If you’re anything like me then you’ll already be getting excited about tomorrow’s Red Nose Day TV extravaganza. And you’ll have been enjoying the celeb-filled challenges over the last few weeks. And I don’t blame you! Who doesn’t love the excitement and the hype? But, remember, it’s not all about being glued to the TV this Friday night.

Whilst the Red Nose Day coverage is always hugely entertaining, and the fundraising challenges can be a lot of fun, there’s more to this event... The message and values behind Comic Relief and Red Nose Day are enormously important - they are messages and values that closely reflect our own charity’s values. Here at BYHP, we’re focused on providing opportunities and support for young, vulnerable people within our own community. Whilst this can take many forms, it focuses on ensuring they have access to the support they need, enabling them to feel safe and valued.


So what does Comic Relief do? Who are they raising money for on Red Nose Day? 

Comic Relief pursues a similar ideal. It targets vulnerable groups both in the UK and abroad, often supporting children and young people. Following the last event, the core issues addressed were “a safe place to be”, “children survive and thrive” and “gender justice”. The fundraising efforts of the nation saw hundreds of millions of pounds donated, making a huge difference to so many lives.. To learn more about exactly how these funds were used, click here.

So, when you sit down to watch this year’s Red Nose Day, enjoy every second! But enjoy the movement behind it too - watching people across the nation coming together to support others. I think that’s pretty special. And something to be celebrated. The generosity of individuals can make a real difference to the lives of others and that’s something we’re so proud to witness every day at BYHP.

What are eating disorders?

An eating disorder is when someone develops an unhealthy attitude towards food. Anyone can develop an eating disorder, whether or not they have shown any signs of it in the past. The most common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge-eating or OSFED. Eating disorders may be triggered by any number of events, and the sufferer may be unaware themselves that they’re suffering.

What are the common signs of an eating disorder?

Whilst anyone can suffer from an eating disorder, its most commonly seen amongst females between 13 and 17 years old. Symptoms of someone suffering with an eating disorder include:

• Obsessing over weight and body shape
• Excessively limiting food intake or making yourself sick after eating
• Exercising too much
• Mood swings
• Very high or low weight
• Dizziness.

For a full list of symptoms provided by the NHS, click here.

What if you think someone you know if affected by an eating disorder?

If you believe that someone you know may be suffering with an eating disorder, there are several simple steps that you can take to support them. These include:

• Letting them know you’re there to support them
• Inviting them to join you in activities and in conversations with friends
• Building up their self-esteem
• Listen to what they want to say.
  

If you’re worried that you or a friend may be suffering from an eating disorder, it’s important you ensure professional help is sought as soon as possible. For more information about what support is out there, visit the Beat Eating Disorders website.

For further advice and information on how eating disorders will be professionally treated, you can visit the NHS website.
 
Battling eating disorders and raising awareness is something that we as a charity feel strongly about. For advice, valuable resources and support, visit the Beat Eating Disorders website or speak to someone you trust at BYHP.

According to a survey by Stonewall, 50% of LGBT pupils say they frequently encounter homophobic abuse at school (Source).

Here at BYHP, respecting and supporting others’ opinions and rights as individuals is extremely important. Through our work, we focus on our young people’s health and well-being, helping them to live, work and enjoy their place in society, whilst having the confidence to speak up for what is right. This month (February) marks LGBT History month. To support this year’s theme, “Peace, Activism and Reconciliation”, we’ve decided to take a look at each of these elements, exploring how they apply to those principles we hold here at BYHP:

Peace

We believe that every young person deserves to know peace within themselves and in their connections with friends and family. This may be through accepting yourself for who you are or just knowing where to find a friendly shoulder to lean on when things get tough. Here at BYHP, we don’t judge. We seek to find solutions to those challenges faced by young people today with help from our dedicated professionals and the support of your fellow service users. These solutions may include counselling, employability guidance to help you seize life’s opportunities, or support from our CAMHS team to provide light-touch mental health support where we think it can be most effective.

Activism

Through our support services, coaching and activity sessions, we encourage and empower our young people to have confidence in their own opinions and speak up for themselves and others.
 
Reconciliation

Relationships with friends and family are never easy, particularly when you’re young. BYHP provides family mediation for those young people who have strained relationships with their families, either to help them rebuild those bridges or identify ways to manage the situation more effectively.

How can you support LGBT History month?

The official LGBT History month website https://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk  has lots of information and advice about how you can support the movement, such as nearby events, free resources, following their social media channels and promoting the message within your own community.

This scheme provides a support system to help young people in our community find the immediate shelter they so desperately need. Our support ensures both a short and long-term solution – we’re there at each stage of the journey. For a young person in need of shelter, BYHP can provide funds for a short-term accommodation solution – this could be temporary accommodation in a local B&B, or maybe a tent during the summer months.

Once we’ve resolved the immediate concerns around shelter, our Housing Advice Workers work with each of our young people to identify the best support solution to match their individual circumstances. This could be providing an ear to listen, or offering important advice for resolving their problems, or maybe just supporting them through completing complicated forms. In many cases we can provide this support in-house. If not, we provide the essential connection between those at risk and the external agencies who can help.

It may well be that emergency accommodation for single people is available via the No Second Night Out Protocol (NSNO) which is run and administered by Cherwell District Council.

BYHP is gearing up for a very special event in November thanks to the wonderful support of our friends at Morrisons.

This November, one lucky winner will have the chance to relive everyone’s 90s dream, sweeping their way round the shop floor at Morrisons in Banbury. This prize will give our winner three minutes to dash round the store, grabbing as many items as they can (certain items are restricted!). And the best bit? Whatever you grab, you get to take home – making it a very well-stocked Christmas for someone! BYHP will also be organising some extra surprises on the day, making this an event not to be missed…

We’re always on the look out for some lovely volunteers to keep events such as these running smoothly. We’ve divided these activities into two-hour slots so, whether you’ve only got a couple of hours free or you’re able to support us on multiple days, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Rachel on rachel.young@byhp.org.uk.

Thank you as ever for all your support.

Satisfy your need for speed at our evening with top racing driver Darren Turner.

BYHP is delighted to be hosting an evening with Darren Turner, one of the UK's most successful and experienced racing drivers.   Come to The Mill Arts Centre on Tuesday 13th November from 7.30pm, tickets are priced at just £10 for children and £20 for adults. Buy your tickets here.

We’ll be hosting a raffle on the night, with an incredible first prize of an hour in an F1 simulator. All proceeds from this event will go towards  supporting our young people in the community.

Early on in his career Darren was awarded the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, with previous winners including the likes of Dario Franchetti and David Coulthard. His career progressed to see him work as a test driver for the McLaren F1 team  whilst continuing his own high-octane racing career in single-seaters, touring cars and sports cars. Since 2005, Darren has been a key member of the Aston Martin Racing team, which has helped him to achieve victory no less than three times at the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours race. Throughout Europe, Darren has been competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which has seen him race his Aston Martin Vantage GTE across the world. Darren recently completed his first full GT season, rounding off a thrilling season in an equally action-packed decider at Donington. Darren also continues in his role as high performance development driver for Aston Martin Lagonda.

So, remember to book your tickets soon for an evening packed with tales of speed, burning rubber and adrenaline.

In 2017, up to 33% of UK charities’ revenues https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/03/31/10-need-to-know-fundraising-stats-for-2017/#.W5S4YOhKg54
came from donations and benefactor support. The value of such donations can’t be underestimated - without such generosity, charities like BYHP would struggle to provide their services.

Homelessness rates in the UK have shown a worrying increase in recent years https://fullfact.org/economy/homelessness-england/ , highlighting a growing problem and the tough challenges faced by many. BYHP works to support young people who are either struggling with homelessness or facing the threat of homelessness. It’s important to remember that homelessness is not an option for many but a necessity in the face of circumstances, which may well be beyond that young person’s control. BYHP works on the principle that all young people deserve to feel safe and valued, but we can’t achieve this without the help and financial support of volunteers and benefactors like you.

There are a host of ways BYHP provides support for our young people in the face of challenges such as homelessness, welfare needs and employability. We work to offer them the tools for a valuable and rewarding future. By 2025, 75% of the workforce will be millennials https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/03/31/10-need-to-know-fundraising-stats-for-2017/#.W5S4YOhKg54
, highlighting the importance of ensuring today’s young people have the knowledge and support they need to excel within their own careers.

As a charity, it is essential that we raise awareness and funds within the community to continue our work. Just recently, BYHP has attended a number of local events, including the Cropredy Convention. This was only possible due to the fantastic support of our wonderful volunteers both on the day and during the build up. Without these enthusiastic and driven individuals, events like this just wouldn’t be possible. Take a look at some of the photos from the event below!

How can you help?

The work of BYHP and other local charities relies on the support of volunteers and fundraisers. We have a host of generous benefactors amongst individuals and local companies. However, there’s always more work to be done – if you’d like to support the ongoing work of BYHP, we’d love to hear from you https://www.byhp.org.uk/contact-us.html .Not sure what to do? There is an almost unlimited range of ways to fundraise. To get you started, why not check out the ideas we’ve found here https://www.thegivingmachine.co.uk/fundraising-ideas/ . Why not give it a go and let us know how you get on?

This summer, BYHP is thrilled to be opening its doors to young people again – this time to host an array of brilliant activities to provide invaluable new skills.

The BYHP summer programme, which is now in full swing having kicked off at the end of July, sees the BYHP team and some of our fantastic partners work together to offer three day skills courses. These are specifically aimed at helping our young people develop invaluable life and career skills across cookery, digital music, first aid, business and personal development. If you’d like to book onto any of the remaining courses (Common Sense Cooking 21st – 23rd August, and Dragon’s Den Enterprise Week 28th to 30th August), contact us as soon as possible.

This year’s summer programme kicked off with a hugely successful Personal and Social Development course, which was delivered by members of the BYHP team as part of our Unit Award Scheme. This activity-based course was designed to develop confidence and enable attendees to better understand their role in today’s society. To do so, it focused on some of those challenges that are well-documented amongst young people, including self-esteem, personal goals, emotional wellbeing, rights & responsibilities, and equality & diversity. Everyone who attended the course has now received five AQA Unit Award Scheme certificates – well done, everyone! Adam, from St Mungo’s homelessness charity, also attended one morning of the course – helping the students to build and paint work benches as a confidence building activity. Take a look at some of their amazing work below:

The next week’s activity was a First Aid and Health and Safety course, delivered by Foscote Hospital. Again, this was a huge success with all students really engaging with the content and keen to learn new skills that could one day help them to care for others in need. The activities included basic life support, fire extinguisher practice and a manual handling obstacle course. All students who attended the full course came away with certificates in first aid and life support, fire safety training and moving and handling.

Currently underway is our Digital Music Production course. This is being delivered by our friends Community Albums . This course is all about showing the students just what it takes to create your own music as a form of self expression, while providing an insight into the music world. The students are enjoying working with professional grade equipment and quality software, helping them to create their own unique piece of music. Once the course is completed, we are planning to create our very own BYHP album, which will include pieces created by our students which represent something of value to them. Watch this space for the next big thing in music, it could just be one of our students!

Next week’s course is all about Common Sense Cooking, which will be delivered by Nina of Nina&Co, a marketing cooperative and one of BYHP’s wonderful volunteers. The course, taking place between 21st and 23rd August, will give students the opportunity to really get stuck in and have some fun making some classic dishes with a healthy twist – think burgers, pizza, chilli and curry. Additionally, the students will be learning the essentials of hygienic food preparation, healthy meal planning and kitchen safety.

Last but certainly not least on the agenda for this year’s BYHP Summer Programme is the Dragon’s Den Enterprise Week, led by BYHP itself. Held between 28th and 30th August, this course is part of our Unit Award Scheme programme, and will provide students with an exciting look into the world of business. It will give insight into areas such as the power of advertising and competition, whilst teaching students about business for life and gain. At the end of the course, each student will be putting their learning into practice and demonstrating their entrepreneurial flair as they pitch their innovative ideas to our very own BYHP dragons!

Remember, if you’re keen to join us on either of the upcoming courses (Common Sense Cooking 21st – 23rd August, and Dragon’s Den Enterprise Week 28th to 30th August), we still have some places remaining! Contact us as soon as possible to reserve your place and begin developing your skills for life.

There will be lots of fun and excitement over at the BYHP stall, including a tombola and a lucky dip. You’ll also have the chance to buy your tickets for this year’s raffle (just £2 each), with some great prizes up for grabs:

1st prize – a viola signed by the Fairport Convention band

2nd prize – golf clubs

3rd prize – a wine hamper

4th prize – Wrendale design Royal Worcester mugs

Our volunteers will be selling tickets around the village too so keep a lookout for them. Alternatively, get in touch with us beforehand (enquiries@byhp.org.uk) and we can set some tickets aside for you.

We’ll also be selling water at our stall throughout the festival so you can stay hydrated (let's hope this glorious weather holds!) Remember, all the money raised goes towards supporting our work with young people in the community. As ever, your kind support is greatly appreciated by everyone at BYHP.

We’d like to wish everyone attending this festival a fantastic weekend and we look forward to seeing you there!

The new Chief Executive of the Banbury based charity BYHP is Patrick Vercoe, a former Managing Director of Countrywide Communications Group, the PR and communications company, formerly located in Banbury, which was sold to an American communications conglomerate in the late nineties.

After many years working in the commercial sector Vercoe decided, upon leaving Countrywide, to use his commercial expertise within the Charity sector which prompted his career switch. For nearly a decade he was Chief Executive of Homeless charities in both Coventry and Northamptonshire.

Speaking about his appointment Vercoe said, “It is a privilege to lead an inspiring organisation as BYHP and such a dedicated staff team who every day strive to achieve positive results supporting young people."

“I sincerely hope that both my corporate and charity experience will benefit BYHP, especially my expertise in raising funds from Trusts and Foundations, as well as corporate support, which are vital in helping to fund the various support services that BYHP excels, mainly interventions for vulnerable young people through Counselling, Family Mediation. Housing Advice and Employability”

Since the departure of former Chief Executive Tim Tarby- Donald last year, the BYHP Board of Trustees, led by Chair Kath Morris, have been providing guidance and counsel to senior managers. During that time, the Trustees have overseen the re-organisation of staff, recruitment of new staff and the first successful year of Unlocking Potential Oxfordshire, Back on Track and a Mental Health initiative working with CAMHS (Response).

Kath said “We are delighted that Patrick is joining us and we feel sure that his expertise will benefit BYHP hugely”
                                                      
For more information contact Patrick Vercoe at BYHP on 01295 259442
email: patrick.vercoe@byhp.org.uk