Agenda item

Councillor Stephen Fenton then introduced the next subject to the speakers which was the good work going on in the ward for families and young people.

St James the Deacon

Nicola Cook outlined the work that is being carried out by Saint James the Deacon, in particular the provision for families. Please see the attached PowerPoint. Following the presentation questions were asked about fundraising and Nicola outlined a new scheme that they're hoping to introduce that would allow the church to gather more funding to carry on the family work.

A resident asked about age restrictions and if there's anything specifically for teenagers. Nicola stated that there's nothing specifically for teenagers currently although some older siblings do join groups.

St Edwards

Sally Gatus stated that she had worked with young people and children for over 25 years. She outlined the provision that St Edwards provide in the community for children and families.

St Ed’s run groups for children from the age of 0 to 18 and 18-25 years.

Promise on a Sunday is for young children to listen to a bible story, engage in crafts and games and have a simple service.

Little Teds meets on a Monday for 0-5 years and provides free snacks, play and a simple service.

Seeds group was of particular interest to Sally as her daughter was non verbal until the age of five and Sally herself had health problems. She took her daughter to the Seeds group and the interaction greatly helped her daughter’s development.  Again this group provides crafts, snacks and a simple service.

There is a youth group that meets straight after school and a youth group that meets on a Wednesday evening, ages 11-18 years. They have quizzes, softball and discussions. Following this they can access food left over from Pret. Some members of this group have gone off to university but have returned to volunteer. Currently they have four volunteers and one of these volunteers wants to work towards his Duke of Edinburgh Award so also helps out with the seeds group.

Sally mentioned that the problem seems to be that when children reach the age of 16 there is no provision, so they run a group that is 18 plus and after their activities on Wednesday they can access the Pret food (the church has a group of volunteers who go and collect expired food from the designer outlet Pret) and they're able to stay behind and chat and eat the spare food and take it away to have the following day.

The church has also started a model railway group the youngest members of which are 25 years old and they are still looking for new members. Sally also writes an article for the Porch magazine and events are advertised on Mumbler. Although they do learn Bible stories they try to do it in a more innovative way.

Residents were invited to ask questions. A resident asked if they could advertise their events in schools.  Sally mentioned that the church run many holiday clubs for 5 to 11 year olds.  She is going to start running groups for teenagers and expressed concern about the pressure around exams and pressure that young people feel from peers, from parents and schools.  This can lead to mental health problems and substance misuse and reiterated the importance of providing support and the last year of primary school seemed a critical year.

Heidi Moon - The Launchpad

The next presentation was given by Heidi Moon regarding her new project called the Launchpad. See attached presentation. Heidi is launching a not-for-profit play cafe focusing on connection cafe for parents citing evidence of loneliness and isolation experienced by many mothers and caregivers. Heidi stated that she is having problems agreeing the lease of the building but is working very well with Nimbus Care to develop the project. Heidi is hoping to agree the lease of a building at the former Askham Bar Park & Ride site with York Council as soon as possible, otherwise she may need to look for other premises. The local councillors offered help to Heidi to explore the problems that she's having with the lease and she was encouraged to liaise with Cllr P Widdowson following the meeting.

Paul Bickle – Better Leisure (Energise)

Paul outlined the provision available at Energise; they have all ages using the centre ranging from 0 to 90 years old. They have a diverse workforce; the gym has recently been invested in and they do have an area utilised by GP exercise referral schemes, which is being expanded.  £35,000 has been spent on replacing lights on the astro pitches. These are also used for Hockey.  They have recently applied for Combined Authority funding for a sensory room. They provide junior gym sessions, climbing, racket sports.

Cllr P Widdowson asked how the hockey pitches could be promoted more widely. Paul stated he could work with the sports community officer to promote clubs more.