www.cycaonline.org

INTRODUCTION

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Tracy Pike

Welcome to another edition of our CYCA newsletter. After a busy and eventful 2011, the sunshine has certainly arrived early this year at CYCA with the news that we have received funding from the BIG lottery for a new 4 year project called ‘Securing Futures’. The project will allow us to provide vital support for children aged 5 to 10 years old where parents have low level mental health problems or a learning disability. We have recently recruited a highly skilled and experienced project team, who will begin working with us in May.

We are also delighted to announce that we have received funding from the Rural Development Fund, which will allow us to carry out community research and set up a new virtual support website. The website will allow us to deliver elements of our existing supports services ‘virtually’ making them more accessible and appealing to clients. Also, at the end of 2011 we received funding from Lloyds TSB towards the CYCA manager salary over the next 2 years. Many thanks to all our funders and partners for your continued support, and we now look forward to the summer months, confident that the charity can continue to provide a vital service for the children and families of Carmarthenshire.

Manager CYCA & CYCA Wales Limited

CONTENTS

SPRING 2012

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3—4 NEWS ROUNDUP 5—6 TEDDYBEARS NURSERY 7—8 JELLITOTZ NURSERY 9—10 LITTLE SERAPHS CRÉCHE & DAY NURSERY 11—12 OWNZONE PROJECT 13—14 LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN 15—16 YOUTH 17—18 FAMILY COOKING CLUBS 19—20 STAFF IN FOCUS

NEWSROUND

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CYCA receive new BIG lottery funding

We are delighted to announce that we have received a new 4 year grant of nearly £900k from the BIG lottery's Improving Futures programme to provide support for children aged 5 to 10 years where parents have low level mental health problems or a learning disability. We shall be working collaboratively with Carmarthenshire County Council throughout the County. The new project, named ‘Securing Futures’ will begin on May 1st.

Fit 4 Fun project achieves excellent results

The research and evaluation from our BIG lottery funded project which finished at the end of 2011 has now been analysed and the results are fantastic, confirming that Fit 4 Fun made a real difference to people's lives across Carmarthenshire. One of 14 projects running throughout Wales, the aim of Fit 4 Fun was to raise the awareness of the importance of healthy eating and physical activity amongst children aged 0-11 years old and their families, whilst at the same time encouraging them to make a long term behaviour change in terms of taking part in exercise and eating healthier. To see the results, visit the ‘latest news’ section on our website www.cycaonline.org

Fit 4 Fun healthy cooking event

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2012 fundraising event to be held in October

Due to the overwhelming success of our ‘CYCA’s Got Talent’ fundraising event in 2011, we are to stage another ‘fundraiser’ this October. The special event will feature singer and comedian, Mike Doyle who has recently become CYCA’s new ambassador, as well as performances from the outstanding Morriston Big Band. The ‘black tie’ event will take place on October 5th in the Diplomat Hotel with tickets priced at £20 and will include a 2 course meal. More details about the event will feature on our website soon.

SPRING 2012

Comedian and singer Mike Doyle

Morriston Big Band

TEDDYBEARS NURSERY

5 Easter Bonnet Parade

Drum lessons

St David's Day Cawl

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Teddybears children returned after the Christmas break to begin a busy term filled with New Year and Spring celebrations. In January the nursery’s ‘role play’ area was transformed into a ‘Chinese Restaurant’ and children and staff enjoyed tasting Chinese food as part of the Chinese New year celebrations. At the end of January, the children decorated biscuits with hearts for St. Dynwen's Day, the Welsh equivalent of St. Valentine's Day and they continued the exploration of Welsh culture in March with a week of activities to celebrate St. David's Day. Children dressed up in traditional Welsh costumes and rugby shirts, they cooked and ate cawl, tasted cockles and welsh cakes, made Welsh flags, learnt some Welsh songs and worked collaboratively to design and decorate a huge Welsh dragon.

Pancake Day and Mother's Day provided the children with opportunities to develop their creative skills, as they designed pancake faces and made dream catchers for Mother's Day gifts. One of the highlights of this term was a trip to Penclacwydd, as funding from the ‘Flying Start’ initiative enable staff, children and parents to visit the Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre where they fed ducks and geese and went on a duck hunt! This term the nursery has also had a return visit from Bongo Clive who treated parents and children to a musical extravaganza, and from some of the inhabitants of Pen Llas farm including rabbits, chickens and lambs, who helped to enhance the children's learning about Spring which has been ongoing throughout the term. The term ended with the annual Easter bonnet parade, as parents joined their children for an ‘eggs-citing’ Easter egg hunt!!

SPRING 2012

JELLITOTZ NURSERY

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It’s been a fun-filled start to 2012 at Jellitotz, with staff, children and their parents talking part in a variety of activities. At the beginning of term, Bongo Clive visited the nursery, teaching the children some new songs, rhythms and sounds. This was followed by the visit of special spring animals. The children’s faces lit up as they handled the rabbits, lambs and chickens.

In March, children and staff celebrated St David’s Day by dressing in traditional Welsh costumes and were treated to welsh stories and songs and the chance to taste some cawl. For Mother’s Day, the children made special cards and gifts. During this term, Jellitotz went on its very first trip to the Wetlands Centre. Children and staff were joined by parents and grandparents and everyone had a great time. In the build up to Easter, the children took part in lots of arts & crafts activities, making cards for parents. They also took part in a fun Easter Egg Hunt.

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SPRING 2012

Bongo Clive’s Drum Workshops

Spring Animals visit

Jellitotz

Spring Animals visit Jellitotz

LITTLE SERAPHS CRÉCHE & DAY NURSERY

The children and staff have had a busy start to 2012. Firstly the nursery had their CSSIW inspection in January everything went well with good and positive comments made on the report. Well done to all staff and children.

As well as celebrating some special dates in the

calendar, the nursery adopted a special theme

for the term, which was “ourselves and my family”.

Here, the children have enjoyed being creative by

making houses from junk modelling and paper plate

faces by looking in a mirror and recreating

themselves. They have also been learning about

colours and shapes, and taking part in a variety of

‘decision making’ activities and having lots of

fun!!

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Playtime fun!

World Book Day

St David’s Day

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St David’s Day was celebrated by having a ‘Welsh week’. Here the children took part in lots of arts & crafts activities listening and learning Welsh songs and stories and wore traditional Welsh costumes. For ‘World Book Day’ in March, the children brought in their favourite story book and dressed up as their favourite story character. They were treated to a number of stories throughout the day with the favourite being “Going on a bear hunt” which the children re-enacted in the outdoor play area. The children have also been busy creating a ‘Spring display’ where they have linked in the weather, flowers and creatures focusing on “butterflies” and the very hungry caterpillar story sack. They have also began to prepare the nursery garden and plant various herbs and vegetables. For Easter, the children had a special Easter egg hunt and made some special Easter cakes.

SPRING 2012

Easter egg hunt

Arts & crafts Gardening time

OWNZONE PROJECT

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CYCA’s OwnZone project continues to be a great success. The ContinYou Cymru initiative involves providing out-of-school-hours-learning for young people aged 11-16 in a safe environment, where they can relax with friends, get help with homework and develop new skills and interests.

Skateboarding Club at Bryngwyn

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Using professional activity providers we currently run fun programmes in both Bryngwyn and St John Lloyds Schools in Llanelli, focusing on the 3 zones ‘Learning Zone’, ‘Skill Zone’, and ‘Chill Zone’ Our ever-evolving and diverse programme of activities currently includes Skateboarding, Scootering, Fly Fishing, Aromatherapy, Dance and Zumba. For more information on CYCA’s OwnZone project, contact Barry Johnson on 01554 757599 or email barry@cycaonline.org

SPRING 2012

Dance at Bryngwyn

St John Lloyd’s Fly Fishing Club

Looked After Children

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We are currently supporting six young people through focused one to one mentoring, in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council, Corporate Parenting Team. The one- to-one mentoring incorporates supporting young people to develop social and emotional resilience and wellbeing, together with targeted and focused support that strengthens educational or independent living skills.

We also have an Early Intervention & Prevention Support club that runs during term time, linked to the Team Around the Family (TAF) initiative, in partnership with Ysgol Glanymor, supporting 10 young people, aged 11-14. The club offers young people the opportunity to develop social skills, together with focusing on specific areas where support might be needed, as identified through the school, such as individual educational, behavioural or social issues. Alongside this we have the KS4 support club that currently has 8 young people attending aged 14-16, where support is focused on GCSE and FE, together with social interaction and personal development, which is linked to our ASDAN programme. Both of these clubs also link into CYCA's Families in Crisis project.

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FAMILIES IN CRISIS

SPRING 2012

The 3 year Big Lottery Funded Families in Crisis project is now nearing the end of its second year. During this time The FIC team have supported over 95 families in Llanelli area, offering practical, psychological and emotional support.

The Project has evolved over the last two years in a way that meets the needs of the families presenting and underlying issues. What is effective and unique is the team’s flexible approach and willingness to support the families we work with on many different levels. Two new therapists have joined the team. A Qualified Systemic Psychotherapist, who with his expertise can support families, and a student counsellor who will work as a mentor and hold a small case load. Demands for the service is such that we are now providing therapy for clients who are needing a high level of support for court reports.

Families and professionals asking for ‘mentoring’ has increased immensely over the past year. What started out as a pilot of the FIC project offering additional support to young people in families verging on break down; mentoring has become a valuable and successful part of supporting young people and families sustaining a level of contact while therapeutic work takes place and long term changes are determined.

The FIC team look forward to working closely with

the new Securing Futures Team when they start

work on CYCA’s new 4 year Big Lottery Funded

project in May 2012. The new project will be offering

intensive support to families across Carmarthenshire.

Looking forward to a busy and successful 3rd

year.

YOUTH

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The Youth Club continues to develop and improve month by month, with over 40 young people attending regularly to take part in organised activities, which are planned through regular consultation with young people attending. There are also three youth volunteers who are undertaking recognised youth work courses to improve their own learning and we feel they will have an exciting and promising future in the field of youth work. Upcoming trips include Llandysul Paddlers, Surfing and Exist Skate Park..

The youth club is operated in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council, and Senior Youth Officer Chris Davies recently complimented the centre on its “lovely atmosphere” during a recent inspection. The club has recently secured a Gwirvol Youth led grant from 'CAVS' (Carmarthenshire Association for Voluntary Services) youth grant of £1000 for a graffiti wall to be designed and drawn on the rear of the CYCA building together with some cookery workshops. All of these activities will be recorded as part of ASDAN accreditation for the young people taking part. For more information about our youth clubs, contact Jamie Pike on 01554 757599 or email jamie@cycaonline.org

SPRING 2012

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FAMILY COOKING CLUBS

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Our cooking clubs were established over the 3 years of our BIG lottery Fit 4 Fun project. Although the project ended last November, the cooking clubs have not only continued to run, but have grown to be extremely successful. Organised and lead by local mother and keen cook, Rebecca Westcott, the clubs take place in our Dewi Sant Centre, making use of our fully equipped community kitchen. Every Wednesday there is an after school session for children aged Under 8 years old and their parents, and this is followed by session for older children every Friday after school. Both clubs run to full capacity with 16 children attending both evenings.

Mother and child cooking

homemade scones

Healthy fruit kebabs

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Under the guidance of Rebecca, a team of parent volunteers ensure the clubs run smoothly and successfully. The clubs have made a real difference in developing the cooking skills of many families within the community and give parents valuable hands on experience of their child’s educational development. All the sessions are based on home-made, healthy recipes and follow a range of themes, building on the skills developed and content of the Fit 4 Fun project, for example ‘cooking on a budget’. For further information about our Family Cooking Clubs including details of how your child can get involved, please contact us on 01554 757599.

Friday’s Over 8 club

Wednesday’s Under 8 club

STAFF IN FOCUS

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How long have you worked for CYCA? 5 and a half years. What’s the best thing about your job? That’s easy...working with the children. What’s the first thing you do when you get to work in the morning? Sign in, then set up tables ready for the day ahead...not very exciting but someone has to do it. What do you do to relax after a long hard day in the office? Relax on the sofa with my two girls watching children's’ TV. What do you like doing in your spare time? Spending time with my wife and two daughters either at home or on days out. How many Easter Eggs did you get this year? Three....and they were lovely!!

Mark Ellias— Teddybears Nursery Assistant

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OUR FUNDERS

CONTACT US

For more information about CYCA and all of our services get in touch with us

on 01554 757599, email cyca@cycaonline.org, visit our website www.cycaonline.org, or call in to see us

at Dewi Sant Centre, Nevill Street, Llanelli, SA15

2RS.

www.facebook.com/cycawales

SPRING 2012