Agenda item

Presentation by the Chief Executive of the Renewal Trust

The Committee received a presentation by Cherry Underwood, Chief Executive of the Renewal Trust, which highlighted work undertaken by the Trust, including activities at the Brendon Lawrence Sports Centre on Hungerhill Road, with young people in general, at St Ann’s Allotments, at the ‘Future Leaders of Nottingham’ training events and through employment support and proposals for the future.

During discussion, the following additional information was given:

i.  during the pandemic, it provided on King Edward Park the only UK, Covid-secure (as recognised by Skate England) dedicated skateboarding training;

ii.  ‘Mini movers’, aimed at under 5s has been very well received, especially by parents as it has provided the chance for them to get out and meet other parents during the pandemic;

iii.  ‘Sportz Starz’ (multi-sport sessions) have been run at schools and provides lunchtime activities to keep children fit and active;

iv.  ‘Sports Wise, aimed at older young people and using sport as a tool for engagement, has been less successful during the pandemic due to them moving to online resources;

v.  hopefully in the new year the Disability Support Association will be moving into the Brendon Lawrence Sports Centre;

vi.  the Children and Young People’s Worker’s Forum have discussed ways to continue providing Covid-secure activities in local parks;

vii.  the Trust have been providing training for partners, particularly in respect of mental health, first aid and safeguarding, and are looking at future provision;

viii.  St Ann’s Allotments – a Grade 2* listed English Heritage site that is unique in the country, and is considered the 2^nd largest allotment in the world;

The Trust:

·  have recently completed its Heritage lottery Fund resilience work, a 1-year programme to produce a 10-year masterplan for the site, which has identified the funding necessary to maintain it;

·  have also recently spent £40,000 on 2 major capital investments at the site – improving the water supply, which is from a bore-hole, and on a new electric gate mechanism to control access and keep people safe (before the Trust took it over, the site was regularly used for arms stashes and prostitution);

·  is custodian of 80 oak trees, under the ‘Peoples Forest Oak Programme’, which will eventually be distributed to schools across the city;

ix.  ‘Future Leaders of Nottingham’ – a positive action programme looking to address diversity in leadership across the city, engaging people from public, private and voluntary sectors.

·  It is a paid-for service (by the host organisation) and has had people from, such as, the University hospitals, Notts Fire and Rescue service, Imara (a support service for victims and families of child sexual abuse) and Nottingham City Council;

·  the latest programme was recently announced and will be online during the pandemic, hopefully returning to Covid-safe, face-to-face soon with reduced attendee numbers and staggered provision days to cover more areas. Experian has also provided The Trust with 20 IPads, which are easier to keep clean than computers;

x.  Employment Support - provision is currently a challenge due to closure of the venues used because of the pandemic, and it is looking likely that no 1:1 provision will take place before the new year at least. Another issue affecting provision is lack of engagement due to a lack of confidence around Covid-19 on behalf of the community;

xi.  Future plans:

·  BANCA, Greenway, local libraries, St Stephen’s School and Nottingham Academy have all agreed to 1:1 provision at their venues starting in January, to be mostly run by ‘Futures’;

·  St Ann’s Community Centre currently has Zoom provision – ask for ‘Anne’ and you’ll be given a room for a 1:1 session remotely. This will hopefully soon be provided at Cherry Lodge also;

·  Family Learning – developed in partnership with the City Council and Experian, mainly around family money values, but will hopefully be expanded shortly;

·  Targeted Outreach – working with ESAP (Employment and Skills Area Partnership) and Neighbourhood Development Officers and will leaflet-drop and have banners outside schools showing what is available and where, and ensuring consistent information;

·  ‘Futures’ is a new delivery partner as they have the skills and experience to deliver services straight away;

xii.  ‘Feel Good Christmas’

·  ‘This Girl Can’ – 180 activity bags distributed into the community through BANCA, The Chase and the City’s Youth Team;

·  ‘Breakfast Bags’ – working with schools to provide over 200 families with a week’s worth of breakfasts for each of the 2 weeks of the school holidays (22^nd and 29^th December);

·  ‘Feel Good Packs’ – working with Sneinton Tenant’s Outreach Programme and Nottingham City Homes to deliver to Sneinton Elements and Youth and Play Families (via Jackie Thomas) packs with activities for children, toiletries and treats for the home;

·  ‘Period Poverty’ – building on the ongoing work of ‘This Girl Can’;

xiii.  The Trust is working to develop / bring together existing community groups, rather than creating new ones, while still supporting those that need it in respect of policies, business plans etc;

xiv.  as The Trust is now 22 years old, it is undertaking a governance review, including what has been learned during the pandemic and any challenges, and to ensure it is fit for the future.

In response to a question about usage of the Brendon Lawrence Sports Centre, Cherry stated that a breakdown of usage by postcode can be forwarded to members;

Resolved to note the information, and that the thanks of the Committee to Ms Underwood, for the informative presentation, be recorded.