www.cherry-trees.co.uk Registered charity no. 800222

impact of our work

2015-16

Showing theHome from home

specialist short breaks for children and young people with disabilities

and the difference we make to our children and their families

We advocate respect, dignity, freedom of choice and privacy for each child and believe in the principles of CHILD FIRST, DISABILITY SECOND

Cherry Trees is a small charity providing home from home, specialist short breaks for children and young people aged 0-19 with a range of disabilities including learning, physical and sensory impairments.

Set in the peaceful village of East Clandon, near Guildford, Cherry Trees provides a high quality service within a relaxed and caring setting. Founded in 1980 by a group of parents and doctors, Cherry Trees is a lifeline for the many families, children and young people regularly cared for here, whether it be after school for a few hours, a weekend or even a couple of weeks stay.

Cherry Trees is a unique place, providing professional care in a safe, stimulating and fun environment, where every child is valued for who they are. It is a community that is dedicated to children and young people, enabling them to spend time with friends and enjoy new experiences and opportunities, while their families have a much-needed break.

We believe that every child is an individual with the right to enjoy a normal pattern of life within the community appropriate to his/her age. Cherry Trees is dedicated to ensure this is achieved for all of the children and young people who come to us.

A welcome from the Chair of Cherry TreesMark Clement

Cherry Trees fulfils a critical service in addressing the needs of the children and parents it supports. Whilst some assistance is given by social services, this is increasingly being subject to restrictions. Cherry Trees is therefore having to depend on the broader community for financial support, as well as our loyal band of volunteers without whom we could not exist.

Despite the challenges faced with fundraising, Cherry Trees has gone from strength to strength in terms of the service it provides and is committed to increasing its capacity and range of services offered. As the pressure on parents is increasing, we see it as part of our strategic remit to not only provide quality specialist short breaks but also to provide advice and support on broader issues.

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Home from home specialist short breaks for children and young people with disabilities

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If you think Cherry Trees can help you or a family in need please

contact our Head of Care, Peter Davey on 01483 222506 or e-mail care@cherry-trees.co.uk

* Relates to April 2015-March 2016** That completed our questionnaire

56,823hours

of fun for our children and young people*

466 siblings and family members benefitted

from using Cherry Trees

100% of parents stated in a

recent questionnaire that Cherry Trees completely met the needs of their child

84p in every pound of our income goes to the

care of the children and support of the families

£300,000 saved by volunteer effort for the charity

95 families were supported

25% of children use Cherry Trees

monthly on average

21 New referrals accepted

5091 hours of training provided for our staff

100% of children said they were happy

to be at Cherry Trees**

26 families benefitted from our Bursary Fund

11 people enjoyed work experience at Cherry Trees

25% of children use Cherry Trees

weekly on average

just under 4,000 visits booked during the last year alone

open 24 hours a day

46 weeks a year

FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS 2015-2016*

Parents felt that the outstanding strength of Cherry Trees is that it is a safe and caring environment for their child and they know that they are well cared for.

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Cherry Trees provided for our children and their families:

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Cherry Trees is ALL INCLUSIVE and supports families in Surrey, Sussex, London, Hants.

633 tea visits

1103 day visits

949 overnight visits

1275 24 hour stays

Cherry Trees gives my son independence and a chance

to be with friends and to do activities that we are unable to provide. It also gives the whole family a break from the full-time caring responsibility

Don’t just take our word for itWhat the parents say...

It offers a safe, friendly, caring environment for my child. It offers

the rest of the family a much needed break and a chance to do activities/take holidays which we could not

otherwise do

Without the support of Cherry Trees we would not have managed to keep our son living at home. Sharing the care

with Cherry Trees has enabled him to be with us as we get the necessary

break from caring so that we can then care for him for the rest of the time

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY WHAT DO THE CHILDREN SAY?I like coming to the home because it makes me feel happy and safe.

I make more friends because I meet new children.

You have fun when you are at Cherry Trees - the staff are really kind and helpful, they are there when you need them.

It is a fabulous support and has been for the last 10 years. My son is extremely happy and well cared for

Cherry Trees is the reason we can maintain

our life together as a disabled child and

single mother

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How do we support our families and

make a difference?

Why do we need to do this?

• We provide a much needed break for families, in many cases we play a key role in helping prevent family breakdown.

• We support informal, and individual learning programmes for each child and support our children to access a range of activities and opportunities that they may not be able to otherwise access.

• We respect, acknowledge and support the role of parents/carers, understanding the challenges they face in nurturing the potential in the child or young adult in their care.

• We advocate respect, dignity, freedom of choice and privacy for each child, and believe in the principle of Child First, Disability Second.

• We want to extend the range of services to meet the demand of families and children needing specialist support.

• Cherry Trees is the only avenue of support for many families. Many class it as their ‘lifeline’.

• Running costs are going up.

VISIONCherry Trees aims to be a model of excellence in specialist short breaks for children and young adults with physical, learning and sensory disabilities.

FOR THE FUTURE ...Our plan is to reach out to as many families as possible. We are continually extending our services and facilities. We need to ensure that we can meet the needs of children who are unable to access other services.

What do we need?We need to raise £450,000 each year to help support Cherry Trees

84 penceof our income goes to the care of the children and the support of the families

in EVERY pound

It costs

to fund

Cherry Trees

£1.25M A YEAR

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“The impact of what Cherry Trees provides for

every member of a family is immeasurable. It is impossible

to imagine what we would have done without

Cherry Trees.”

Can you help Cherry Treesrenovate and improveour Sensory, Holistic and Art Rooms?

This is our current major fundraising project – We need to raise £110,000 to make it happen.

A sensory room is a special room designed to develop a person’s sense, usually through special lighting, music and objects. It can be used as a therapy for children with limited communication skills.

Most children visit the sensory room on their first visit to Cherry Trees, without exception all love it and enjoy the varying experiences in the specialist room. The majority of our children require sensory activities and equipment to help them to understand the world that they live in. For some, especially those with autism, sensory equipment can be essential to their well-being.

The current sensory room has been utilised very well but is quite small and dated. There is an area adjacent to it that we plan to expand into which would allow us to incorporate better learning and relaxation equipment. This would allow more young people to benefit from these specialist facilities.

For young people with physical disabilities, when they are freed of all their necessary constraints, and can just lie and relax in comfort and total safety, is the biggest treat imaginable. For example, allowing a young person to have all their body braces removed and lie safely on a relaxing and soothing vibrio water bed. This gives them the rare opportunity to completely relax free of constraints and to make independent choices as to what they would like to do.

For some of our noise intolerant children, the sensory room is a sanctuary of peace and quiet.

For most of our children, the sensory room offers them a chance to calm down and be soothed safely if they have got over-anxious or over-excited, which, with the children in our care, can be a regular occurrence due to their varying conditions.

Why do we need a Sensory Room?

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• Six single and four twin bedded themed and newly decorated bedrooms.

• A fully accessible house including, a lift, ramps, seven electronic ceiling hoists, and four manual hoists.

• Spacious playroom, equipped with an activity area incorporating climbing and sensory apparatus and a ball pond.

• Sunny, well equipped, seaside themed conservatory that doubles as a playroom.

• Games room and spacious den upstairs.

• Newly decorated and modern, large and small dining rooms.

• Large garden with outdoor play equipment accessible for all with a water play area.

• Specialist playground equipment in garden.

• Sensory Room.

• Designated Art Room.

• Two mini buses both equipped to transport wheelchairs for outside trips.

• Cherry Trees is in close proximity to Guildford town centre and leisure centres. Hatchlands, a National Trust House and Gardens is close by as is a small local park opposite Cherry Trees.

Facilities at Cherry Trees We love to party at Cherry Trees

*Cherry Trees received another positive judgement from Ofsted*

* October 2015 Report

“It is evident that young people thoroughly enjoy and look

forward to their short break.”

“The staff have successfully supported

young people to move on to adult care settings.”

“Staff provide young people with individualised

care that effectively supports and nurtures their personal

development, leading to improvements in their

behaviour, confidence and independence.”

“Young people enjoy care from staff dedicated

to providing them with positive life-enhancing

experiences.”

“Young people show warmth and affection for the care staff and

there is a very relaxed atmosphere in

the home.”

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“For the boys it means time with friends and different experiences, for me it is heaven to know that they

are safe and that I can relax.”

What Cherry Trees means to us

Our twins, Luke and Thomas, are 10 and are autistic with severe learning difficulties and global development delay. As their behaviour can be unpredictable and challenging, coupled with a desire to run at every opportunity, our home life had become very restricted.

We sought respite and found Cherry Trees, and it has been the best thing we have ever done. Over the last five years we have gone from tea visits and day cares to overnights and for the first time last year Luke & Thomas spent a week at Cherry Trees and Dave and I took a long overdue holiday. (Luckily the week at Cherry Trees coincided with our eldest son going away to camp!)

Luke and Thomas love going. When we left them for the first time, we knew that they would not miss us, but we hoped that they would enjoy themselves. We needn’t have worried – they had a great time and continue do so every time they visit. There are excited squeals and hand clapping from the back of the car when we approach and they can’t wait to run in, Luke heading for the soft play and Thomas for his favourite toy in the playroom.

For us, the time the boys spend at Cherry Trees is to relax and recharge, do jobs that we are unable to do when they are at home, and spend time with our other son without the twin’s needs being put first.

For Luke and Thomas’s elder brother, Aaron, his toys can be played with without the fear of them being broken or chewed, and he can have friends round to play which had been impossible before. As Aaron has also just started secondary school having Luke and Thomas away makes it easier to do his homework as I can spend time helping him without distraction.

It is very difficult to put into words just what Cherry Trees means to us as it has changed our lives for the better in so many ways - we are happy as we know that the care they receive is outstanding and they have access to experiences that we cannot provide, and that they are learning to be away from home without mum and dad which will be good for their future. I also firmly believe that being able to access respite has enabled us to stay together as a family much longer.

So, a big thank you to all the dedicated and amazing staff and volunteers at Cherry Trees. Our lives have been greatly improved.

Sam, Dave, Aaron, Luke and Thomas

“The care at Cherry Trees is outstanding”

After 14 years, Katie has waved goodbye to Cherry Trees.

The last time we wrote about Katie’s love of Cherry Trees was two years ago, when her leaving everything she knows and loves seemed a long way in the future. That difficult time of transition arrived in lightening fashion and we have all had to face reality. Katie left her beloved school/college in July and all that that meant to her, missing friends, staff, routine etc; but luckily, she was able to stay on for a couple of months at Cherry Trees.

We were lucky enough to find a beautiful residential home for her to start living more independently and she moved there in the autumn. As her family, we were full of mixed emotions, would she cope without us? Would she be lonely and feel abandoned or would she be happy living with people her own age and leading a more independent life? We experienced all of these worries and emotions but the overriding factor that kept us feeling positive about her future was how Katie, from the age of 4 when she had her first visit, has always loved staying away from home at Cherry Trees.

We have not had any family support locally for a number of years and have relied totally on Cherry Trees to give Katie some amazing times and also to give us a break. She has had fantastic

days out, and lovely visits from various people who come to entertain the children - thank you especially to Marco the Clown, Dave Benson Phillips and Bilbo the Pat Dog - she loves them all. Katie has had some incredible experiences that she most definitely would not have had without Cherry Trees.

We have, as a family, been so lucky to have Cherry Trees in our lives as it is Katie’s favourite place in the whole world, and even after 14 years of day-care, weekends and the occasional two-week stint, she still gets excited about going to spend time there. She hardly has time to say goodbye, when the door opens to let her in and she is gone like a shot. We leave her there, happy in the knowledge that she is happy and won’t miss us and cry to come home.

We strongly believe the time Katie has spent at Cherry Trees has been invaluable and will hold her in good stead for her new life away from her family. To say thank you just isn’t enough to express our gratitude to everyone at Cherry Trees for their help, support and encouragement given to Katie over the last 14 years. We couldn’t have coped without you and will all truly miss every one of you. A huge heartfelt thank you from the Knight family and especially Katie.

Tony, Maxine & Katie

“We couldn’t have coped

without you”

What Cherry Trees means to us

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“If Katie was asked to pick her favourite thing in the

whole wide world, she would without doubt say

Cherry Trees.”

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A year of fun and wonderful experiences at Cherry TreesAll activities are funded by Cherry Trees and supported by Staff, Volunteers and Trustees

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A year of fun and wonderful experiences at Cherry Trees

A very big thank you to everyone who has made 2015 so much fun!

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Can you help us by volunteering? There is a place for everyone at Cherry Trees Cherry Trees is a small local charity with over 60 volunteers who are involved in the care of the children and fundraising. Approximately 4,100 volunteer hours were provided during 2015 and the volunteer effort saves the charity some £300,000 per annum.

Volunteers are a vital part of any growing charitable organisation, and we are no exception! There are so many ways to get involved. You could help with administration and event

planning in the fundraising office, driving the mini bus, IT, making cakes and sandwiches, help us out at events, to name but a few things; BUT the important thing is we will only ever ask you to do what you are comfortable doing and will be grateful for as much or as little time as you can give.

Could this be you or someone you know? Could you help us together with a friend or member of your family? Volunteering is fun and you will be valued and part of the team.

Whether you can afford to give an hour, a day, or a day per month, your support will make a HUGE difference to us. If you can spare some time, however little or however much we would love to hear from you! We know that it is not always possible to commit to volunteering on a regular basis and we will respect that.

If you can spare some time or would just like to know more without committing yourself, please contact Helen on 01483 222507 or e mail events@cherry-trees.surrey.uk

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL 2015/16 VOLUNTEERS

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And this is what the staff say Cherry Trees means to us …

“I thoroughly enjoy any and all time spent supporting Cherry Trees. It is such a positive, fun, vibrant and appreciative charity. Everyone involved at Cherry Trees - from the children and their families, care team, administration and fundraising teams, volunteers, trustees and many more are so passionate about Cherry Trees and the marvellous work that they do. The respite care that Cherry Trees

provides blesses so many people. Being involved in the Cherry Trees family allows me to be a part of the greater good in life and that in itself is a wonderful opportunity that I am grateful for.”

Ingrid – Fundraising Volunteer

“I have worked at Cherry Trees for over ten years. I have seen some young people grow into adulthood after first meeting them when they were very young. I feel very privileged to work at Cherry Trees, to be part of our young people’s lives and to see them grow and change. They give me so much more than I ever give them. There are not many other jobs where you laugh as much as you do at Cherry Trees; our young people have their own unique take on the world.”

Alice – Care Team

“I have now worked for Cherry Trees for 14 years and can say it has become a way of life not just a job. I love the children who use our services and have enjoyed meeting and building relationships with some amazing parents of whom some have become firm friends.I love the challenges that come with the job and I am lucky to have so many opportunities in my role to share our ethos and to put Cherry Trees on the map.The staff at Cherry Trees are very dedicated and we share a great team spirit.”

Debbie – Care Co-ordinator and Fundraiser

“I wanted to work for a charity before I go to University and working for Cherry Trees has been such a rewarding experience. I have seen first-hand the wonderful work that this small local charity does and how valuable the respite care is not only for the children but also their families. Work at Cherry Trees is so varied. I coordinate volunteers, help design various marketing material, update the data base and prepare for and help at fundraising events so there is never a dull moment. I am so pleased to have played a part in helping the fundraising team raise much needed funds over the last year and the experience will be invaluable to me in my future life.”

Liam – Community and Events Intern

“So now as I look back at 26 years “What does Cherry Trees mean to me?”• Strength – as we continue to grow in this uncertain world.• Warmth – because that is what you feel as you enter the building.• Unpredictability – no two days are the same, no two children are ever the same.• Support – because when unpredictability strikes the team who work with the children and the

team behind the scenes are always there to support and guide.”

Paula – Deputy Head of Care

“It is such a pleasure to be part of the Cherry Trees family – everyone is so enthusiastic and has such fun raising money for this wonderful charity helping children with disabilities. Please do look at the website www.cherry-trees.co.uk and see the smiling faces of the staff, volunteers and most importantly – the children and their families and see just what valuable work Cherry Trees does”.

Julia – Fundraising Volunteer

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Highlights of the year

Cherry Trees 25th Charity Golf Day raises £12,789

Cherry Trees celebrated 35 years of caring at the Glittering Summer Ball and raised over £14,500

Next year the Cherry Trees Charity Golf Day will be held at Woking Golf Course on Friday November 4th and in 2016 we will be back at Worplesdon Golf Club on Wednesday September 27th.

Cherryfest makes a record £5,500 Mark Ambrose completes London Marathon 2015An absolutely massive thank you to the wonderful Mark Ambrose who ran the London Marathon in an amazing 3 hours 32 minutes, and raised over £7,500 for Cherry Trees.

Trudi Harris was named in the Queen’s New Year Honours list, having been associated with Cherry Trees for 35 years. Trudi has been awarded the MBE for her services to children with special educational needs over the last 35 years.Trudi became Chair of Trustees in 2005 and retired from the role after 35 years of dedicated and committed service to the charity. Cherry

Trees received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in the summer of 2015. Trudi said: “It has been such an honour and privilege to work with so many wonderful selfless people who have given so much. I saw how plucky the parents are and how they look after their children. It has been hugely rewarding to work with such wonderful people who give so much of their time, above and beyond what they need to.”Thank you from all at Cherry Trees past and present.

Team Cherry Trees cycled to success in the Prudential Ride London100, raising over £16,500

Trudi Harris, (former Chair of Trustees) was presented on behalf of Cherry Trees, with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service by the Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Dame Sarah Goad DVCO JP.

The Queen’s Award is the highest award a voluntary group can receive and it was a marvellous accolade for the army of volunteers that have supported, and continue to support, Cherry Trees over the last 36 years.

Cherry Trees, The Queen’s Award

Congratulations to Trudi Harris MBE – Former Chair of Cherry Trees

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Finance – the factsExpenditure – Breakdown of costs £000l Salaries & training 895l Care costs 279l Governance costs 5l Activities to generate funds 68 Total 1,247

Income – Breakdown £000l Local Authority Income 682l Fundraising including Legacy 477l Parents 18l Investment income 66 Total 1,243

Fundraising breakdown of income £000l Charitable Trusts donations 116l Corporate donations 44l General donations 44l Collections 5l Fundraising events (incl bridge & golf) 130l Legacies 61l Payroll giving 2l Regular giving 6l Clubs, Societies, schools & churches 25l Gift aid 12l Gifts in Kind 32 Total 477

Thank you to everyone who has supported Cherry Trees over the last year. We could not do the work we do without you. We are so grateful for everybody’s generosity and whether you are an individual, organisation, company, school, church, club, we appreciate everything that you have done for Cherry Trees. We are looking forward to the next year with confidence and enthusiasm and hope to enjoy your continued support. If you are considering helping us for the first time, please come and visit us and see the valuable work we do.

What do we need?

How can you help us to acheive this

We need to raise £450,000 each year to help support Cherry Trees

84 penceof our income goes to the care of the children and the support of the families

in EVERY pound

THANK YOU EVERYONE ALWAYS

RECEIVES A WARM

WELCOME AT CHERRY TREES.

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www.facebook.com/cherrytreesukwww.cherry-trees.co.uk www.twitter.com/cherrytreesuk

Cherry Trees, School Lane, East Clandon, Surrey GU4 7RS

Tel 01483 222507 – Fundraising Office or email fundraising at Cherry-Trees.co.ukHead of Fundraising & Communication - Tania Cantoni

Tel 01483 222506 – Care Team or e mail care@cherry-trees.co.ukHead of Care – Peter Davey

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