing a £2,000 Food Aid Fund allowing us to provide 119 breakfasts and packed lunches as well as 195 portions of fish and chips to service users!

The Stockton Borough Council Food Aid Fund was launched as a financial aid to projects that provide food to Stockton-on-Tees residents. Five Lamps were elated to receive these funds as Darren Iveson, Youth Inclusion Manager, had big plans to support both our young and elderly service users. During the February half term, Five Lamps ran a HAF (Holidays Are Fun) project at The Youthy for young people aged 5-16 years old where they received a breakfast, had access to the onsite climbing wall, engaged in dance sessions with Urban Kaos and participated in cooking classes.

Holiday hunger is a prevalent issue within the Stockton-on-Tees borough due to the current Cost of Living Crisis, so many families are struggling to feed their children at home. Five Lamps believe that no child should go hungry, so with the help of the Food Aid Fund, all children were provided with a breakfast and a packed lunch to take home after each HAF session. These packed lunches contained a sandwich, a piece of fruit, yoghurt, crisps, an energy bar and a drink. As a result of this funding, 119 breakfasts and lunches were distributed during February half term.

The HAF project will be returning for April half term from Monday 3^rd– Thursday 6^th April and Tuesday 11^th– Friday 14^thApril. Keep an eye on our website and social media accounts for more information!

Five Lamps Home Care provide an effective and responsive domiciliary care service in Stockton-on-Tees including, Thornaby, Middlesbrough, Ingleby Barwick and Yarm. As well as providing food for our young service users, we wanted to ensure our elderly service users were involved too. Five Lamps decided a fish and chip lunch would be well received by our Home Care service users to express our appreciation and relieve the feeling of loneliness.

41 portions of fish and chips were delivered to our residents at Parkside Court, and a further 77 lunches have been hand delivered directly to our service users’ homes. Everyone that received a portion of fish and chips expressed their gratitude towards this gesture and we received some amazing feedback!

To recognise the continued support and dedication of our 77 members of staff, the fish and chip lunch has been extended to all employees. Five Lamps are grateful for the commitment our team shows each day, so this is a small gesture to show our appreciation.

If you or someone you know requires care, please contact homecare@fivelamps.org.uk or phone 01642 753517 for more information.

The Five Lamps Organisation is delighted to have been chosen, along with five other CDFI’s to distribute hardship grants as part of an innovative partnership between Responsible Finance and Nat West. Please click here for more information.

In 2022, we disbursed almost 6,000 affordable loans ranging from £200 to £1500 to households unable to access main stream credit who needed a loan to help with unexpected bills or financial pressures. Of the 20,000 applications we declined, 3,000 were because the applicant would not be able to afford the loan repayments, having on average, less than £110 each month to live on after repayments. Almost one in five households were needing a loan of only £200 to help them manage an immediate financial pressure.

Over the next 3 months, using the Nat West Hardship fund, we will be awarding grants of between £50 to £100 to people who are declined for a loan because they cant afford the repayments and /or where a cash grant will make a big difference to that customer who is experiencing hardship.

Lisa Pickard, Group Chief Executive said, ‘As a responsible lender we are concerned about the households we cannot lend to as more are becoming financially marginalised and resorting to high cost credit, illegal money lenders or loan sharks when they are faced with unexpected expense or bills. We currently provide a range of signposting and support to help declined customers improve their financial health whether it is through a free benefits check, support with income and expenditure or debt management advice. But we cannot give them what they really need and that is cash. Being able to give out a £100 cash grant will make a massive difference and hopefully prevent people resorting to high cost or illegal lenders. As well as responding to financial hardship, we hope these grants will make a difference to people’s health and wellbeing by reducing the stress and anxiety they experience when they face hardship. Through Conduit Loans we aim to Lend Fairly, ‘Change Lives & ‘Make People Matter’. Thanks to Responsible Finance and Nat West we will be able to do both for more than 650 households over the next few months.’

Grants will be awarded on a discretionary basis where a customer has applied for and been declined for a loan, or is an existing customers experiencing unexpected financial hardship. Applications cannot be made for the grant.

Our amazing Five Lamps Senior Home Care Assistant, Chris Baxter, is one of the faces for the government ‘Made with Care’ recruitment campaign!

The Made with Care campaign highlights the opportunities for careers in care and the emotional rewards that it brings. This is an annual campaign, running until March 2023. Made with Care is a recruitment campaign launched across England to encourage people to join the adult social care workforce to help others live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life.

It demonstrates the amazing work that care workers do, celebrating the way they empower people they care for, and shining a light on the emotional reward of the role. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of personal qualities, alongside opportunities to grow professionally through new skills and qualifications.

The campaign will appear across video-on-demand platforms such as ITV Hub, Sky Go and All4; radio and digital audio channels such as Spotify; and social media and digital channels like Facebook and Instagram. Advertisements are also being displayed on buses, bus stops, trains, billboards, and electronic screens.

If you see Chris on any of these advertisements, please take a picture and tweet us at @Five_Lamps and use the #MadeWithCare.

We asked Chris why he loves working for Five Lamps Home Care team and he told us, “Five lamps is a great place to work. Everyone cares not just about the clients we look after, but each other. We are all one big family.”

Chris shared why he loves pursuing a fulfilling career in this sector, “Adult social care is so important there just aren’t enough people to cover everyone who needs our care at the later stages of life. The stories and experiences our clients share are just truly amazing.

To have a rewarding career in adult social care you must really care in your heart. Seeing our clients smile when you walk into their homes and enjoying a chat and a cup of tea makes their day. It warms my heart knowing that for just a few minutes they have forgotten about being lonely and they feel like they are a part of the world again- not forgotten.”

See what you can make possible with a career in care. If you are interested in beginning a career in care with Five Lamps, visit our vacancies page or click here to complete a Home Care application form.

Five Lamps as a Registered Charity is proud to support #TrusteesWeek from 7^th to 11^th November. We have a small but strong Board of Trustees; five individuals bringing a range of skills and experiences with one common objective to change and improve lives; to make people matter. Trustees play a vital role in ensuring charities have a clear plan for the future, a vision for what they want the charity to achieve.  From this, we are able to attract resources and funding and ensure we  can deliver products and services that reflect the social, financial and economic issues individuals, families and communities are experiencing. As a Charity we are not for profit; we do not make profit. Any surplus we make is put straight back into the charity to deliver more against our vision. Our Trustees are volunteers; our current and former Trustees have given up their valuable time and shared their skills and knowledge to ensure Five Lamps has made a high difference to people’s lives for the last 35 years and will continue to into the future.

We will shortly be looking to strengthen our Board with some more Trustees and will specifically be looking for individuals with experience in one or more of the following:

• Charity Sector and fundraising – either as an experienced Trustee or a current / former senior leader working in a charity
• Finance & Accounting including Audit & Assurance
• Health & Social Care
• Community : with experience of the local Teesside area and the challenges communities are facing.

We are also looking to appoint a new Chair of our Finance & Risk Committee.

If you are interesting in becoming a Five Lamps Trustee please click here to register your interest and we will be in touch. In the meantime, why not find out more by reading or watching these useful 5 minute guides for Charity Trustees.

Save Money on your heating bills with the ‘Money Saver Boiler Challenge’

A massive £1 billion could be saved on UK energy bills if 10 million people turned their boilers down to 60 degrees or less. As well as helping save money, it would also help save the planet as it would reduce the carbon emissions by 1.7 million tonnes.

Click here to find out more and join more than 82,000 households that have already done this to reduce their monthly heating costs.

Five Lamps is supporting this campaign because almost 3 in every 4 households are already in or heading into fuel poverty in the next 3 months. Fuel poverty means spending more than 10% of your net income on fuel. As a charity we:

• Provide almost 4000 hours of care each week to support older people to live independently in their homes. Older people are more at risk to fuel poverty and the effects of living in a cold home. If you want to find out more about our home care service or you are a service user struggling with your bills, click here to contact us.

• Support individuals and families to access affordable loans where they need credit and can’t get this through mainstream banking. We are seeing more and more people not being able to get a loan because of affordability. Affordability is based on how much income you have left each week or month. Reducing heating costs can free up money or help you cope with the higher fuel costs. If you have a pre-payment meter it means your money will go further; if you are thinking of switching to a pre-payment meter, remember it costs you more than if you pay by direct debit. If you need a loan click here to find out about our Conduit Loans.

 Updated 27^th October 2022