North Liverpool Branch Annual Report 2017/2018

1. North Liverpool Branch Annual Report 2017/2018

2. This year as a branch we were proud to…. • welcome many new volunteers • start many new events such as Jakes Sensory • start Mini First Aid courses • hold our 1st Feeding & Changing tent at Crosby Carnival • start a new Photography Fundraising Event • expanded Playgroup to include a Baby Room • attend Mothercare Expectant Parent Events • be awarded Gold Standard for our Nearly New Sales

3. The biggest challenges we faced were….. • Having lots of ideas but not enough time • Getting new volunteers familiar with NCT rules • Dealing with the success of Playgroup • Handling changes with storage & insurance for the NNS equipment

4. We successfully raised £7,061.88to help fundNCT’s work nationally, offering impartial information & support to parents through the NCT website & helpline & campaigning to ensure better services & facilities for parents in their First 1,000 Days.

5. We spent £2259.78 to support parents locally

6. To make sure we keep our branch finances healthy in 2018/2019 we need to be careful of the amount of money we spend on: • The Feeding & Changing Tent • Playgroup expenses • NNS expenses  • Any new ventures We have £3,939.65 in reserve and £653.35 in designated funds for the Feeding & Changing tent

7. Every NCT branch is required to have a minimum number of volunteers. These must be NCT members. In our branch the core team are:

8. In addition current team roles are:

9. We have an experienced Nearly New Sale Team

10. We have a good team who run our weekly Little Stars Playgroup together along with help from attendees We have regular volunteers who attend the baby events, Cinebabes, Write Blend & Jakes for babies: Kat Cox Louise Stevens Anna Leese Cheryl Smith was key in setting up these events & attended regularly until the end of 2017

11. THANK YOU to everyone who has given their time & energy to the branch this year. Special thanks to: Judith Blackwood who held kept the branch going as Branch Coordinator when no one else would then continued as Parent Support Coordinator even as she was moving on. Not forgetting her vital role in leading the playgroup singsong! Good luck in your future ventures. Sinead Young who stood up from Deputy (NNS) Treasurer when it was needed & continued with this as the branch expanded & therefore workload increased. She will be going back to her NNS Treasurer role. Cheryl Smith who instigated many of the new events & has remained involved as her maternity leave ended.

12. The current vacancies on our team are: • Fundraising coordinator  • Big Push, Cheeky Monkey & Grant Coordinators  • Fathers or Lone Parents Coordinator • Branch Advertising Coordinator We would benefit from: Restructuring & expanding on the existing roles • a dedicated Social Media & Web Coordinator • volunteers to take roles on from Anna Smith We plan to recruit by: Feeding through from the Bumps & Babies events Holding a 'Celebration of Volunteers New & Old' for our annual branch meeting

13. We hope to fund this by • Continuing our successful NNS • Continuing Photography Fundraising Events • Run other events without loss or with a small profit.

14. Tea & Coffee meet up at Write Blend Pram walks Parents' Social Evening Jake's Sensory Separate Baby & Toddler sessions Photography Fundraiser Mini First Aid Christmas Party Our Activities in 2017/18 • Annual Meeting: Cheese & Wine night, new volunteers • Playgroup • Easter Egg Hunt • Summer special taster sessions • Love Pottery • Shoebox full of love collection • Nearly New Sale • Cinebabes • Open house/coffee mornings • Soft play meet ups

15. Little Stars PlaygroupRuns every Monday except Bank Holidays 10-11.30 at St Nics • We had an Easter Party in 2017 as part of playgroup. • Success this year meant we had to set a limit on numbers in the main hall & we opened a new separate Baby Room. • In the summer we had taster sessions from local businesess. • Love Pottery attended sessions for keepsakes. • We collected donations at Christmas for a local charity.

16. Nearly New Sale • We held successful sales in October '17 & March '18 making £6803 for NCT, a new record for the branch. • We achieved the NCT NNS Gold Standard award. • Facebook competitions & campaigns replaced newspaper advertising with success & financial savings. • We ran a successful raffle at the October sale with generous donations.

17. Cinebabes at Crosby Plaza • Fridays 10.30am, alternate weeks. • Established in 2016 by Judith Blackwood. • Fortnightly movie showings for parents that they can take their baby to with the lights up, the sound down & nobody minds about the baby cries. • Groups of regulars often go for a coffee & chat afterwards. • On a summer break from 6th July to restart in September.

18. The Branch has run coffee mornings at volunteers homes for many years but attendance has always been low & those in 2017 were no different. Soft play centres were tried as a public venue to get together instead but were not found successful either. Various local cafes were used but support from Write Blend with a dedicated area and group discount established it as good meeting point for a meet up for coffee & a chat on a regular basis. 'Meet ups'

19. Pram, Pushchair & Sling Walks • Anna Smith organised several walks which were open to anyone to join • These were on various stretches of Crosby Coastal Path & often concluded with a drink • They were attended by a small number of mums • Hopefully another volunteer will take this on for the 2018 summer

20. Parents Social Evenings • Elisa Congdon & Nicky Windows became our social secretaries in 2017. • They organise parents nights out every couple of months. • These events are open to all & are good chance for parents, including the volunteers, to relax & chat without their little ones underfoot.

21. Jake's Sensory at Netherton Activity Centre • Mondays 1.30-3pm • Established August 2017 by Cheryl Smith • It initially ran once a month as a mixed group • From January 2018 it has run twice a month with separate Baby & Toddler sessions • Pre-booked to cover costs • Enjoyed by all who attend

22. Photography Fundraiser made over £650 from a single 1 day event

23. First Aid Courses • Working with Mini First Aid we held our first course in November. The demand was so high we immediately had to put a second one on. • Another course ran in February. • We have taught 39 parents & grandparents lifesaving skills whilst raising £360 for NCT causes. • These courses are on-going.

24. Christmas Party • Our first Christmas party with online ticket booking. • Entertainment from Moo Music. • Help from lots of volunteers but all able to join in the fun. • Excellent feedback.

25. What's OnAn example of how the branch has expanded fromJune '17 to May/June '18

26. New for 2018/19

27. Volunteering for NCT is fun, flexible and family friendly! If you would like to get involved, we would love to hear from you. Email coordinator.northliverpool@nct.org.uk for more information.