Gainsborough Adventure Playground Ltd Annual Report 2014/15

Gainsborough Adventure Playground Ltd Riseholme Road, Gainsborough

Lincolnshire, DN21 1NL 01427 617165

gapaltd@outlook.com Company No 06442668

Charity No 1130827 Registered Company in England & Wales

Chairs Remarks I was elected as Chair last year when, due to personal reasons, the previous Chair had to stand down. It is a role I am enjoying, we have 5 directors and 2 trustees. Lisa and the staff at GAPA make it an honour and privilege to be involved and I look forward to continuing as Chair if I am re-elected.

As some of you will be aware I am no longer on West Lindsey District Council or Gainsborough Town Council but I do feel it is important to have a Councillor from both councils involved. Councillor Clio Perraton-Williams is the link for the Town Council and as yet we do not have a representative from West Lindsey nominated. I would like to thank former West Lindsey Councillor Nigel Bowler for representing us from 2011 – 2015. Lisa is in contact with Grant White (Lead Officer for Enterprising Communities) for any information or help we may need from West Lindsey.

A big thank you to everyone that took part in the consultation with Lincolnshire County Council, the outcome was not what we wanted but we must go on.

The new outdoor play area, breakfast club, outside toilets a few of the things that have made it better for all involved and provided another successful year for GAPA.

Richy Doran Chair

Company Managers Report I would like to thank all the fantastic, hardworking and supportive staff, volunteers, parents and children for all the help, fun and laughter we have had this year, you are all amazing. Everyone has worked extremely hard this year to ensure GAPA is providing an excellent service, we have continued to move forward, stay positive and provide brilliant play opportunities, everyone involved should be extremely proud of their achievements. I am proud of you all and am privileged to have worked with you all for so long, in a job I truly believe in and have so much fun, where else could I go to work with such fun loving playful people. Thank you to everyone for all the donations, cash, time and energy that has been donated to GAPA this year it is truly appreciated and all helps with the continuous efforts to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on external funding. We move forward into 2015/16 with an uncertain future, Lincolnshire County Council have undertaken a review of services and have informed us that from September 2015 funding will no longer be available for the extremely busy and valuable groups and support currently on offer to families with children aged 0 – 4 years. The Directors and I will be working hard this year to source other funding streams or sources of revenue and with the help and continued support from the local community will hopefully continue to provide a full range of services for hundreds of children.

“GAPA gave me a reason to get out of the house and make new friends after the birth of my son”. GAPA Parent

“GAPA is a fun place for children to come and enjoy. GAPA is brilliant to come and learn how to share and be kind and careful, GAPA is fun to come and bake, make, create fun pictures and help make awesome things. GAPA has lots of nice people and members of staff” GAPA Child “GAPA provides a great deal of support to the whole community and it is so important the funding remains to help support the number of families it currently works with. It gives children a place to go to play and feel safe and is invaluable to the community. I cannot speak highly enough about it”. Stakeholder

GAPA Service The service this year has been funded through many grants, service level agreements and donations. WLDC and LCC have continued to fund the service and we have also received grants and donations from:

Cllr Initiative Fund Children In Need Ping Europe Ltd Gainsborough Rotary Club All Saints Parish Church Unite the Union Gainsborough Dispensary Charity Old School Fight Club National Citizenship Service We have also had lots of support from local businesses and the general public who have provided cash, prizes and handmade items that are all used to generate income for the playground. Some favourites came back this year Tough Mudder and The Pyschic Night was organised by parents and supporters of GAPA and of course The Shine gave us another fantastic performance at The Liberal Club on Ropery Road and helped to raise over £300! Children in Need have supported us again this year with a grant of £10,000. The grant is used towards employing a playleader to work in the adventure playground. We submit monitoring to Chhildren in Need and at the end of March received the following feed back from them: “Thank you for submitting your end of year report to Children in Need. I have really enjoyed reading about the projects over the past year and the fantastic differences that are being made for children you work with. It is really clear in every aspect of the report that you really take the time to get to know the children and families that access the playground and take a proactive approach to achieving differences for children and young people. It's fantastic to see that you have developed such a broad range of monitoring tools over the years and that you include the children in monitoring too not just parents and staff. The case study really demonstrates the outcomes that you are achieving and the other additional outcomes that are being made for the wider family”. BBC Children In Need We successfully secured £27880 Lincolnshire County Council Development Grant that was used to build a new toilet block in the nursery. The extension was completed in July and has made a massive difference to the nursery as children can now independantly use the facilities and nappy changing can now take place in the setting instead of having to be taken to a different part of the building. In December we were awarded £18600 from Wren to build an exciting new outdoor play area that will include water, natural elements and shelter we are all very excited about the project which will be up and running by the end of May in time for the half term playscheme. We have been able to take the children on many fantastic trips thanks to funding from the Gainsborough Dispensary Charity, Thonock Trust and tireless fundraising events, the trips have included visits to Bransby Horses, Willingham Woods and Welands in Retford, some children never get the chance to visit these places so it is great to be able to offer them the opportunity and to be able to offer places to parents/carers so families can experience days out together. This year has been full of highlights and the children have been given lots of exciting and varied activities in particular was the opportunity to be visit The Drill Hall Theatre in Lincoln children and families were lucky enough to be able to watch Aladin starring Matthew Hewitt who the year before worked with the children to put on a musicla version of Sherk! GAPA has worked with many organisations this year including Gainsborough Children’s Centre, Children’s Links, Birth to Five Service and many more enabling us to give the children a varied and exciting play and learning experience throughout the year. We have continued to offer high quality groups and a fantastic nursery provision throughout the year. All the groups have been planned to ensure good partnerships with parents so together better outcomes for children can be achieved. Parents are the key to the success of this service and the support and friendships we have built up are a real strength of the GAPA team.

“My child has been coming to GAPA since he was a baby and is now almost too old to attend. He is confident, resourceful and has great aspirations for the future. I put this down to the valuable life skills that were developed by his experiences gained over the years and the support, belief and encouragement given to him by the staff and all involved in the organisation”. GAPA Parent In November we teamed up with West Lindsey District Council to encourage more people to access services on-line. The council provided us with a number of reconditioned laptops so members of the public looking for work can access job websites, research training opportunities, apprenticeships and improve their CVs. Members of the public could call in on a Monday morning 10am – 12noon to meet a dedicated volunteer who was there to help but GAPA parents were also able to use the computers at any time during the play sessions and used them to apply for school places, 2yr funding etc. We have provided parents with many training opportunities this year including Promoting Positive Behaviour, Emergency First Aid and accompanied a parent on a Sleep Training workshop so we could help support her with the difficulties she was having with her child’s sleep pattern. In January we saw the start of a five week course at GAPA that is all about empowering parents to given them the skills to enter the work place. GAPA was also able to offer child care placements to parents attending the course. The contents include: Week 1 – focusing on building confident Week 2 – looking at skills and attributes (CV & Job Applications) Week 3 – Recruitment and top tips Week 4 – Find out what is on offer Week 5 – Time for you Strengthening our sustainability has been top priority this year in November we updated the GAPA Nursery Business plan and since then have set up a breakfast club and introduced hot food at lunch times. We have also re-launched holiday cubs to try to encourage more families to use the child care that is on offer during the school holidays. Strong links with St Georges have been maintained and they regularly send approx. 15 children each week to the ACE Project and we also have plans for child care for over 5’s that we feel will be needed when changes to term times come into effect from September 2015.

Staff and Volunteers The staff team has seen a few changes this year Amy Foulston the nursery deputy left in August to take up her final year at University so she can become a teacher. Kirsty Holmes who was employed by GAPA for ten years returned after a 2 year career break to take over the role as deputy and it is great to see Kirsty back. In July we recruited Lindsay Denman to our Nursery team who had previously carried out a 3 month placement as part of her Level 2 Qualification in Early Years. Whilst on placement Lindsay really showed potential and is proving to be a valuable member of the team and is now currently studying for her Level 3. Lindsey Chesham joined the GAPA team in July 2012 as an Apprentice studying for a Level 2 qualification. Lindsey proved herself to be a valuable member of the team and in September 2013 was offered a permanent position with GAPA. In November Lindsey successfully completed her NVQ Level 3 in Early Years and is now the settings SENCo after also completing a 4 day workshop with Birth to Five. Jennifer Law left in January after successfully completing her Level 3 in Early Years and Rebecca Irwin

joined as an Apprentice. All the staff have taken up many training opportunities this year and Claire White and Claire Jones both successfully achieving a Level 3 Management qualification, Tom Skelton a Level 2 in Team Leading and Katie Stubbs and Level 3 in Early Learning and Child Care. “I was not very confident about meeting people. GAPA staff helped me overcome this and made me the person I am today. Also my children love coming here interacting with other children”. GAPA Parent GAPA has offered lots of volunteering opportunities this year with 1613 hours of time given, volunteers are made up of parents, members of the community and those using the experience and new found skills to help to find employment. Some examples of this are:

Volunteer Kerry Francis joined the nursery team in June, Kerry had applied for a paid position not just at GAPA nursery but others in the town. Due to Kerry’s lack of experience of working in nurseries she has found it difficult to find employment even though she has a Level 3 child care qualification. Kerry decided that because she had enjoyed visiting our site she would apply to be a volunteer to help her to gain valuable experience that will help her to find future paid employment. Tracey Jackson who is a long serving volunteer gave us reason to celebrate this Year as she amassed a huge 235 hours over the year supporting the 0-4 year service. Tracy is a very valued member of GAPA and has been a parent and service user herself over the years and really feels she is giving something back. Tracey was presented with flowers and her very own GAPA T-shirt.

Long term volunteer Mandy Blakey who has supported us for many years with anything from fundraising to helping to the community café has now secured herself a job after being a stay at home parent for many years. We are all very proud of Mandy who still volunteers when she can and wish her the best in her new career. Young People form the National Citizen Service returned to GAPA in July and August and completed 4 weeks voluntary work. They assisted the playworkers with the maintenance of the site and have helped to develop areas for the younger children to play in, including a den and seating area. They are all brilliant, enthusiastic young people who are positive about making a change to their community and work hard to make a difference.

Parent Case Study Rebecca is a married mother of 2 boys, one is aged 3 years and the other is 10 months. She has lived in Gainsborough since she was 4 years old and came to GAPA as a child. Rebecca has suffered with depression since she was 15 and this deteriorated drastically when she had her first child which left her feeling very isolated and struggling with day to day life and she even considered suicide as a way out. Rebecca says that she never wanted children and the first time she fell pregnant was a huge shock, one she was unable to cope with. She says she never really managed to bond with her first born and the guilt from this made her feel even worse. She says that she just couldn’t relate to him.

When Rebecca became pregnant with her second son things again started to deteriorate even further – especially when she developed SPD and wasn’t able to be as active. Rebecca struggled to get out of bed and got to the point where she asked her health visitor to take her eldest son as she couldn’t manage any more. Rebecca was already receiving extra support from the health team, but this made them increase the level of support offered. They spoke to Rebecca about putting her eldest child in nursery and recommended GAPA Nursery to her. Rebecca put his name on the waiting list and the health team contacted the Early Years Manager to explain Rebecca’s needs. Her son was offered a place within 3 weeks.

Her son started nursery in January 2014. Rebecca says that when he first started she was very uncomfortable bringing him and used to feel quite anxious when coming in the building. She says that the staff were really nice to her and she slowly began to develop a good relationship with them. After a while she felt able to open up to them about her needs, and she says they often supported her when she was upset and never made her feel like she was wasting their time. She says that she regularly came in crying and there was always someone available to listen to her and help her.

She had her second son in March and spent a week in hospital as she needed the time to prepare herself for having to look after 2 children. She says that knowing she had support from the staff at GAPA really helped her to cope. The staff recommended that Rebecca started to attend the 0-4 groups with her youngest son. Rebecca was very nervous about going to the groups as large groups of people can often set off her anxiety. This was discussed between Rebecca and the Early Years Manager and a support plan was put in place. The Early Years Manager met her at the first group she came to and stayed with her, helping Rebecca to interact with the other parents and introducing her to the group’s worker and volunteer. The Early Years Manager continued to meet Rebecca at the groups, but gradually reduced the amount of time she spent there until eventually Rebecca was confident enough to attend on her own. Rebecca says that there are still times when she starts to feel anxious – especially if the groups are particularly busy, but whenever that happens she just talks it through with the staff and is able to settle down.

When Rebecca first started to come to GAPA she had no friends, no one she could trust, no where she could go and was completely isolated. Her husband works full time and was unable to offer support through the day. She has gradually been able to open up to the other parents and has become a lot more comfortable with them. She has developed a firm friendship group which continues outside of the setting with play dates etc. Rebecca feels able to confide in people without the fear that they are going to gossip about her. She says that it is amazing to be able to come somewhere and admit when she is having a bad day without being judged, where people will listen to her and offer support. She feels much more able to cope with her life and her children. She feels that her relationship with her eldest is much improved, and she feels more able to look at the positives about him rather than always focusing on the negatives. Rebecca feels able to come to GAPA at any time, and often comes in the afternoon when being home alone can become too much for her. She comes and helps the staff do some jobs such as preparing displays. She is even considering becoming a volunteer which she feels is a huge step forward.

Rebecca feels that she has a much more optimistic outlook on life - she is able to get out of bed every day without effort. She says she still has days where she feels down, but feels better able to lift herself up. She says that due to the support she has received she has been able to develop a really good bond with her youngest son, which occasionally makes her feel guilty but being able to talk about it really helps.

Rebecca believes that if it wasn’t for GAPA she would’ve eventually committed suicide. She says at the very least she would have given up her eldest son.

Child Case Study Wendy is a single mother with 6 children, ranging from 4 years to 30 years. Ben is 9 years old and is Wendy’s only biological child and the only boy. The others are Wendy’s nieces that she has looked after from very young ages, one of which has several additional needs, including Autism and Epilepsy. Wendy has been attending GAPA for around 14 years, accessing both the 0 -4 groups and the 5 – 14 Play sessions.

Wendy says that Ben has always been very quiet and shy – a “proper Mummy’s boy”, and has also always been very clingy. She couldn’t even go from one room in the house top another without him – including the toilet. If she tried to he would stand at the door and cry. Wendy began brining Ben to GAPA when he was 6 weeks old and continued to regularly attend the 0 – 4 groups with him until he was 5. Wendy admits that she has always been very overprotective of Ben, perhaps because he is very small for his age, or because he has never had any contact with his Dad and she has always done everything for him. She says he was also babied by the girls in the family for being the only boy.

Over the years since Ben has been coming to the 5 – 14 service we have worked really closely with the family on finding methods to help Ben with his almost painful shyness. Ben’s dependence on his Mum was very visible – if he couldn’t see her he would shout for her, and even when there was a staff member with them he would ask her to ask us for something for him. At first Wendy didn’t like the idea of leaving Ben at GAPA without her; it took us about 2 years to convince her to try. At first Wendy would stay a while and then leave him for half an hour before returning and spending the rest of the session with him. When she first started to leave him he would manage about 5 minutes before he very quietly asked us to get her for him. This gradually increased over a number of weeks until he stayed unaccompanied for entire sessions.

By encouraging and supporting Wendy, increasing her confidence in Ben’s ability to cope without her and by spending a lot of time with Ben, finding out his interests and implementing these into activities for him, we were able to begin to see a difference in Ben’s entire demeanour. At first there was only 1 staff member he would speak to, and then only if his Mum wasn’t there, but gradually this changed and he began to speak to others; even initiating entire conversations about his day and what he had learned at school etc.

Now we can see a huge difference in Ben’s confidence. He attends several sessions a week, arriving and leaving on his own. He speaks to all staff members and even other children’s parents and is not reliant on knowing who is here before coming. Ben takes an active part in all group discussions and planning sessions and is unafraid to voice his opinion in anything. He is vocal about his needs and is able to express his happiness/unhappiness in what is going on around him.

Wendy says that the difference in Ben is huge! She says GAPA has been so good for him, he gets to meet other children and has made loads of new friends. She says he no longer spends all of his time in the house and she even lets him play out when GAPA is not open. She says that he now goes and calls for his friends; which he never did before and that his new found confidence has also extended to school where he is a much more active part of his class, which has been commented on by his teachers. She says that he is much happier with himself which she says is amazing for her to see.

Volunteer case study Tracy is a married mother with 5 children ranging from 8 to 17 years old she came to GAPA when she was a child with her sister and has been a supporter ever since. She was very involved in the setting up of the Sure Start programme and was a very active participant serving on the Sure Start board and parents groups and also was a peer support for breast feeding.

From a very young age all of Tracy’s children have attended GAPA including the 0 – 4 groups, nursery and adventure playground. Tracy has been volunteering at GAPA for approximately 10 year, for the first 7 years as she had young children she helped when she could but over the last three years she has been able to commit more time and is now a regular volunteer in the groups we run for parents and children aged 0 – 4 years and is involved in fundraising and promotional activities.

Last year she gave a total of 225 hours of her own time to volunteer at GAPA. She assists the playworkers on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning in the 0 - 4 groups. She is a very valued member of the group and is a good listener she is very supportive of the parents who built up excellent relationships and trust with her. She welcomes new families indiscriminately and will get down on the floor and join in with anything the children request of her.

In return for Tracy’s loyal service she has been involved in many training opportunities over the years including first aid, cooking, budgeting and children’s play. When asked Tracy say the best thing about being a volunteer is all the friends she has made and the social opportunities this has opened up for her and her children. Tracy is now considering formal child care training as she is considering her future plans and wants to put all the skills she has learnt as a volunteer into practice.

Lisa Pinkney Company Manager

184220

Boys or Girls

Boys Girls

70%7%

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Ages of Children

Details of the 404 children registered with GAPA as at 31st March 2015

Other Morton Lincoln Messingham Waddington Blyton Walkeringham Northorpe Hemswell Keelby

Monthly attendances by children for 2013/14 Monthly attendances by

parents for 2014/15

Volunteer Hours for 2014/15

Month 0 – 4 years

5 – 7 years

Over 8 years

Nursery Total

April 411 338 457 433 1639

May 299 252 386 575 1512

June 350 254 497 897 1998

July 333 260 460 817 1870

August 235 334 415 144 1128

September 279 185 310 845 1619

October 508 232 447 727 1914

November 310 215 475 780 1780

December 330 153 310 544 1337

January 358 177 373 756 1664

February 515 211 466 804 1996

March 486 239 513 1078 2316

Total attendances for 2014/15

4193 2781 4953 8352 20773

Month Parents

April 226

May 249

June 249

July 281

August 265

September 242

October 389

November 249

December 293

January 299

February 395

March 358

Total attendances for 2014/15

3495

Month Volunteers

April 96

May 62

June 148

July 278

August 370

September 79

October 93

November 81

December 32

January 33

February 144

March 197

Total hours for 2014/15 1613

7%

18%

39%

12%

11%

13%

GAPA Income for 2014/15

WLDC

LCC

GAPA Nursery

Other Generated Income

Grants

Capital Grant

0

0

We asked the children if they had any comments about GAPA we said it could be about something they would like to change, a trip they have been on, their favourite tea, their best friend, about the staff, the thing they like doing best at GAPA or something they don’t like about GAPA:

My favorite tea is cheese toasties, I like playing outside, I like the staff

I enjoyed the pant to see Aladdin because it was creative

I like playing outside and football

I like playing football here

I like going on trips like Aladdin

I liked when we went to see Aladdin and seeing the horses

I like playing outside with my friends, going on trips, painting and colouring

I would like to go on another horse trip and I love GAPA

I like everything about GAPA and I liked going to Bransby Home for Horses the best

I like playing football and manhunt

I want more toys, I like GAPA because it has lots of things, I don’t like GAPA because it has lots of pictures

I don’t want to change anything at GAPA. I like playing football

There’s lots of different stuff to do

I like playing on the tyre swing with my friend

It is amazing, GAPA has lots of toys. I would like it if they could put more toys outside

GAPA is the best, we should make a gigantic volcano. People that work there are really nice

At GAPA all the staff are fun and caring. The meals are amazing. We need more play equipment outside

I like the staff

I really enjoy making volcanos and lava lamps. I love all the outdoor muddy fun

I like everything because it is fun

I like the toys and the staff and my friends and I love the outside

17

12

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I like coming to GAPA

17

11

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Staff listen and get out activities I enjoy

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6 10

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I feel safe at GAPA

GAPA’s 5 – 14 year Children’s Survey Spring 2015

Since starting nursery, my son has definitely come on in leaps and bounds with his learning and social development.

My little boy was very shy and clingy. Since starting GAPA, he is a totally different boy and loves nursery.

Given my child more confidence and helped her to become more independent.

Has given me the chance to meet other parents that live up the hills.

I care for a child whose first language is not English. The group has encouraged more English speaking.

Helps with development and social skills.

My daughter goes to nursery at GAPA and she has learnt so much and loves it there.

Gave my child more confidence and gives him something to do.

If it wasn't for GAPA, my children wouldn't go out and socialize as they don't feel safe on the streets whereas they do at GAPA.

My children have the freedom to play and have confidence from a young age to play and interact with other children and have so many projects at home that they've made here and we have got a lot of ideas from GAPA that we do at home!

GAPA supports not only my child but me as well. I don't know what I'd do without GAPA!!

After the birth of my daughter, I suffered depression and coming to groups and meeting staff and parents helped me get through the situation.

My children can learn new things and you can meet people and have a talk while the children are playing.

Prior to using GAPA, I had been isolated with a new baby, limited adult company, low self-esteem and wheelchair bound.

The service given to me is a whole lot more than a lot. They have been there for me at good and very bad times. They have given me mental and physical help.

My boy loves going to GAPA nursery.

If the service wasn't provided, my daughter wouldn't get a great education.

My children love GAPA. They have learnt so many different skills - life, social, play etc.

Children have made a lot of progress since they have been here.

My children love playing here and lots of family over the years have used GAPA.

Children love coming to GAPA.

This service has offered a lot of support with both my children.

GAPA has provided me and my family with support personally and have provided my children with lots of opportunities and play experiences.

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10

15

20

25

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35

Nursery 0 - 4 Groupsand evening

sessions

Holidayplayschemes

Library session

Why do your children come to GAPA?

Parents/Carers Survey Spring 2015

Have you felt the sevice has made a difference to

you and or your child/family?

100% of the Parents/Carers surveyed said that the service had made a lot

of difference, and gave the reasons below

I was not very confident about meeting people. GAPA staff helped me overcome this and made me the person I am today. Also my children love coming here interacting with other children.

It has given opportunities for myself and both children to make new friends and to have new experiences.

My son loves coming to nursery here. He's progressed well and the staff have really helped with that. I also like the baby groups - a chance to chat to other mums.

Without GAPA, I wouldn't go anywhere and my daughter wouldn't be where she is without the nursery.

I have a wide age range between my children and GAPA suits all. I have made lots of friends through coming here.

GAPA helped me when I needed them most. Can't thank them enough.

I don't know where I would be now without the support of the staff throughout my life. My own children receive amazing encouragement to be themselves and to be happy.

GAPA has helped me and my family a lot. I come out and meet new people and it gives my children a safe place to play.

My child feels safe while using GAPA and I know as a parent he's safe, his social skills have improved and he has gained more confidence.

Childcare prices being lower than other nurseries.

Challenges the kids. Provides experiences would not normally have access to.

My child has been coming to GAPA since he was a baby and is now almost too old to attend. He is confident, resourceful and has great aspirations for the future. I put this down to the valuable life skills that were developed by his experiences gained over the years and the support, belief and encouragement given to him by the staff and all involved in the organisation.

Inspirational.

The staff are so warm and welcoming in the nursery it really helped when settling my son into nursery.

Lots of support. Nothing's too much trouble.

GAPA gave me a reason to get out of the house and make new friends after the birth of my son.

GAPA is a fantastically run centre which has really helped my son develop. The groups and the nursery are very beneficial to his confidence building. I believe that if the funding was to be reduced it would affect families like myself who use the nursery and attend groups to interact with their children and to meet new parents.

Prevent my children from having the safe environment for outdoor play experiences she won't receive anywhere else.

There would be nowhere to socialise my youngest child since it's too expensive to take the bus to Surestart.

Less chances for certain child to socialise.

My daughter wouldn't have a nursery close to home to get to so it would mean extra travel.

Because it gives him a chance to make friends and mix with other kids.

If it wasn't for GAPA, my children wouldn't go out and socialise as they don't feel safe on the streets whereas they do at GAPA.

I would be sat at home being grumpy with grumpy kids. Here we have friends and room to play and lots of things to do!

If this service were to be reduced or cease, what impact do you think it would have on you and your family, both in the short and longer term?

100% of the Parents/Carers surveyed said reducing or ceasing the services on offer would

impact them a lot and gave the reasons below

I would have nowhere else to go. I am not comfortable going anywhere else and having to make relationships with new people I don't know.

GAPA is not only for the children but also for parents to interact and help each other. Stopping this would be detrimental to children and parents and would probably find more anti-social behaviour from children as nowhere to go.

There is nowhere for children to go after school and in the holidays where I feel they are safe and I know where they are.

If drop ins were reduced, myself and other mums and babies would become more isolated and babies would miss out on crucial social interaction skills.

For us to lose or even just reduce any of the services, it would impact hugely on me, my family, my friends I've made there and the whole community.

Unsettling my child. Having to move him to another nursery.

My daughter wouldn't have the best education.

GAPA has such a big impact on their life. They have made many friends and love to come daily.

Help has been given. Find a lot of support. If reduced, will be stuck for support for my family.

Children wouldn't have anywhere as fun to play during holidays.

I will be isolated and my support will be non-existent.

As I have depression, GAPA is the place I feel safe and can rely on for help and support. It encourages me to be positive and gives me somewhere to go instead of indoors.

My children would not be able to play and interact with other children because there is no other place near me and it's nice for parents to meet up and have a chat and get to know people.

My youngest child wouldn't have the opportunity to meet other children as we don't know anyone with young children. It is an opportunity for myself and children to get out of the house and interact with others during the week.

As said above, my son loves nursery. It's close to my home and I've got to know other mums by coming to baby groups.

I have had loads of support and help from GAPA which I wouldn't have if the service wasn't available.

My children gain a lot from the access to free outdoor play. If this was to stop, they would suffer socially and one of my children struggles to make new friends with children.

Kids have nowhere else to go.

My children use the service every day. I really don't know what they would do if it closed. I wouldn't let them play on the streets as I don't think it's safe.

This would affect my family a lot. There will be nowhere else to go and my kids won't have anywhere to play.

I would worry as a parent that my child was roaming the streets and wouldn't be safe. I feel my children would withdraw socially.

Would be harder to find somewhere safe and secure where children are settled while at work.

Nursery place. Community would suffer as no other facilities around.

My son started his childhood at GAPA and I think he deserves the right to finish the journey there himself. He is no doubt going to be a valuable and active member of the local community and the money invested in his childhood already through grants to GAPA will definitely see positive long-term benefits as he becomes a worker, voter, tax payer and householder in Lincolnshire.

Not only for the use of nursery but the baby groups are a great chance to meet and talk to other mums and for babies to play and learn through songs and play at a very young age.

Me and my son would miss out meeting people and also my son wouldn't get to experience play in the same way.

My son is happy and settled in nursery and moving him now would mean that I don't have a chance to be with other parents where I get to chat and socialise. It would be very lonely at home with a new-born while other children are at school and partner works.

Early Years’ Service Report Well what a year at GAPA Early Years have had, once again we have seen big changes in the nursery which is going from strength to strength. We started the year all fresh and new after the extensive make over, with new toilets, new kitchen and a fresh coat of paint everywhere, this year it was time to focus on the outdoors. After consultation with staff, parent/carers and children we began to make big plans for outside it is currently still a work in progress but it’s looking good, the wooden house has had a new lease of life and is now the ‘cosy cottage’, we have developed a new ‘mud kitchen’ and are looking at extended the path to create a bigger area to ride our bikes. All of this has been made possible by the generosity of our parent/carers and staff making contributions of time and resources and local businesses making generous donations, B&Q - compost and herbs, Morrison’s - planters, Howdens - £250 plus many more. The 0 – 4 groups are busier than ever Katie has done a fantastic job by providing activities and support that is making a difference and helping families to play and learn together. Katie and I have introduced new methods to record and monitor the sessions and we regularly produce case studies and reports to capture achievements and best practice. A review of the service was held in March by Lincolnshire County Councils with many families and stakeholders providing supporting evidence. We did not receive the news we wanted and have been informed that from September 2015 we will know longer receive a grant from them. This will have a big impact on the service we can provide for families and we are looking to have something in place by at least the end of March 2016 so we can continue this valuable service. There have been a few changes within the early year’s team as Kirsty Mathers made a welcome return as Nursery Deputy and we welcomed Rebecca Irwin and Lucy Jarman on apprenticeships. Staff development has as always been a priority with Lindsey Chesham completing the 4 day SENCo course enabling the staff team with early identification of any concerns and being able to quickly sign post and support parent/carers to access the best services. Family support is once again an area we have excelled at. Katie completed her NVQ3 in childcare and I completed a Level 3 in Management. All of the staff have completed a variety of training from ‘involving and consulting children’ to ‘first aid’ and attended several Team Days with highlights being a picture scavenger hunt and a trip on a barge. With the introduction of the Pupil Premium in the nursery we decided to start a breakfast club and provide the option of hot lunches for our already busy lunch club, we are working with the parents sharing what the children are enjoying eating (and what they are not so keen on) to develop exciting menu options. Our parent partnership has once again being one of our strengths this year, we have signposted and supported several parents to access and attend a variety of training opportunities from First Aid to Sleep Awareness. The parents have also been regular visitors in the nursery, bathing babies, a spot of gardening and a bit of baking all creating wonderful experiences for the children. We once again hosted the very successful ‘Meet the Teacher’ event this year which provides valuable information and an opportunity for parents to meet the teachers of all the local Primary Schools enabling them to make an informed choice with regards the next step of their child’s learning journey. Even though the future of the 0 – 4 service is unsure at this time the nursery continues to thrive and our hope is it will continue to for many years to come. The staff team have been giving a lot of thought as to how we can further develop and grow the nursery. Some of the ideas we are currently looking into are promoting and enhancing the current holiday provision and maybe even a baby room……watch this space!! Claire White Early Years Manager

5 – 14 year Service Report This year started off with a lot of excitement. Work began on the redecoration of GAPA, including a new kitchen and flooring in the playroom, toilets, kitchen, offices and nursery. As we had to close the site for a week for the renovations, St. Georges School kindly lent us their hall. It was the Easter holidays and we hired MJ Productions to put on a show with the children. They chose to do Shrek The Musical and everyone who was involved had an amazing time. The children and staff worked extremely hard, learning their lines and songs in just one week and this showed in the end performance. We welcomed Claire Hancock to the team at the beginning of this year and hope she is enjoying her time with us. Also this year we have had help from volunteer Lyndsay Toyne on a Saturday, who has gone on to work as a personal carer. We have had some great Playschemes this year, and although they have been quieter than we are used to we still had a lot of fun. National Playday was a great success with many other agencies helping us celebrate play. We went on several trips, including; Willingham Woods, Wetlands, Bransby Home of Rest for Horses and Sherwood Forest. And even with the weather being massively unpredictable (we had a very wet day at Willingham Woods), we all had lots of fun. We had GAPA’s Got Talent again this year, with the children showing us some fantastic acts, and with the help of some parents and volunteers they put on a great show. At Christmas we took the children to see the Aladdin panto where everyone had an amazing time, and we also held a Christmas dinner where Father Christmas came to visit. We have put on various workshops this year which were, as usual, very successful. These included t-shirt printing, backwoods cooking, creative clay and baking we also did shelter building and orienteering. We have continued to work with local services and businesses in town delivering play workshops and fundraising. We held craft and play workshops at Richmond Park, and held a fundraising event at The Liberal Club, where the Shine performed and there was music from DJ Bouncing Bob. We had a raffle with lots of prizes that had been donated from local businesses and everyone had a great time. We went over to Beckingham Marshes and did arts and crafts during their open day and also went to The Rotary Club’s Pedal Car Grand Prix at QEHS to provide activities. The ACE Project has grown again this year and we continue to work with children from St Georges. The children come in an afternoon and we carry out activities that support self-confidence, team work and co-operation. We encourage the children to share how they feel the session has gone and when they go back to school this is also carried out by the teachers. The teachers have fed back to us very positives outcomes that they have seen as a result of the children being at GAPA. We now have 3 groups of 5 - 6 children per week and we look forward to this continuing in the future. Thank you to all of the staff, volunteers, parents and children for making this year so good for all of us. We are looking forward to another great year next year. Claire Jones Adventure Playground Manager

Summary of Financial statements for the year to 31 March 2015 (Previous year results shown for comparison)

Operating Revenues

Income 2014-2015 2013-2014

LCC 40000 40000

WLDC 15000 15000

Playgroup 84837 90791

Other Generated Income 77960 57827

Total 217797 203618

Expenditure

Fundraising trading: cost of goods and other costs 15825 13550

Governance Costs 1155 969

Staff 136894 132407

Building Management & Overheads 55693 27930

Total 209567 174856

Operating Surplus

Income minus expenditure 8230 28762

Depreciation excluding building 13162 15263

net surplus (deficit) -4932 13499

Available Reserves 01/04/2015 01/04/2014

Equipment fixtures & fittings 21731 28035

Cash and Stock 85409 111543

Debtors & Creditors 789 -32636

Total Funds 107929 106942

Application of Funds

Operating capital 67429 66442

Reserve account 40500 40500

Total Funds 107929 106942

Commentary A Capital Grant was received this year from LCC of £27880 to build an extension to the nursery this is included in Building Management and Overheads.