Annual Review 2010

Year in Review by Director Christie Spurling

Chair’s Report by Jackie Bellfield

Development Coordinator’s update

Financial Report.

Latest from the Executive Team.

Fundraising events for 2010.

2010, a Year in Review by Director Christie Spurling.

A young person enjoying one of our popular drum workshops.

Step Up

Since we started Step Up as a pilot

in Brookway High School nearly four

years ago, we have worked with

nearly 330 school pupils. This

highlights what can be achieved

when you follow God‟s visions. This

past 12 months haven‟t always

been easy and there have been a

few “why” moments but I also sense

that we are approaching a new era

for N-Gage. I feel the direction and

nature of some of what we do

may be changing. I still believe

that helping those who are on

the fringes educationally is a

core target for N-Gage. With just one Christie in

the world and a very obvious and growing need in

schools, I see developing school‟s work as key to

our future.

We have made a start at writing up our

programmes and it is great to get the ideas out of

my head and on to paper. From glancing at the

first completed session plan, I certainly see this as

being a resource we could make available more

widely.

Transform

We have run a smaller number of Transforms this

year. The original small group are now

approaching an age where they don‟t come to

events as much and there have been changes in

friendships within the group. I feel the future for

Transform is to tie it in closely with the school

groups with whom we are working. We are

currently discussing this with

school groups and hope to run a

pilot project soon.

The Beats

I love this side of our work; it ticks

so many boxes for schools and

helps pupils develop new skills

and learn to “keep coming back

to a task again and again”.

Seeing pupils take a pride in their

work and develop the sounds

always puts a smile on my face. A highlight of The

Beats has been seeing two groups of pupils from

Chorlton High School raise £150 for Ugandan street

children. In doing this, they learn about people less

fortunate than themselves and work more

effectively as a team. As with the other aspects of

the school‟s work, I think we are onto something

with this and hope to develop it further.

However, with still more equipment, I feel that

making the schools‟ work mobile would be a

benefit to both N-Gage and also the schools, as

room bookings are an issue.

Shift

It was great to go out and do some Shift sessions

over the summer. We provide a much needed

service and can be proactive in reducing crime.

We are looking with the police at the best way of

developing this. It is important that people are

aware of how highly thought of we are by the

local police and I am committed to

developing this relationship, as it is a much

needed endorsement of our work and also

to capitalise on last year‟s award from the

Chief Constable. Thanks to GMP for use of their police

bus and to Sgt Brian Oglivie for his support of N-Gage.

Thanks

I would like to thank the retiring Chair for the leadership

she has provided to the Trustees and the great skill she

has demonstrated in chairing the charity.

I would like to thank all trustees for their hard work and

commitment. The wisdom and faith they put in

N-Gage has helped shape the work. The Staff team

which seemed an impossible dream a couple of years

ago has been an exciting development. Thanks for all

you do to keep N-Gage functioning effectively.

The Exec team have worked tirelessly to come up with

innovative ways to raise much needed funds. I would

like to publicly apologise for doubting Mamma Mia

would work. (I still hate the film though). Seeing

Roman doing his amazing football tricks was a

highlight this year for me. I would also like to thank all

those people who have volunteered in

any capacity over the year. I never

cease to be amazed by how generous

people are with their time. Finally I

would like to thank Jo for her support

and wisdom. It is true to say that without

her N-Gage would be a lot poorer.

Thanks also to Amy for being patient

when ten minutes is sometimes an hour.

I am thrilled we have managed to

achieve so much this year. Against the

financial backdrop, I knew it was going to be a

challenge. I am blown away by the generosity of God.

As we look to the coming year with all that we hope to

achieve I hope we can continue to serve as many

young people as possible and change many lives.

Thank you for your continued

support.

Roman and his street

footballing skills.

Getting in to the swing of things at

Sing-a-long Mamma Mia!

Teacher’s eye view by Hannah Rablen. Having spent 2 weeks working

with N-Gage for an

enhancement placement

during my PGCE, I have been

able to see firsthand the

impact that the charity has on

pupils and schools.

The children that N-Gage work

with appear to come from

predominantly challenging

backgrounds and therefore

have a range of problems and

issues. As a class teacher,

whilst you always aim for

inclusion in every lesson you

teach, the restraints of the

curriculum and other

necessary parts of teaching

can unfortunately mean that

sometimes the needs of pupils

with specific issues are not

given as much time as they

require. The work of N-Gage

goes a long way in combating

this through giving one-to-one

and targeted help for

individual pupils. The ability of

Christie genuinely to relate to

the pupils and provide

enjoyable and interactive

sessions on topics that are

relevant to them, without making them seem cheesy, means that the pupils build a relationship with him

and are engrossed in the work of N-Gage in a way that they might not be in other lessons.

By engaging in conversation with the pupils that N-Gage work with in both primary and secondary

schools, it is evident that they thoroughly enjoy taking part in the sessions and respect Christie deeply. In

the corridors, pupils regularly greet Christie, who always gives them time, asking them how they‟re getting

on and gently reminding them to always try their best. His down to earth manner and non-patronising

approach of simply working at the level of the kids, means that he is able to communicate with them and

get them to think about things without being too forced. Although the work done by N-Gage is well

thought out and extremely well resourced, there is also the added benefit of having the freedom to be

able to adapt the programmes for individual groups, making the resource even more valuable.

Having shared my time with N-Gage between being out in school and based at the hub of the charity, I

am in no doubt that it is an organisation that is full of passion for making a difference in pupils‟ lives. If

even just one pupil is touched and inspired by the work of N-Gage so that the student makes more of

their education and thinks more about their future, then there can be no doubt as to the value and worth

of the work done by N-Gage.

Chair’s Report by Jackie Bellfield

This has been yet another high achieving and

successful year for N-Gage.

The continued success of The Step Up Programme

in additional schools, including primary schools is

encouraging. In addition to tailored and bespoke

workshops in youth events and schools, which build

on Christie‟s extensive skills in drumming, have been

very popular and

worthwhile.

Contributions

The activities and

work of N-Gage

cannot continue or

be developed

without the active

participation of so

many. I cannot

praise all individuals

who have made a

contribution

directly but am

thankful and

grateful to all who

have contributed

in many varied

ways over the year.

First I would like to pay tribute to the trustees - Simon

Chesterson, Geoff Dykes, Catherine Proudman,

Darren Cormack, Louisa Stone and Peter Savile

and the Executive Team: Simon, Emily Bowyer,

Heather Thorpe, Phil Tunnicliffe and Sarah Small.

We are particularly grateful for their commitment,

support and ideas over the year. Christie and Jo

Spurling, Rodger Spurling, Rachel Gaunt, Heather

Thorpe and Terry Lovell have worked with an

enthusiasm and excitement as N-Gage has

continually sought to deliver its core services,

develop new ideas and find ways to maintain its

structure. We are grateful for their hard work.

Publications

N-Gage newsletters are the main source of

supporters and interested parties with free leaflets,

newsletters and brochures. The N-Gage website

has been further developed over the year and

provides a link to Twitter and a wealth of

information on the charity, fundraising events and

how people can get involved.

Networking and Partner Recognition

Christie‟s networking with partnership

organisations, including the police, the council,

local housing associations and churches; and

publicity through the N-Gage website

(www.n-gage.org.uk) and various publications

have all resulted in the development of successful

forums.

The positive marketing has enabled the vision and

passion of N-Gage to be shared with its success

stories. Who can forget Roman and his football

skills at the Mamma Mia evening? – wonderful. We

have been so proud of Christie‟s work and

delighted to see this has been externally

recognised through receiving a number of

awards. Namely, The Chief Constable of

Manchester Award last year and also a Be Proud

award from Manchester City Council for The Beats

Multimedia Project: Well done Christie.

Throughout the year, the increase in numbers of

sponsors and supporters has helped significantly,

Every pound helps directly to transform a young

person‟s life.

Organisation

As a charity, we are constantly striving to seek and

maintain the vision of N-Gage. Earlier in the year

the N-Gage team met on our away day to discuss

the last year and look ahead to the next three.

This was an exciting day when we considered the

fact that we are at a threshold for the charity. The

Step Up Programme is at maximum delivery and

we are developing ways of how we can promote

and further develop the successful course in local

schools.

The Future

We find ourselves at the point of making exciting

decisions in relation to the future and it is

important that the trustees work with Christie and

the team in identifying and working through the

vision and how we balance it all.

Jo and Christie Spurling at the

Be Proud Awards.

The new N-Gage brochure cover

Could you volunteer for N-Gage?

We often need an extra pair of hands to help in the office, delivering mail shots, putting on events, being involved in

youth work with Shift or Transform... No matter what your skills or availability, if you would like to help out then N-Gage

needs you!

Call 0161 425 8252 or email Rachel on admin@n-gage.org.uk

Help required!

Some feedback from the young people

Chair advert

Recent Pupil Feedback “I like N-Gage because we did learn about drugs and what it is like in prison and how to work in a team. It is something to look forward to in the afternoon.” Cameron.

“N-Gage has given me something to like at school. It made me want to come to school.” Max “N-Gage helps you. My attendance and my behaviour has improved and my attitude has improved.” Becca

“N-Gage has helped me a lot because I learnt how to work as a team and not to get angry and silly. It was amazing!” Callum.

Background image—CD cases designed by pupils.

Collabor8 2010 by PC Singh, Safer Schools Partnership Officer.

It was great to be able to run another Collabor8 programme at St Peter‟s

RC high school again this year in partnership with N-Gage. Following on

from the successful pilot we ran last year funded by Greater Manchester

Police, the school were happy to pay for a second programme. We

worked with eight pupils, giving the young people a chance to learn

about the dangers of becoming involved in crime with a particular

emphasis on knife crime. Using a Home Office resource called “Be Safe”

the group became aware of the various issues around knife crime. We

also looked at prison life and team building. The pupils spent a few weeks

creating a CD, art work and poetry based around knife crime. We had

two visiting speakers from Mothers Against Violence and the Street Pastor

team to give real life accounts of the impact of crime. We ended the

programme with a bowling trip and visit to Nando‟s. The programme was

hugely successful and the quality of work produced by the pupils was

very high.

Don’t mess with a knife You could get shanked Bring a knife your risking your own life Don’t be stupid Think before you bring out a weapon. If you wanna lose your life then bring out the knife

Choose the right side so you stop doing crime. Chris, Collabor8 group.

Thank you...

...For your support!

Ivy Manchester

Mitchell Group, Ellesmere Port

Littlewoods

De Vere Hotels

The Hair Academy

Heather Thorpe/Phoenix Trader

The Joseph Rank Trust

Community Foundation of Greater

Manchester

Garfield Weston

Skills for workshops flyer...

The Manchester Guardian Society

Emmanuel Church, Didsbury

John Lewis

Reflect Cakes

...and all our other supporters and

donors, thank you...

Latest from the Executive Team Since September 2009 it has been agreed that the

Exec will meet bi-monthly so that there is an

organised approach to fundraising.

Since then, we have successfully organised the

Christmas Quiz, the

Mamma Mia and

High School

Musical Sing-a-

longs, and the

Mini-egg

fundraiser.

The Christmas Quiz

raised just under

£1000, Mamma

Mia raised just over

£800 and High School Musical £220. So far the

mini-egg fundraising idea, which was simple and

cost nothing to put on because the eggs were do-

nated and volunteers delivered them, has raised

£150 and people have until July to return the filled

tubes.

Heather Thorpe has begun the task of contacting

churches in the areas where N-Gage works to

gather support from local churches. This has resulted

in some interest, particularly from the Churches

together in M8 (the district where Abraham Moss

High School is). The leader of The Churches Together

in M8 is keen to start meeting with Christie to pray for

N-Gage and the young people he works with, while

he is there on Thursdays.

Heather Thorpe also sells Phoenix Cards, giving a

portion of the takings to N-Gage. She has arranged

a number of Phoenix Parties and sold cards at

N-Gage events this year.

The Exec has organised events for the next year

which include: a team who climbed the Three Peaks

Challenge in June; Christie doing a parachute jump;

a mid-summer Quiz and BBQ in July; Sing-a-long

Grease in September; another Christmas Quiz and

bucket collection at Tesco‟s Sale in December.

This September, N-Gage has been given a month to

communicate its message and raise its profile at Ivy

Manchester and we are currently putting together a

programme of events for that which will maximise

the effectiveness of the opportunity.

There are other ideas in the pipeline for 2011

including a Fashion Show, Ceilidh, increasing

corporate sponsorship and a 5 year anniversary

event to thank supporters and communicate the

vision for the future... so watch this space!

Development Coordinator—Rodger Spurling

N-Gage has been blessed with its current level of

personal giving, through regular monthly direct

debits and the support of people attending the

fundraising events.

Over the past twelve months N-Gage has been

successful with five applications raising £19k,

including a large grant from the Joseph Rank Trust

which will help with staffing costs for the next 3

years. A number of other application investigations

were made but we „did not meet criteria‟ due

mainly to the Trust Funders requiring „new innova-

tive projects‟ rather than core and staff running

costs. Charities cannot always be „re-inventing the

wheel‟!

Corporate Donations and Trust Funds have been

difficult to access during the current recessional

period. Because of financial interest rate levels be-

ing so low, „Trust Funds‟ have seen their investments

decrease in value, which, in turn, has meant less

monies available for grants to the voluntary sector.

Other activities have centred on establishing the

new office which is now running very effectively

and legally with all the current Health and Safety/

Child Protection legislation in place.

Rachel and I have worked together on producing

a „Volunteers Pack‟ which will now be given to any

new prospective volunteer. Next year will continue

to bring its highs and lows but we will continue to

knock on every available „funding door‟ to fulfil the

growth and development that N-Gage deserves.

Winning Quiz Team

Sing-A-Long Mamma Mia!

Great raffle prizes at all events!

...COMING SOON

The year in figures...

15,775

3,298

487

6,895

26,141

Income

Donations

Fundraising

Gift Aid Rebate

Grants

School/Workshop Income

127278

6,635

2,479

932

01,981

6,008

34,536

930 1,965 49

3,107

Expenditure

Meetings/Training

Membership fees/subscriptions

mileage/travel costs

Office Rent & rates

Phones

Public Liability Insurance

Shift/Transform

Staff Expenses

Staffing Costs

Stationary/Postage

Step Up

Volunteer Expenses

Website/Publicity

36% ...of N-Gage’s income comes from our supporters

through fundraising events and direct giving. THANK YOU!

Staffing is our largest expense, in a year when we expanded the team from 1 to 3. However, we were

successful in obtaining a grant from the Joseph Rank Trust which helps with funding towards staffing for

the next three years.