Highlights Foundation

Improving health and wellbeing

Edition 116 March 2018

Director’s Message Welcome to the March edition of Highlights! This month we meet Mohammed and Sarah, who we helped by providing music learning opportunities to, improving their social skills and wellbeing. And Annabella, who is able to increase her mobility and confidence through weekly swimming sessions. We are also continuing to support young people’s employment opportunities, including Joe, who is developing important transferable skills through his work with horses. Also at our recent Galvin’s Chance Recruitment Day we were delighted to be joined by previous candidates Toushane, Amy, Mo, Araz, Kamal and Gabriel, who shared how the programme has helped them to start exciting careers in hospitality. Looking ahead to the summer we are excited about our new community event, the Foundation Summer Fête, which will be held at numerous sites. We’re hoping that everyone will sign up to hold an event, helping us to make our first year of Foundation Summer Fête a great success. This event will be a fun way for our supporters, their families and the local community to come together for a day of celebration and merriment to support small local charities helping young people. We’re already working with a Fête Committee in London to deliver their event on 10th June with various London Hilton hotels to support our work and Jack Tizard School, a local SEN school. Other committees are also planning their own events and identifying local partners to support. For more information or to sign up to hold your own Fête, please click here. I would like to say a big thank you to all the hotels across the UK and Europe who have generously donated hotel vouchers and meeting rooms for our Charity Voucher Scheme. Our online scheme helps the charity sector across Europe by giving them access to accommodation prizes for their fundraising. It also helps the Foundation by raising money to help with our running costs, as well as hopefully making the process easier for the hotels. Next month we will be recognising the amazing commitment of our volunteers and supporters at our Awards Lunch on 16th March, where we will celebrate how they are helping us to transform young lives. We will be joined by our Chairman Simon Vincent, Deputy Chairman Dame Maureen Thomas and some of our volunteers and supporters from our different corporate partners, as well as a few of our charity partners so that they can share the impact of your great support. Finally, with new data protection legislation coming into effect in May, we are reaching out to our supporters for their consent to be able to continue sharing our work. Thank you to everyone who has already responded so that we can continue to share the stories and achievements of the young people that we are helping. If you have not already signed up, please complete this quick form here. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue of Highlights, meeting the young people that you have helped. Our front cover features Unique’s Regional Family Day for children affected by rare chromosome disorders and their families.

With best wishes,

Simon Sheehan Director

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

2

Horses improve health and wellbeing As part of our #IamABLE £20K Giveaway in 2017 we awarded a grant of £3,000 to Conquest Centre to purchase and equip a horse for disabled riders. Chosen to receive the grant by our supporters from across the UK and Ireland, Conquest Centre in Somerset, UK provides a range of horse-related activities for children and young people with physical and learning disabilities to benefit their health and wellbeing and to achieve their personal goals. Young people like Joe, who is developing important life skills and experience that will open up employment opportunities for him.

Joe’s story “Hello my name is Joe and I am 17 years old. I have a reading and writing disability and I have been coming here since September 2015. I left school and my Mum helped me to get a placement at Conquest Centre as a BHS (British Horse Society) Level 1 student. My duties are to lead horses for clients, groom horses, muck out stables, tack up horses and any other general yard duties. I am hard working and especially like working with horses. Until I came to Conquest I had never ridden a horse before but I am now having lessons and I am doing really well. “I used to get up late in the mornings but now I have to be up to attend my placement. Since I started here I have managed to get a job at McDonalds and this is due to all the confidence I have gained since coming to Conquest, mostly from working with horses and lots of other people. I felt my interview with McDonalds went really well and that’s why they gave me a job.

“I enjoy leading the horses for the clients and this helps me to build friendships with them.” “When I am here I really enjoy working with other people of all ages. “I also have to do a lot more reading and writing as part of my course and yard duties. For example, I have to look at the tasks list and look at the blackboard to read which horses are needed for the lessons. I have noticed that this has greatly improved my reading and writing ability as a result.

“My goal is to get a job working with horses and I know that working and studying here is definitely going to give me a greater chance of this happening.”

Help us to help more children like Joe. Please click here to donate today.

Thank you!

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

3

Avisford Park Local Giveaway We were delighted to join the team at Hilton Avisford Park on 7th February for a special reception to present grants totalling £9,000 to 15 schools, clubs and organisations working with local young people. The funds were raised at the hotel’s fantastic Foundation Ball, ‘A Night in Paris’ held last year in support of young people in the local community and the Foundation. A big thank you to General Manager Iain Pollock, Philippa Redwood, and the team for their ongoing support for the Foundation and for hosting the special presentation. The hotel team selected 15 local organisations to receive a share of £9,000 to support their work with young people: •

Aldingbourne County Primary School PTA will improve the school’s playground facilities.

•

Arundel and Brighton Diocesan Trust will replace equipment for the children’s outdoor play.

•

Arundel CE Primary School will purchase educational apps for pupils to use on iPads.

•

Barnham Trojans Football Club will purchase new football kit and equipment for its youth teams.

•

Bishop Tufnell CE Junior School will provide more books in its library.

•

Bognor Youth Rugby will purchase sub coats for its youth rugby team.

•

Chichester City Youth FC will provide new equipment for its youth club.

•

Chichester High School will turn an area in its social room into a kitchen for breakfast and social events and will purchase a stereo system.

•

FOSS (Friends of Summerlea School) will provide iPads to develop pupils’ technology skills.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

4

•

JustDifferent Ltd will purchase new IT equipment for disability and difference workshops in local primary and secondary schools.

•

Kids Cancer Charity will provide Compassionate Care Breaks for children and families affected by cancer.

•

Southway Primary School will purchase additional texts for their Accelerated Reader system.

•

St Mary’s Catholic Primary School will provide books to increase pupils’ access to fiction and non-fiction for topic and research purposes.

•

Walberton & Binsted CE Primary School PTA will help provide laptops for pupils.

•

Walberton Players will support the cost of costumes, performing rights, props and scenery for the youth section’s production of Bugsy Malone.

Each project was nominated by a team member at Hilton Avisford Park.

Charity voucher scheme for your fundraising events Thanks to the generous support of Hilton, we offer accommodation vouchers to charities for their fundraising events and operational needs. From 2018, hotels are also kindly offering meeting spaces. Through this kindness, we are able to meet an ongoing demand for prizes, accommodation and access to venues.

“The prize voucher was included in an auction at our annual charity Golf Day. The winning bidder paid £210 for the voucher and helped us raise £2,640 to help children, adults and families affected by autism.” Autism Anglia Funds raised through the voucher scheme help the Foundation and enable us to transform young lives.

For more information about our charity voucher scheme, please go to our website.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

5

12 young people started their journey in February on our into work programme providing skills, training and experience to help them to secure permanent employment in the hospitality industry.

Galvin’s Chance Recruitment Day 2018 marks the tenth year of our employment programme, Galvin’s Chance. Young people facing various barriers to employment and who are not in education, training or employment, attended our Recruitment Day on Wednesday 31st January at London Hilton on Park Lane. They were interviewed by our employer partners from a range of top hotels and hospitality companies, including Hilton Hotels, hub by Premier Inn, Park Plaza, Andaz Hotels, BaxterStorey and Ricker Restaurants. The Recruitment Day also included inspirational talks. Galvin’s Chance cofounder Fred Sirieix explained his motivations behind the programme and offered advice for the young people. Paul Hunter of hub by Premier Inn told his own story into the industry and explained the importance of hard work and the right attitude to succeed in hospitality. Six previous Galvin’s Chance candidates also attended, sharing their experiences during and after the programme. Last year’s candidate Toushane is now a concierge at Park Plaza London Riverbank, where Gabriel from 2015 also works in the Business Centre. Since completing the 2015 programme, Amy and Mo have been working as chefs at The Goring and Intercontinental on Park Lane respectively. After his successful placement at Intercontinental on Park Lane, Araz has worked at Harrods and hopes to become a personal trainer. Kamal was one of our first candidates and after receiving a full time role at Galvin at Windows, now works as a personal trainer. As well providing key employability skills, the programme supports personal development. Araz explained that the programme opened his eyes to different opportunities whilst Amy learnt the importance of setting goals. Gabriel encouraged the future candidates to persevere and not give up. The 12 selected candidates began the programme immediately on Monday 5th February at Galvin at Windows with Fred Sirieix, followed by three weeks of skills training, industry visits and talks, and mentoring.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

6

The 12 candidates enjoyed 3 weeks of inspiring talks, tours and activities with our employer partners at Park Plaza Riverbank, Andaz London Liverpool Street, Ace Hotel, Ricker Restaurants, Cavalry and Guards Club, and Royal Lancaster Hotel. The candidates achieved important qualifications in Food Safety Level 2, WSET Level 1 Award in Wines and World Host Customer Service. To prepare for their two week work placements the cohort also took part in mentoring and support workshops focusing on confidence, hospitality etiquette and behaviours, career pathways, interview skills and CV building. The 12 young people have now started their work placements, and we look forward to sharing their progress and subsequent placements. You can also follow the cohort’s journey and latest news about the programme on Facebook and Twitter @GalvinsChance.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

7

Chocs for Chance 2018 Top chefs and chocolatiers created unique boxes of handmade chocolates for our annual Chocs for Chance auction and raffle in support of Galvin’s Chance. Returning for the fourth year and in time for Valentine’s Day, Chocs for Chance fundraises to support young people to secure employment in the hospitality industry through our into work programme Galvin’s Chance. The online auction sold 38 chocolates boxes, whilst the raffle featured 6 prizes including an exclusive box designed by programme co-founder Fred Sirieix and a unique 2 hour chocolate making masterclass with dinner. Participating chefs and chocolatiers included Tom Kerridge, Jose Pizarro, Anna Hansen, Paul A Young and Carla Henriques of Hawksmoor. You can find the full list here. This year’s campaign raised enough to support two young people through Galvin’s Chance, which is now in its 10th year. Young people like Toushane, who participated in the programme in 2017, receiving skills training, industry experience, and mentoring before a two week work placement. After three years of unemployment, Toushane is now employed as a concierge with Park Plaza hotels. You can read Toushane’s story here. Thank you to all the chefs and chocolatiers who created amazing boxes of chocolates and provided other brilliant prizes, to Valrhona for supporting Chocs for Chance, and to everyone who bid for boxes, bought raffle tickets and supported the campaign.

Click here to see more photos of 2018 Chocs boxes.

Top down: Box by Dominique Ansel; 2018 Chocs for Chance chefs with Galvin’s Chance alumnus Mo; box by Christophe Gasper at sketch. Left to right down: box by Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala of Café Spice Namasté; box by Anna Hansen of The Modern Pantry; close up of Zara Snell’s chocolates; box by Carla Henriques of Hawksmoor and Foxlow.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

8

Feeling the Love at Valentine’s Ball On Friday 9th February Hilton Blackpool hosted the annual Valentine’s Ball of local charity Donna’s Dream House. 200 guests felt the love as they enjoyed a 3 course meal, a live auction, raffle and wish trees, and a live band ‘Twice Nightly’ with dancing into the early hours. Len Curtis MBE, founder and Chairman of the charity, spoke about the work of Donna’s Dream House, which provides respite to life-limited and severely disabled children and their families, enabling them to have a break in the famous seaside resort. Special recognition was given by Donna’s Dream House to the support of Karen Oldroyd and her team at Hilton Blackpool, who each year raise valuable funds for the Foundation and a variety of local projects, including the Donna’s Dream House. Since 2003 the Foundation has donated £98,989 to Donna’s Dream House. Most recently the charity received £2,000 from the Foundation following the hotel’s fantastic fundraising in 2017.

“Our partnership with DM Thomas Foundation for Young People is incredibly valuable to us. Working together to bring our contacts, ideas and skills with Karen at the hotel and the Foundation team in London, we have raised more money and a higher profile than we could have ever hoped for when we started Donna’s Dream House 21 years ago.”

Len said:

This partnership was exemplified recently when we supported a local boy called Isaac, who was unable to participate at nursery. Isaac fell in between the gaps of NHS provision and was unable to secure funding for a mobility scooter. Karen and Len joined forces and the Foundation was able to fund a £500 grant via Donna’s Dream House to purchase a mobility scooter for Isaac. You can see how it has transformed Isaac’s life in this great video. Congratulations to Len and Babs Curtis, all the staff of Donna’s Dream House, and Karen and her charity team at the hotel on another great event at Hilton Blackpool.

Help us to provide important equipment to more children like Isaac. Please click here to donate today.

Thank you!

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

9

“We had a lovely day at the Unique London event. It was good to meet new people and S even wanted to have her face painted! Thanks to all those involved” A parent at the

Regional Family Day

Fun day provides support for all Thanks to London Hilton on Park Lane’s ongoing support we helped to fund a London Regional Family Day on Saturday 2nd February 2018 for children with rare chromosome and gene disorders and their families. 50 children and 100 adults attended the day, which was organized by Unique – Understanding Chromosome Disorders and provided everyone there with valuable support and information in a fun, relaxed setting. Geneticists from Great Ormond Street Hospital volunteered their time to talk to families and answer their questions in one to one appointments, whilst four laboratory-based geneticists provided hands-on demonstrations about their work, suitable for both children and adults. They explained to parents how genetic testing is done and showed everyone chromosomes and genes through microscopes. The children took part in science activities, such as using test tubes with different coloured water to illustrate different results.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

10

Other fun activities included face painting, a soft play area, and a children’s entertainer who engaged children of all abilities with bubbles, parachute games, singing and dancing. The day provided many fantastic opportunities for children of all abilities to meet and play together.

“Thank you once again to the Foundation for their kind support! It is very much appreciated as bringing families together is so incredibly important.” Caroline Pocock, Fundraising Officer at Unique – Understanding Chromosome Disorders.

Since 2013 we have awarded grants totaling over £24,000 to Unique, providing support services, local events, email and telephone support and resources to children with rare chromosome disorders and their families to reduce isolation and build friendships and support networks. Thank you to the team at London Hilton on Park Lane for their ongoing support for the Foundation.

“A great day and very relaxed!” A parent at the Regional Family Day

Help us to help more young people who are sick or have chronic or long-term conditions. Please click here to donate today.

Thank you! March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

11

Hilton Northampton supports local pupils Hilton Northampton was proud to present a grant of £739.97 to Greenfields Specialist School for Communication, a local SEN secondary school, to support pupils to achieve their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. The hotel raised the funds through its Blue Energy Committee with various activities held within the hotel and with the Foundation. Greenfields Specialist School for Communication offers multisensory impaired provision and specialised learning environments to pupils who are within the Autistic Spectrum. Ahmet Donmez, Hotel Manager, Kay Jackson, Maintenance and Community Manager, and Laura Dunscombe, Hotel Administrator presented the grant to pupils and staff during their morning assembly on Wednesday 14th February. The school’s Signing Choir performed at the assembly before pupils, staff and guests took part in pancake races.

“DM Thomas Foundation is committed to transforming young lives for disadvantaged children and young people. We are absolutely delighted to support such a great charity that makes a huge difference to the lives of these young people.” Ahmet Donmez, Hotel Manager said:

“The support and generosity of Hilton enable our young people to support their local community through volunteer work, developing their personal and sports skills, whilst working towards the ultimate challenge of an expedition as part of their DofE Bronze Award. This generous donation will enable more of our young people to be part of the world’s leading youth award, which has inspired our young people to be the best that they can be.” Tracy Philips,

Deputy Headteacher

Thank you to Ahmet Donmez and his team for their fantastic support of the Foundation and young people in Northampton.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

12

Accessible technology opens up music to all At the Foundation we are committed to opening up educational opportunities for disabled young people to achieve their goals and in December 2011 we awarded £11,200 to Drake Music to improve music making opportunities for disabled musicians. The grant will provide the latest state of the art music technology and accessible instruments to increase access to music for more young people in schools and communities, young people like Mohammed and Sarah.

Time and space to learn at own pace Mohammed attends a SEN school where Drake Music works with pupils with special educational needs. Mohammed wanted to play the drums so Drake Music gave him one to one lessons with the time and space to learn at his own pace. He moved on to lessons with another student and soon they began to learn from each other, working out things for themselves and growing in confidence and musicianship. Mohammed is now involved in music ensembles at school as well as out of school projects. His music and social skills improve each day as he learns new music and meets new people. Mohammed’s parents shared:

“It was moving to watch him yesterday being so happy and engaged in what he was doing. It was wonderful for him too to work with such a creative and supportive group. Thank you!” Music improves Sarah’s mood Sarah, who has special educational needs, has always been interested in music. She often describes how music can improve her mood and calm her. Sarah has a natural talent for bass guitar but when she finds situations stressful, she sometimes gives up in her lessons. Through a summer project with Drake Music, Sarah was taught by a special teacher who was able to build an understanding relationship with her in an informal setting. Sarah loved the experience and looked forward to attending every day, whilst her parents noticed a big change in her behaviour. Since the summer projects, Sarah has continued to enjoy more opportunities to improve her skills and wellbeing with Drake Music.

“There are not many creative and productive activities for her that can accommodate and support her needs as well as being available for her age group.”

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

13

The Right Course - one year on The Right Course seeks to transform staff restaurants in the prison estate to provide training for inmates so that they can be highly skilled and job-ready in front of house service and catering on their release. As the pilot year of our into work programme The Right Course draws to an end, we are proud of all that has been achieved, including: •

A showcase restaurant and launch event at HMP YOI/Isis on 21st February 2017

•

Partnerships with Hilton and Landsec, donating resources and staff talent to be volunteer members for the inmates

•

Refurbishment of The Quays staff restaurant at the prison with new equipment, layout and decorations

•

Four released candidates have interviewed for roles with our employer partners and with more due to be released March-May 2018

•

43 corporate volunteers from employers including Hilton, Galvin at Windows, Landsec, Hotel du Vin, Premier Inn and Redemption Roasters attending the prison to share their skills and enthuse the learners into hospitality roles on their release

•

A head waiter recruited by Novus for delivery of The Right Course

•

Special events, away days and visits have taken place at The Quays, underpinned by The Right Course values.

But there is still much more to do! In 2018 we look forward to building on the above with more volunteering opportunities and job outcomes for the learners on their release. To follow the latest news from The Right Course please follow us on Twitter @RightCourse_UK.

Hilton Cyprus supports young people at local hospital The team at Hilton Cyprus presented a grant for €4,140 on Thursday 8th February to The Council of Welfare of Patients of Archbishop Makarios III Hospital following the hotel’s successful charity lunch in December 2017. The grant will support young patients and their families at the hospital. As a thank you for their ongoing support, the local charity presented the hotel with a commemorative plaque.

For more information about our Central Grants Programme, please go to our website.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

14

June 2018

Help us transform young lives and sign up to host an event: dmthomasfoundation.org/foundation-summer-fete

Summer is not far off and we are excited for our brand new signature event, the Foundation Summer Fête. We are delighted to have teams across the UK and Europe already signed up to hold their own Fête in June. Here are just some of our supporters planning events for the Foundation and their local project partners. Interested in hosting a Foundation Summer Fête, or finding out more? Please visit our website here or email the Events team at [email protected].

Top left to right: Reece at Hilton Maidstone; Sharon and Richard at Jack Tizard School, a SEN school and the local project partner of the Foundation Summer Fête - London event on 10th June; Antony at Hilton London Kensington; and Amir at London Hilton on Park Lane.

Already signed up? Let everyone know by sharing your sign up poster on social media and tag us @DMTFYP.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

15

Join us on June 10th for a 5 a side football cup at the Foundation Summer fête - London event Sunday 10th June 2018, 12 - 3pm, Play Football, White City, £100 per team* FA trained referees | Winners and players trophies | Team photo Live scord boards | Family fun day

Sign up your team today and help us make a difference to young people’s lives. All the profits raised from this event will go towards supporting the work of DM Thomas Foundation for Young People & Jack Tizard Primary School To find out more information or to sign up your team email Samiya at [email protected] or visit dmthomasfoundation.org/foundation-fete-event *(up to 8 players, £8 for any extra players after that) In aid of

Supported by

DM Thomas Foundation for Young People is a registered charity No. 1084220 (England & Wales), SC038995 (Scotland) and 20101688 (Ireland)

Swimming lessons increase children’s mobility As part of its commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of children through sport, the Les Mills Fund for Children (LMFC) is providing weekly swimming sessions for children under five with cerebral palsy and other similar motor delays, to improve physical function and build muscle groups. Taught in a hydrotherapy pool, swimming is wonderful therapy for the children, especially for improving their mobility. The water provides buoyancy that makes aerobic and anaerobic exercises easy to perform effectively and safely. The warm water has a massage effect on muscles, joints and ligaments that often are overused and in pain. Other benefits for the children include: developing and maintaining physical control; improving psychological outlook; enhancing self-esteem and confidence; and increasing independence and quality of life. The sessions are also a valuable opportunity for the whole family to spend time together and improve their general wellbeing, and for parents to increase their own confidence to take children swimming. They also help to reduce the isolation some families can experience. Annabella’s parents shared how the sessions have greatly benefited their daughter:

“Annabella loves her swimming lessons and her confidence in the water is growing with each session. We have managed to encourage her to hold onto the bar at the side of the pool with both hands, a great achievement for Annabella.” LMFC awarded the Dame Vera Lynn Children’s Charity with grants totalling £1,680 to fund 4 courses of 6 swimming sessions. LMFC is administered by DM Thomas Foundation for Young People.

Help us to help more children like Annabella. Please click here to donate today.

Thank you! March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

16

Dates for your diary Date Event

Venue

9 March 2018

Charity Dinner

Hilton Manchester Airport

12 March 2018

Festival of Music

Winter Gardens, Blackpool

16 March 2018

Foundation Awards

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London Victoria

24-31 March 2018

Easter ChariTEA

Various locations

24 April 2018

Groovy Baby Ball

Hilton London Kensington

3 May 2018

Gala Dinner

The Waldorf Hilton Hotel London

25 May 2018

Mayfair Power and Tower Race

London Hilton on Park Lane

And many more! Please click here for our full list of events.

Thank you to our corporate partners Here are just a few of the fantastic organisations who have given us their generous support. For a full list, click here.

@DMTFYP

We provided specially adapted music instruments to children and young people with an upper limb disability in Birmingham, Bristol and Surrey through the OHMI Trust.

March 2018

dmthomasfoundation.org

17

Jayden Jayden’s wish came true when he spent the day as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police. Wearing his very own uniform, Jayden helped to solve mysteries, gave evidence at court and met police dogs. The Foundation has supported wish experiences for children with lifelimiting illnesses through our grants to Rays of Sunshine and by coordinating special accommodation rates for stays in Hilton Hotels.

Easter ChariTEA

24th-31st March 2018 Bake a cake and Easter goodies to raise funds for the Foundation and transform a young life. For more information, email Anna: [email protected]

T: +44 (0) 207 605 7733

E: [email protected]

W: dmthomasfoundation.org

DM Thomas Foundation for Young People Registered Charity 1084220 (England & Wales) SC038995 (Scotland)

Make a difference to a young person’s life, one splash at a time!

Ducks for Change is a great way for you to help your local community, by ordering a set of 50 ducks you are donating minimum £100 to charity and supporting young people all over Europe. Contact Anna today to find out which duck sets are available and how to order.

[email protected] | 0207 605 7641

Increasing independence We are helping to provide important learning and skillsbuilding experiences to young people with disabilities to prepare them for employment and greater independence. Our Foundation grant to The Orpheus Centre in Surrey helped to fund a new Life Skills Kitchen.

LONDON KENSINGTON

Saturday, 28th April 2018 between 6.30pm and 1am

Drinks reception with 3 course meal with wine Raffle, Head & Tails, Best Costume Award Entertainment, photographer, DJ

Ticket £65 per person Table of 10 at £600

Accommodation at £165 per room per night Rate includes breakfast & VAT. T&C’s apply. Book until 7th April 2018 to secure the above rates. Limited availability.

Book with Anna Tullgren, 0207 605 7641, [email protected] or online http://dmthomasfoundation.org/events/groovybabyball/