Oakland Foundation Charity’s Website Relaunch Attracts Funding Applications

Local charity the Oakland Foundation, which supports children in Redditch and Bromsgrove and the surrounding area, has relaunched its website to make it easier for people to find information.

The website’s new clean look means individuals, groups, youth organisations, community projects and schools can easily donate, become a Foundation partner and apply for funding, and since relaunching the uptake in funding applications has increased.

Foundation Trustee, Luke Attwell, commented: “The new website is easier to navigate and provides improved functionality, which put simply means it’s easier to find the information you need and to apply for funding. We are extremely thankful for all the support we receive from the local community, either through individual or group donations, or from businesses choosing the Oakland Foundation as their chosen charity, each and every donation makes a real difference to children’s lives.”

Over the next year the Foundation is planning to increase its match-funding partnerships and opportunities with the council, local businesses and community groups with a focus to support access for all, particularly for those who would not routinely be able to access such opportunities.

Initiatives and activities funded are based on educational, sports and health and nutrition for children under 16 and their families living in Redditch, Bromsgrove and the surrounding area.

The Foundation’s new website is the primary digital channel to apply for funding and will help to raise its profile locally and encourage more people to engage with the charity.

Added Luke: “Keeping it local and working with a fantastic web-design company, who the Foundation has known for many years, has made the whole process that much easier. We can’t thank Graham Biggs and his team at The Naked Creative enough, and we’re simply delighted with the result!”

To apply for Foundation funding or to donate or fundraise, please visit: www.oakland-foundation.com or call 01527 596222.

Little Trinity Halloween Fun

Children at Little Trinity Nursery in Kidderminster enjoyed a Halloween fancy dress party and disco with Halloween themed cakes and biscuits, carved pumpkins and lots and lots of spooky arts and crafts activities to scream about.

Around 40 children ranging in ages from 2-years of age and up took part in the seasonal fun, with staff getting in the mood and dressing up too.

Nursery Manager, Gaynor Carter, commented: “The children had a fabulous time decorating and eating their biscuits and playing pass the parcel. They even took part in the traditional game of apple bobbing before taking to the floor and dancing at our mini-Halloween disco!”

Kidderminster School’s Nature Ninja Supported by Pick Up Artists

Nature Ninja pupils from Kidderminster’s Holy Trinity School and Sixth Form Centre are delighted to have attracted funding from ‘The Pickup Artists’ to purchase anti-litter equipment.

Nature Ninja leader, Mrs Caroline Forsyth-Ball, explained; “Earlier this year we approached Wyre Forest District Council and the children and I met with council representatives as we wanted to try and set up a local community and school-litter pickup and collecting group at Holy Trinity, and they put me in touch with The Pickup Artists who work with local schools to establish and help secure funding for student ‘Junior Pickup Artists’ groups.

“Thanks to their help we were able to secure the funding we needed from the Big Local DY10 organisation, who then provided us with ten litter pickers, litter bag hoops and our wonderful t-shirts. We are now carrying out litter picking in Nature Ninja and Epic Eco Groups sessions in primary school, and I am hoping to extend this activity school-wide.”

The Nature Ninjas and Epic Eco Groups plan to record and create a wall-display of the items they find to show the types of litter and its impact on the local environment.

Kidderminster Student Wins West Midland Triathlon Series

Kidderminster student Flora Middleton has been crowned the winner of the West Midlands Triathlon Series for her age group 9/10 year olds, in the Tristars1 category.

Flora, who attends Holy Trinity School and Sixth Form Centre in Kidderminster collected her award at the Regional Awards Ceremony on Sunday 21 October. The series which runs from March through to September, consisted of eight events which include, Aquathlons, Duathlons and Triathlons. Out of the eight events, the scores from the best 5 events are added together, with 5000 points being the maximum total.

Flora achieved an amazing 4992 points, with her best results awarded from her three 1st Place positions and two, 2nd Place positions!

Now put forward to try and qualify for the Inter Regional Championships next year and representing the West Midlands, Flora is planning to compete at Millfield School in Somerset on the 18th November for the National Schools Biathlon Championships.

Holy Trinity School to Sing at National Lest We Forget Concert

Joining a mass choir of over 2000 children and practising since May, thirty pupils from Year 4 through to Year 7 from Holy Trinity School in Kidderminster will perform at the National Children’s WW1 Centenary Concert on Saturday 3rd November at the Genting Arena, NEC, Birmingham.

Performing in the first ever National Children’s Remembrance Concert, children from across England and Wales will come together to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice to end the first World War.

Supported by two youth orchestras, the concert will include a debut performance by the National Youth Pipe Band of England and the Sandwell Youth Brass Band, a Welsh Primary School Choir and the Leicester Show Choir, and featuring performers from Norfolk, Dorset, Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield, with a parade of 57 flags representing and paying tribute to the many nations and peoples involved in World War 1 (WW1).

Holy Trinity School music teacher, Mrs Sarah Roberts commented: “I have been amazed at how the children have embraced the old songs. I thought they might consider them a bit old-fashioned, but to the contrary, they love them – the good old favourites like ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’, ‘Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag’ and ‘Keep the home fires burning’ – with parents and grandparents attending, many of whom I’m sure will remember them well.

“I’ve been teaching the children a little about the history of WW1, how the public were led to believe the war would only last 2 weeks and how the initial feeling of jubilation and pride in fighting for one’s country soon descended into desperation and misery as the true death toll became apparent.

“The children have been so receptive to this learning and absorbed it all like sponges, the songs of course making it all come alive for them. It is so important that they understand it is only by luck that they have been born in a time of comparative peace. If they had been born in earlier times it could have been them, their brothers or their fathers going to war.”

Sidney Lewis was the country’s youngest WW1 Soldier and a 12-year-old boy when he enlisted in the army and who at 13 years old fought at Battle of the Somme. Invited as special guests and attending the concert will be his son, 85-year-old Colin Lewis who will be joined by his two sons. It is hoped that an audience of up to ten thousand people will attend and show their support for this unique remembrance event.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, the Minister for Faith and Integration, commented: “I cannot think of a more fitting tribute than bringing together thousands of children from across the country to remember those who died in the First World War through music and song.

“I firmly believe that young children should play an active role in WW1 Centenary Commemorations. This is crucial both in enhancing their awareness of the tragedy of war and in carrying forward the collective memory and gratitude to future generations.”

For further details and ticket information please visit: www.lestweforgetconcert.org

The concert is supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, The Big Lottery, Services For Education, Arts Council England and the Associated Board of the

Royal School of Music.

Kidderminster Nursery to Support KEMP for Kids

Little Trinity Nursery in Kidderminster, which has over the last two months already raised and donated over £240 to charity, has formalised its charity giving by linking with children’s bereavement charity, KEMP for Kids.

KEMP for Kids offers support from the age of 5 for children, young people and their families who have experienced somebody close to them dying or living with a life-limiting illness, tailoring its support services to the child’s wishes and needs. KEMP for Kids’ one to one therapeutic work includes the chance to talk, take part in arts based and creative activities such as making memory boxes and jars, or take part in a combination of activities so that they have a chance to talk and explore their experiences and emotions at what is a very difficult and upsetting time in their lives.

Little Trinity Nursery Manager, Gaynor Carter said: “We always try to support as many charity events as we can such as Macmillan and Jeans for Genes day, and we will still be getting all colourful and spotty for Children in Need in November.

“Sadly, many children will experience someone close to them living with a life limiting illness or someone who has passed away. Choosing KEMP, which is our local charity and the amazing work that they do supporting bereaved children through KEMP for Kids, we aim to get more of our parents and children involved as well as highlight what a remarkable service KEMP provides to families and children in our community.”

Looking forward to supporting KEMP for Kids, Little Trinity will also be taking part in KEMP’s ‘Light Up A Life’ campaign in December. Popular with parents the nursery is forced to operate a waiting list for its pre-school intake, with many more children due to join the nursery in the new year.

Gaynor added: “The message we try and get across to the children is to think about others and about how fortunate we all are to be healthy and have good family support, as others maybe don’t, and by doing a little we can all make a big difference.

“Focusing mainly on one local charity will mean we will be able to involve more of our parents and children in our fundraising activities and help to promote KEMP for Kids and the support they offer to children and young people at home, at school or through KEMP Hospice.”

Oakland International’s £2.8m Corby Expansion Plans Herald New Jobs

Multi temperature supply chain and logistics specialist Oakland International has confirmed it is to invest around £2.8m in a high-bay extension at its Corby facility.

Oakland International Business Unit Director, Lee Whiting, commented: “Oakland needed to identify a site which strategically fitted its core distribution requirements for a number of large UK retailers.

“Since launching Corby in March 2017 we have been delighted to recruit and develop a fantastic team of people, mostly from the Corby and nearby Kettering areas who have delivered industry-leading service levels for our customers. The confidence in our future recruitment strategy and the proactive support of the Corby council leadership team and reactive planning department has been a great confidence boost, which has played a significant part in our intentions to invest and grow further in the Corby region.”

Working in conjunction with new landlords, Norwich Council, the extended hub will deliver a multi temperature proposition to the market for chilled, frozen and ambient storage and plans to support the development by recruiting wherever possible within the local area by the end of 2019.

A multi-award winner and the recipient of ‘two’ Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, for International Trade and Sustainable Development, Oakland International is a BRC accredited (for storage and distribution) business, which encompasses a pioneering Distress Load Management (DLM) service; minimising food waste for customers, loss adjusters and hauliers on distressed product loads and consistently operating a recovery level of around 80% of product, with nothing sent to landfill as any residual food-waste is redirected to anaerobic digestion plant centres or recycling centres for use as renewable energy.

With a view to formalising their CSR efforts at their Redditch offices, Oakland launched the Oakland Foundation, a charity aimed at supporting children and young people in Redditch, Bromsgrove and the surrounding area.

Oakland International Co-Founder and CEO, Dean Attwell, added: “Whilst we are still learning about our new home in Corby, we are keen to repeat what has worked well in Redditch by applying ourselves to worthwhile causes in and around Corby.

“We have always believed in getting involved, and in supporting the local communities where our teams live, focusing on working with like-minded groups and organisations who want to make a difference.”

New Children’s Play Area Opened with Macmillan Coffee Morning

Little Trinity Nursery in Kidderminster marked the opening of their new outside play area with a Macmillan Coffee Morning, inviting parents and carers to join them to celebrate and raise funds for the charity.

Planning began at the start of the year for the new facility, with work completed over the summer and offering a new external learning and play area with direct access from the classroom so that children can use it throughout the nursery day. Encompassing literacy and mathematical areas as well as a growing section, sand and water-play, mark making and ICT, and an all-weather canopy meaning it can be used in all weathers, it is a welcome addition to their existing playground which incorporates climbing and play equipment, role-play, mini beast and mud kitchen.

Wanting to make their official opening a real celebration, they chose to support this year’s Macmillan Coffee Morning inviting staff, parents and carers to donate cakes and take part in a celebration raffle and raised an amazing £161.98!

Little Trinity Nursery Manager, Gaynor Carter said: “Parents and children have been so excited to see the new area come to life, with the children so eager to go and explore that I don’t think we are now ever going to get them back inside!

“This investment will hugely benefit all our children for many years to come. It’s important to invest in the future and to ensure our nursery continues to thrive, offering the very best for Little Trinity Nursery children today, and tomorrow!”

Holy Trinity School Sixth Form and Year 7 Open Evening

Holy Trinity School and Sixth Form Centre in Kidderminster will be holding a Sixth Form and Year 7 Open Evening on Tuesday 16th October, between 5:30pm and 7:30pm.

Holy Trinity enjoyed an outstanding set of GCSE and A level results this year with A Level students achieving a pass rate of 97% and above the national average, 27% of students gaining A / A* grades and 41% A*- B grades and over.

69% of GCSE students attained a grade 6 or above (B or above) and placed the school joint first in the county for 9-5 passes in English and maths combined with Physics and Maths being the best performing core subjects, and Art, History, PE and RE out performing as foundation subjects.

Open events are immensely useful to students and families as they offer the opportunity to meet teaching staff and look around the school and its facilities, asking any questions well in advance of forthcoming registration deadlines.

Holy Trinity’s Sixth Form features small class sizes offering a tutorial teaching style to meet the educational needs of each student and ensure everyone reaches their potential, with specialist subject staff on hand to offer extra help and support throughout the day, maximising achievement and accelerate progress.

More information is available on the school’s website: www.holytrinity.co.uk or you can email the head’s PA, Mrs Karen Roth: karen.roth@holytrinity.co.uk or call: 01562 822929.

BRC Stamp of Approval for Oakland International’s Supply Chain and Value Added Services

Retaining accreditation for well-over a decade, responsible family business Oakland International has maintained British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) quality standard for storage and distribution, securing a double ‘AA’ grade rating.

Head of Supply Chain Compliance and Accreditation, Louise Smith, stated: “This is a fantastic result for the team and I would like to thank them for all of their hard work which is so important in maintaining our Quality Standards, not just on audit day but on a year-round basis.”

Oakland International was one of the first businesses in their sector to achieve BRC accreditation which is internationally recognised as the ‘global standard’ for storage and distribution. The standard encompasses all actions undertaken that may affect safety, quality and legality of products handled and stored, with the standard viewed as a cross-function responsibility, wholly supported by the company’s senior management and team members.

Added Louise: “The heap of praise we received from the auditor covered our policies, procedures, layout and our warehouse process enhancements, and the willingness and friendliness of our team.

“Securing BRC’s AA rating is a clear endorsement for our customers and supply chain partners that they can have absolute faith in every area of Oakland’s operation from product safety, to quality and legality, they will not be compromised in any way.”

A multi temperature supply chain specialist, Oakland’s collaborative business approach with producers and retailers to optimise service, quality and consumer availability remains key to supplying UK, Irish and Spanish retail, discount, convenience and wholesale markets from the company’s UK and Irish facilities.