Annual Review 2010/2011 Registered Charity No. 1117843

Year in review by CEO Christie Spurling

Chair’s report by Andy Eadie

Development Co-ordinator’s report

Youth and Community worker’s report

Latest from the Executive team

Placement Student report

Financial report

In the last year N-Gage has :

Put 135 Young People through schools work programmes

Delivered 1920 minutes of Detached Youth Work

Trained 14 people through YLP

Undertaken 4 Days of Community Action

Involved 200 Young People in Creative Workshops

Schools Work

Detached Youth Work

Leadership Development

Community Action

Creative Projects

Activity Weeks

Offers the following:

N-Gage regularly works in schools and with a number of partners including:

Ringway Primary School

Newall Green Primary School St Pauls RC High School, Newall Green High School

Manchester Enterprise Academy Chorlton High School

Abraham Moss High School Barlow RC High School

MCMA The Gateway

Broomwood Primary School

Willow Park Housing Trust Greater Manchester Police Manchester City Council

The difference N-Gage makes:

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Report from CEO, Christie Spurling

We are now operating in lots of w a y s that help sup-port young people and help them to make positive life choices. Welcome to N-Gage‟s 2010-11 Annual Review. It has been an amazing privilege to do this work and see it develop over the years. We are currently celebrating our 5th year of N-Gage. The thing I enjoy most is working with local schools to reach out to pupils who are at risk of becoming a real issue. We have seen countless cases this year where we have been able to bring young people back from the brink of exclusion. My own challenges as a young person and who I have gone on to become still has a major impact on the pupils I work with. Pupil A was referred to N-Gage as he was having issues in school. He was getting very angry and frustrated. He was being bullied by his peers and had low self-confidence. We started working intensively with him and he responded well. He quickly gained more confidence, spoke up for himself in front of his peers and just generally seemed a lot happier. The instances of negative behaviour in school reduced dramatically and a real change in his attitude was noted by all. Where stories like this occur it can be difficult to accurately measure the impact of what we do but it just works! We have countless stories of lives being changed, young people being encouraged to find and develop their full potential and

discover their God-given talents. The

impact we have has a knock on effect in the

communities and families that these

young people live in.

All the sessions that we offer to

schools have been written up into a manual and we are looking at ways of making it more widely available. I feel that we have found a real recipe for success so I want to find ways to make it accessible to as many young people as possible. A personal highlight of the year for me was leaping out of a plane at 10,000ft!! If I‟m honest I was really nervous but I tried to focus on the reason I was doing it – to raise funds for our work – and I have to say it was probably the most amazing thing I have ever done! (So much so that I‟ll be doing it again in Oct, this time with 3 friends joining me!) As I write this we are working on a proposal in partnership with GMP and the local council to extend our detached work (Shift) which we have recently renamed Catalyst. We are excited to be able to contribute to the city and help change lives whilst also getting the resources we need to deliver excellent work. Finally I would like to say a massive thank you for all the support people give to N-Gage. It has been an amazing journey to get to where we are. I am grateful to a very generous God for his continued provision and look forward to seeing the work grow and develop over the coming months and years.

2011 should be called the year of ‘new’ or the year of ‘growth’ for N-Gage! I have had the fantastic opportunity to take on the role as Chair of this

ground-breaking charity and it is an honour to see first hand the impact that Christie and the team are having upon the lives of young people across Manchester. N-Gage has again worked extremely hard to offer key programmes to a number of young people throughout the Manchester area. So why „new‟ and „growth‟? As we read this report the voluntary and public sector is in financial turmoil. The number of agencies across the city that are laying staff off and reducing services is extraordinary. Contrary to this trend N-Gage has entered a period of unprecedented growth and of new opportunities! We have seen growth in the staff team, different areas of work and more importantly in the number of young people with whom we have contact. It is a delight to see how the dedicated

team of staff working with Christie have seen things move forward through hard work, determination and focus. First of all in staffing Christie continues to see his office fill up around him! Rachel Strafford joined us as Youth and Community Worker and she has done an amazing job assisting Christie in schools whilst building the Shift work in local parks. The main area it has been great to see Rachel work is with the Young Leaders Programme. She has written and delivered a fantastic programme for our group of young leaders who have been involved in N-Gage for many years now and are now in a place to give back and become youth workers themselves. Also it is always sad to see staff move on and after serving N-Gage with a servant heart and happy smile, Rachel Gaunt moved on to new opportunities. Can I take this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work and efforts over the years and wish her well in her new ventures. The last staffing addition has come about because of the „new‟ opportunity

Report from New Chair of Trustees, Andy Eadie

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to come our way recently. Christie was approached by Willow Park Housing Trust in Benchill, with whom he had undertaken some very successful intervention work last year. They asked if N-Gage would consider being seconded to oversee the management of their Youth Centre – The Hub. This gave Christie and the team a massive conundrum. The opportunity and workload were both enormous, but the trustees and Christie felt it was an opportunity too good to miss. So, N-Gage moved offices to Benchill and is now in oversight of The Hub. It is important to stress that this is not taking away from any of the other work that N-Gage is involved in, Step-Up, Shift, the Beats and all the other projects will continue to grow and thrive. This is a new avenue and one which gives us the chance to transform the lives of many, many young people in a specific community in South Manchester. Obviously, in order to facilitate this we needed to look at staffing once again. We appointed an extremely experienced youth worker and centre manager to oversee this aspect of the work. Debbie Bruce joined us and has already had a massive

impact. Numbers using the centre are already increasing and there is a real buzz in the area about what Christie, Debbie and the team are doing. So, growth – in abundance, new – an awful lot! All this cannot happen without the commitment, passion and vision of Christie and the whole staff team. Can I as chair take this chance to say a thank you to all the team, both past and present for the extraordinary work that they are doing for this charity. Their heart, flexibility and unity is helping all move forward in what is the most challenging of periods. I would like to thank all our funders for continuing to support our work; without their financial assistance and belief in the charity and its‟ work, N-Gage could not operate. Also thanks to the incredible trustees, with whom it has been a pleasure to get to know and work with. And also the Executive Team, whose efforts to support the charity have continued to be marked by skill, commitment and vision. And, of course, a special and final thanks to Christie Spurling, the founder and CEO of N-Gage, whose energy, vision and heart for young people knows no limits!

A Revolution trip to Llandudno

2010/2011 has been i n t e r e s t i n g , challenging but happily the most successful grant funding year to date. To achieve this 180 Trusts were investigated

of which applications were made to 36. A 16% return is about average for smaller charities as opposed to the major national charities that have a much wider appeal in times of recession. However it is not quantity but quality and one of our major contributors was Lloyds TSB who have funded Rachel for two years as Youth and Community Worker. The change of government during the last year has brought a different dimension to how we approach our fundraising effects. Much has been made of the Prime Minister‟s vision for the „Big Society‟ but we have yet to experience the effects at grass roots. The government has made a large amount of money available to charities

who have suffered through the loss

of statutory contracts

leaving t h e

smaller charities struggling to find core funding. The other emphasis for funding has been on „community projects‟ that enhance the community spirit and improve the local area. N-Gage has a „community of young people‟ but it is not geographical so does not meet the change of criteria that funders have made to meet the government‟s initiatives. We have identified another 100 Trusts to investigate and I am confident that my friend „Percy Verance‟ will continue to help us find the funding that is required. Another area of funding I shall be investigating during the next 12 months is „Legacy‟ funding. For some major charities this can represent as much as 30% of their income. It might just need only one legacy to secure the future for us as a charity. If you are reading this and have yet to make a Will or are currently updating your current one perhaps you could consider including N-Gage in your plans. If you want further information please contact us. Local business sponsorship is another area of income we have yet to „tap‟ into so if you are reading this and you know of a concern or company that might be willing to sponsor us however small, again please contact us. During any recession the two „buzz‟ fundraising phrases are „innovation‟ and ‟building on success‟. N-Gage is both innovative and building on its successful first five years. I am confident that however challenging, we will continue to raise necessary funds.

Report from Development Co-ordinator, Rodger Spurling

What is Revolution? A week in the school holidays aimed at:

Building up individuals

Developing Confidence

Encouraging teamwork Run by dedicated Youth Work-ers providing great role models and relationships.

Revolution Week– A trip to the Sea

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Since joining N-Gage in Oct 2010 what a brilliant few months I have had! I have set up our new Y o u n g L e a d e r s Programme (an urban Duke of Edinburgh -

without the camping!) As part of this pupils take part in a Transform event. The first group spent an evening painting a room which needed a bit of a lift at Ivy Manchester. They are set to

do a second project later

on in the year.

I have

a l s o organised

2 Revolution Weeks, one in

February and one in March which were a great success! We had such a good time getting to know the young people better, and it was such a privilege to be

able to introduce them to new things and watch them get excited about new skills that they had learnt. Shift is also going well, and we got a g r e a t r e -sponse when we were look-ing for new volunteers. We have managed to take the Police Youth Bus out regularly, mainly placed near Fog Lane Park in Didsbury. A lot of young people have taken an interest in the bus and have been excited about the 'Beats' project which they are able to have a little go on; all of them seem to really look forward to our return. It is such a great resource, and the new graffiti on the exterior definitely attracts attention! We have had up to 15 young people coming to see what it happening, as well as some parents.

Report from Development Co-ordinator, Rodger Spurling Report from Youth and Community Worker, Rachel Strafford

Young people‟s work following a Graffiti Workshop

What is Revolution? A week in the school holidays aimed at:

Building up individuals

Developing Confidence

Encouraging teamwork Run by dedicated Youth Work-ers providing great role models and relationships.

Rachel and a student taking

part in a Graffiti Art project

T h e E x e c u t i v e team have met bi-monthly and have recruited a number of new members to be involved with the organisation of events

which is encouraging. Especially as due to the transition of staff and a smaller team the Exec we had been limited in the amount of events we could run at the beginning of this year. There is however a great deal planned for the rest of 2011.

Successful events completed since April 2010 include: The

Easter Egg Campaign, Pete Savile‟s 10k Run,

Sing-a-Long Mamma Mia and Grease, a

S u m m e r & C h r i s t m a s

Quiz, the first e v e r 3 P e a k s Challenge a n d Christie‟s P a r a -c h u t e Jump. S p r i n g /Summer 2011 saw

us running

a family fun day at Benchill local community centre reaching out to the local neighbourhood Also to celebrate N-Gage‟s 5th birthday a big band concert was organised. A great night was had by all. This was shortly followed by our second sponsored 3 peaks challenge and a night with Mozart and friends. Events for the Autumn: 5th Oct - One Night Out live band

night @ Baa Baa, Fallowfield, Mcr 8th Oct - Sing a long Mama Mia @

Lymm Baptist Church 22nd Oct - Sponsored Parachute

J um p w w w . j u s tg i v i ng . com /n -gagejumpers for more info

10th Dec - Christmas quiz @ Ivy Mcr 17th Dec -Bag packing @ Tesco, Sale Heather Thorpe continues to sell Phoenix cards giving 20% of the money made to N-Gage. The team is looking to expand where we hold events to develop our supporter network. This can be seen in the outreach to Lymm and developing links within the Wythenshawe community. We are always looking out for new members of the exec team and very much appreciate the work of those who volunteer at events and help to raise money for N-Gage.

A Special Thank You to: Cash for Kids - Key 103

Community Foundation for Greater Manchester Evan Cornish Foundation

Ivy Manchester Lloyds TSB Foundation

Mitchell Mazda The Joseph Rank Trust

The Zochonis Charitable Trust

Report from Executive Team Member, Emily Bowyer

Trustee Pete Savile runs the Manchester 10K

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I have had the pleasure of working as part of the N-Gage team since February whilst on my student placement. During this experience I have worked with Christie in a number of schools on the Step Up programme, and have observed a number of young people progress in their confidence and behaviour. This has given me the chance to witness first-hand how the values behind N-Gage‟s programmes and projects are successful in empowering young people. I attended the Revolution weeks that took place in February and March; it was great being a part of this and

seeing the young people enjoying a full week of activities that they may not have had the chance to do otherwise, such as Chester Zoo, Blue planet Aquarium, mountain biking and Crocky Trail. I have also undertaken the Shift detached work, which has given me a great insight into the needs of young people and an alternative way of dealing with these needs. Overall my experience of working at N-Gage has been brilliant and I would like to thank the team for the support that they have given to me throughout my time there.

Beth Campbell describes her experience on placement with N-Gage

Goodbye Jackie We just wanted to say thank you to our outgoing Chair of Trustee, Jackie Bellfield who has stepped down due to ill health. Thank you so much for all your work with N-Gage over the years and we wish you a speedy recovery and all the best for the future.

Beth (far left) and the Revolution Week team enjoy a visit to Liverpool

Finance Report 2010 - 2011

The finances at one point during the year were at a particularly low level but, as has so often been the case in the past, funds arrived when needed, so that the general fund finished with a balance of £7,878 and the restricted fund with a balance of £10,767.

N-Gage, in common with other charities, are operating in a climate where funding is tighter than previously. This is shown in the level of schools income which was under half of last year's amount. However income from grants and fund-raising increased from last year. Special thanks should be given to the commitment shown by our

individual supporters - donations increased by 26% enabling us also to increase our Gift Aid rebate income.

In the last month of the year our new partnership with Willow Park Housing Trust began and will substantially increase the budget (income and expense) of the charity in the coming financial year.

Expenses for the year were just over 2% higher than 2009-10.

A breakdown by category of income and expenditure from the general fund is shown overleaf :

My first day on the job, I was 30ft up in the air

helping young people through the challenging

assault course of Aerial Extreme at the Trafford

Centre. It certainly made an impression and made

me realise the amazing opportunities made

available to young people by N-Gage. Since then,

the young people have visited Ormside Mill and

gorge walked through a river, rock climbed a water

fall and enjoyed a day out to Alton Towers. This is

alongside project work being set up for the young

people on cultural diversity, graffiti, dance, and

much more.

Debbie is responsible for running the Hub, based at Benchill Community Centre.

This is a youth club open for local young people

aged 11-19. There are drop

in sessions, girls groups,

creative sessions, training

sessions, a summer club and

heaps more!

Introducing new team member - Debbie Bruce

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WE HAVE MOVED: Please note our new address Benchill Community Centre

Benchill Road Wythenshawe Manchester

M22 8EJ Tel: 0161 637 1302

Email: admin@n-gage.org.uk Web: www.n-gage.org.uk

Get Involved! As we launch our new detached youth work we‟re going to need even more volunteers to come and get involved! For more information about what is required and to apply please contact Rachel Strafford on: 0161 637 1302 or email: rachel.youthworker@n-gage.org.uk

A new way to GIVE! We have recently signed up to text giving which means you can give right here and now via your mobile phone. There are no hidden charges or commissions taken so you give £5 we get £5 simple as that! Choose how much you want to give (max is £10) then text: NGYP01 £2/5/10 to 70070

© N-Gage 2011. Registered charity number 1117843

A few last words from the young people we work with... “I like being involved with N-Gage because they take us places I

would have never been.”

“If I didn't come to N-Gage I would probably be permanently

excluded from school or in serious trouble. Christie has helped me

improve my behaviour and my attitude towards people.”

“I liked it when we learned about prison because it shows you what

its like and you don‟t want to go there!”