Our 2012 - It's a long'un but a good'un

OUR 2012

If the Mayans are right and the world is going to end tomorrow then A) We had better get sharing this blog soon otherwise no one will get to read it, but more importantly B) What a year we have had to go out on at JIGSAW4U!

Throughout the year Jigsaw4u has gone through a lot of changes; we have said goodbye to old friends and gained wonderful new ones and we are looking on up towards 2013 with fresh eyes and a spring in our step. Here is a little low down of our 2012, and some of the amazing things we have been getting up to at Mill Green Road and beyond.

Project updates

Grief Team

The Grief Support Team have run two programmes of grief support groups, and had two successful parties. Although funding from Merton and Sutton sadly came to an end, happily new funding was acquired from Games Aid, and a new partnership was formed with Macmillan Cancer Support. This was launched in September, just in time for us to host our first Macmillan coffee morning. This saw our staff come into their own in our very own Great British Bake Off, with bakes even Mary Berry would have thought were at least alright.

Art work

The Home School Links team have been equally busy throughout schools across Sutton and Merton this year. They had an art day workshop in the office working with children using clay, paints, collage etc to prepare for the art exhibition.  This took place at the Merton Civic Centre.  The theme was ‘Jigsaw4u & Me’ and the artwork depicted what working with Jigsaw meant to the children.  There were many moving pieces of work and the children described their feelings about Jigsaw4u – some of which included things like "Jigsaw4u makes me feel safe", "Jigsaw4u makes me feel special" "I'm looking forward to a bright, calm future and leaving all the rough times I've been through behind". Although the artwork was mainly from children on the Home School Links project, the exhibition also featured work from the Young Runaways, Domestic Violence and Grief Support projects.

Some of these lovely children also spoke at the Jigsaw4u AGM in November about how much Jigsaw4u had helped them and how much they felt supported by their lovely Home School Links workers.

Art Exhibition Artists

The Disabled Children’s Participation Project ran workshops over the summer to support young people with ASD through the transition process. At the end of the workshops they took groups of young people on PGL trips where they got to abseil, trampoline, and zip wire - but primarily laugh at our staff for forgetting they weren't young enough to do the same, but they gave it a good go anyway! The article written about the workshops featured in the Short Breaks Network’s Better Breaks Journal which you can read here...

http://www.shortbreaksnetwork.org.uk/Resources/Short%20Breaks/Documents/Better%20Breaks%20August%202012.pdf

Award Winning Young Person - Bradley Dixon

Our other projects, including Advocacy, Domestic Abuse, Early Years and Young Runaways, continued to support children and young people in all different situations, doing a range of work with the young people – some projects ran groups such as the Young Runaways girls’ group and the Early Years Dad’s group, others provided support and counselling for children and families, some projects at Jigsaw4u also produce magazines for young people, these are written and edited by children in care and disabled young people. We have also run a series of ‘Young Inspector’ courses, which get young people involved in the decision making and inspection of local services – from the friendliness of the staff to the information displayed, even the decor, our young people have been integral in the makeovers of services throughout Merton and Sutton.

Fundraising

Juan Sanchez on the fun run

From the London Marathon, St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay, in Santa suits and football kits we have walked, run, sung, packed and drunk all in aid of the children at Jigsaw4u. Gary Powell ran the London Marathon, Chris Roe did the Coast to Coast walk, Andrew Searle swam 5k and the children of Mitcham Swimming Academy did a sponsored swim. Friends of Jigsaw4u brought their FIFA game to life at our football tournament and Juan Sanchez, Marie Wilson and Michelle Mullarkey ran the Santa Fun Run- ALL FOR JIGSAW4U, so thank you very much to all of you fit people!!

Not to be pigeon holed by exercised based events, we also raised money from bag packing in ASDA, holding a race night at The Grange, being named the charity of the CAMRA Sutton and Croydon Beer Festival, dancing our socks off at a Ceilidh and doing our best not to destroy your favourite Christmas carols in both Centre Court Wimbledon and ASDA in Mitcham, with a little help from our friends at Gorringe Park Primary School.

Carol singing

All of these events were a great success and we’ve managed to raise lots of money for the children of Jigsaw4u, but only because of the help from all of our friends, families and volunteers so thank you very much for signing up for it all, we couldn’t do it without you!!

We like to party, party

Paralympics

Not only are we here to support and work with the children that come to Jigsaw4u, we also like to remind them what it’s like to be a kid, have fun and enjoy yourself!! As well as bowling, weekend trips away and Christmas parties, most notably this year we took groups of our young people to the Olympics and Paralympics, and to AFC Wimbledon - where they not only had the pleasure of watching a game, but they got to meet a REAL LIFE WOMBLE!!  

We just can’t do it alone

There is no way that we could fit in everything we have done at Jigsaw4u over the last year, at least no one would read it if we did put it all in!! But we would like to say that none of it would have been possible without the dedication of our wonderful staff, our amazing team of volunteers, our supportive trustees and our families, friends and other organisations that have helped us in countless different ways this year.

So provided the world doesn’t end tomorrow, we look forward to working with you all again next year and doing bigger and better things for the children and families of Jigsaw4u!!!

Christmas presents donated by
ASDA and Breeze Yoga Beckenham

AGM

Most importantly, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Jigsaw4u Team. x