CHAIR OF TRUSTEES REPORT 2008/9
At the end of last year, we wondered if we would still be here a year later and the good news is...we are! Funding continues to be a constant worry but at almost every management meeting we look at each other, sigh, smile and travel on in faith. And we have not been let down yet. We all know that we are in the middle of a recession and this has had a double effect on ASCEND because we rely heavily on funding from trusts who in turn, rely on a good interest rate to enable them to be generous in their giving - and the interest rate has been very low and may remain so for a good long time to come. The other impact of the recession on ASCEND has, of course, been the rise in the number of unemployed people seeking help and advice. It is ironic that at the time we are so badly needed we cannot be assured of the funding we need to provide all the help that is being requested. We do, however, see everyone who comes to us. We never, ever, turn anyone away. The staff at ASCEND can - and do - rise to any challenge with professionalism and usually with humour. All of them are, quite literally, the backbone of the project.
During the last year, we have seen some changes in staff. After many years of faithful work as our Outreach Worker and then Guidance Worker, we said goodbye to Morag Willsher and to Chelcie Sterling-Amin who had been our Client Support Worker for the last year. This February, we welcomed two new members of staff; Angie Green, our new Outreach Worker and Hugh Follett who took over as Course Leader from Liz Fraser who moved into the role of Guidance Worker. And as if being our fundraiser didn’t give her enough to do, Michele Wheeler has taken on the added work of teaching the RaW class. It may seem a bit like musical chairs, but it has all been amazingly smooth and the work continues to be of an incredibly high standard. The staff team are headed up by the strong leadership and skills of our Project Manager, Christine Wyard, without whom ASCEND would not be the amazing project that it is. We owe all our staff and volunteers, past and present, enormous gratitude for their hard work and dedication - often in the face of huge challenges.
In recent years, we have received many accolades and awards and this year was no different. It was particularly exciting for Christine Wyard who was nominated by the Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, the Countess of Veralum, to attend the Queen’s Garden Party. Sadly she can’t take us all with her!
ASCEND is changing. For twelve years, we have been a charity that has relied, almost entirely, on funding from donations and trusts, but not any more. This year we did receive a life saving amount of funding from The Big Lottery and also from businesses such as Vinci Plc, Barclays and Lloyds TSB as well as from organisations such as the Watford Rural Parish Council but our account sheets are showing another story. We are gradually becoming a Social Enterprise business which means that a bigger and bigger proportion of our funding is now from earned income. In other words, the work we do earns us money which helps keep us alive. We are undertaking more contract work with Government agencies who pay us to give advice and offer training. This contract work is vitally important. We still need a great deal more than we earn but it is a major step in the right direction towards being at least partially self-sustaining.
We continue to raise funds by any means possible. In September several members of ASCEND and Vinci Plc threw themselves off the top of St.Mary’s church tower in Watford in a sponsored abseil - it looked terrifying. Perhaps a slightly easier way to raise money was the Fun Bun Week, when people ate their way through some delicious cakes, raising money for ASCEND along the way. The more brainy people, but perhaps less adventurous, took part in the hugely successful Quiz Night. And we are always so grateful to all our funders including many local churches and individuals who give so generously.
This years funding has helped us to keep offering all our ’normal’ work of advice and courses. It never gets any less and we are continually finding new ways to help anyone who comes to us. This year we started the Job Club which offers much needed advice and support to unemployed people. We have also made good contacts with local secondary schools such as Northwood School which will enable us to support both the young people and their parents. NHS funding has enabled us to re-start the craft class and we are working much more closely with Watford New Hope Trust and also with Three Rivers District Council in the Local Strategic Partnership. In September, filming started for the BBC" programme "The Choir", and ASCEND has become an important part of this project by offering to hold the money to be used for the major festival in May. This is an exciting time for South Oxhey and ASCEND.
We have never lost the sense of vision and the excitement of what the future may hold. In April, the staff and management team all went to Canary Wharf for an away day on the 30th floor of Barclays Bank Headquarters. It was a day of vision in more than one way. The view across London was stunning but not nearly as stunning as our view of the future of ASCEND. We help from our friends and with faith, we can look forward to a really exciting future.
The Revd. Canon Pam Wise - Chair of Trustees
