2001-Honeypot-Newsletter-16ppA5-FINAL · Honeypot Heroes Page 6-7 Honeypot House, Hampshire – Learning breaks and more! Page 8-9 Honeypot Pen y Bryn – The buzz! Page 10 Volunteering

One Childhood, One Chance

Winter 2019/2020

One VoiceOne Voice

Honeypot Heroes

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Oscar’s volunteering story

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Events on back cover

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One Childhood, One Chance

Winter 2019/2020

Registered Charity Number: 1184132.

You may have noticed our Charity Registration Number has changed, and was formerly 1011672. This hasn’t changed anything about Honeypot or our services, just that we now legally exist as a charitable incorporated organisation!

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All children’s photos included in this newsletter are real Honeypot children. Names have been

changed to preserve anonymity.

ContentsPage 3 Welcome to the latest edition of One Voice!

Page 4-5 Honeypot Heroes

Page 6-7 Honeypot House, Hampshire – Learning breaks and more!

Page 8-9 Honeypot Pen y Bryn – The buzz!

Page 10 Volunteering for Honeypot – Oscar’s story!

Page 11 A Day in the Life of a Honeypot Team Leader

Page 12-13 Our Corporate Partners!

Page 14 Thank you!

Page 15 Hampshire Carol Concert!

Page 16 Sign up to make a difference! Events Calendar

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Our vision is for every child to make the most of their one chance at childhood.

Email us at [email protected] Visit us at www.honeypot.org.uk

honeypotchildrenscharity @honeypotcharity

Get in touch!

Hampshire Offi ceGatewood Hill, Exbury Road, Nr Blackfi eld, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 1XH02380 890002

Wales Offi ceHoneypot Pen y Bryn, Dolfor, Newtown, Powys SY16 4AH01686 622 773

Head Offi ce 19 Berghem Mews, Blythe Road, London W14 0HN 020 7602 2631

@honeypotchildrenscharity The Honeypot Children’s Charity

Everything’s happening! If you read our last edition of One Voice, you might remember that we’ve been hard at work overhauling our services so we can reach even more young carers aged 5-12 with high quality respite breaks and on-going outreach. Our SEAL (social and emotional aspects of learning) breaks, or learning breaks as we call them have fi nally launched! With them, we’ll be reaching hundreds of young carers and vulnerable children during weekdays in addition to our regular respite break activities during weekends and holidays. You can read all about them on page 7.And we have plenty more news for you to read about! We’ve had some amazing activities that we’ve been holding for our young carers as part of their regular respite breaks, and stories from our team and volunteers, not to mention all the exciting fundraising supporters like yourself have been doing. There’s exciting events on the back cover for you to get involved further, and so defi nitely a little something for everyone.No matter how you’ve been involved with Honeypot, we’d like to extend a big thank you to you, and everyone else who’s been supporting our extraordinary young carers! We hope you have a terrifi c 2020!

You might recognise Georgie from the last edition of One Voice, as she was featured in our special Why We Care video for Carers Week 2019. Georgie is 11 years old, and as you might’ve guessed from her video appearance, is passionate about raising awareness of young carers. She’s been caring for her mother since she was 7, who has multiple health issues, including lupus and arthritis which leads to mobility issues. Georgie also does the cooking sometimes, and has to help her mother get into the bath.

“You’re not different from anyone else, it’s just that you care for someone,” says Georgie. “And it makes you more responsible. My caring role’s important because if I didn’t do stuff for my mum, she might be in a difficult position.”Honeypot gives Georgie and young carers like her the chance for a vital respite break. Young carers can’t always easily take part in extracurricular activities, or make friends or find time to spend with them whether meeting up at the park or going to their birthday party. On a Honeypot respite break, young carers can be children again. They can have fun, play freely in the countryside, take part in new and exciting activities, make lots of friends and have the time and space they need to develop.

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Honeypot HeroesOur amazing young carers!

Georgie

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Billie is one of our Honeypot graduates. She’s now 19 years old, but has gotten in touch just to let you all know about her experiences caring!

“I realised at a very young age that I was a young carer as I was born into being a carer,” says Billie. “But particularly when I went to primary school I realised my home life wasn’t the normal life that my friends had.“I helped with feed monitoring my baby brother right up until he was seven, as he was fed by tube, and with my sister I completed personal care needs, such as supporting her with changing and eating. As I got older, my responsibilities obviously increased and I would often help my mum with getting them both out the house. My sister has limited movement and is unsteady, so I would normally support her or push the buggy while brother was little.“Honeypot gave me a place to escape to; a place to reflect on my family life and

get the support of someone being there, especially when my brother was going through multiple surgeries. It gave me the space to grow and play and learn about myself. It also gave me the opportunity to put myself first.“I am still a carer but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Caring has made me take an interest in my career path. I am currently working in special needs provision in a secondary class, doing what I love. Caring has given me the skills to take on a challenge and push me. It’s given me the ability to never give up and to fight for what I believe. I suppose if caring was never part of my life I wouldn’t be as patient or as empathetic as I feel I am.

“To other young carers I would say: Take the time to reflect and think, even if it is just a couple of minutes a day. Collect your thoughts, accept how you feel as you will go through a lot – but it’s because you’re strong that you get through it. And never think you’re alone.”

Billie

Billie, pictured with her friends on a Honeypot break back when she was 12!

A group of Honeypot children had a very special treat during the October half-term. It’s not unheard of to go to a zoo or theme park for a Honeypot outing, but in this case, thanks to Selwood, one of our groups of young carers came along on an exciting trip to Bournemouth Oceanarium!As you can see, our children had a whale of a time. They were particularly happy to spot sharks, spy giant turtles and see feeding time for the penguins!With the oceanarium directly next to the beach, the café itself looking out over the sands, it came out that one of the girls had never seen a beach before. Even with the weather a little wet and windy, the Honeypot team decided to take the gang out onto the beach for 20

minutes of play before they headed back to Honeypot House. The children absolutely adored the chance for sandy fun, and it capped off what was an amazing day for all!“The children (and I!) had a fantastic and memorable day,” said Steve, our Operations Manager at Honeypot House. “As we walked back to the bus, a little girl whose hand I was holding told me in a quiet voice “this has been a very special day for me, hasn’t it?” If you’ll excuse the cheese, it had been for me too!”Thank you again to Selwood, who not only paid for the tickets, but made the booking and also donated £150 to pay for lunch for all of the children at the café.

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Oceans ahoy!

We love this amazing redecoration to Honeypot House! This Secret Garden mural was created by jeweller Tessa Packard and gallerist Lyndsey Ingram initially for the Chelsea Flower Show. After the show, they brought it down to Hampshire, and with the help of artist Sarah Macdonald and some of our Honeypot kids, installed it in our playroom! Thank you!

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I’d been a teacher for sixteen years in the UK and then abroad, which really gave me an understanding of the social and emotional needs of young people, but after coming home I realised I wanted to work in a small-group setting and to be able to work with young people more closely. When I visited Honeypot House I really fell in love with the place, and I’m thrilled to now be leading our new learning breaks.

“One of the highlights of the break was seeing how the kids responded to creative tasks. At the beach, we made art from found materials; one girl made a stunning portrait of a woman using rocks and seaweed. We also worked on making self-portraits of ourselves and our interests, thinking about what makes us unique and what we have in common.

“Drama was another big success. For vulnerable young people, drama activities can sometimes be intimidating. It’s no easy task to stand up in front of other people. So we worked with freeze frames: for example, “Your mum’s brought you some Oreos! What does your face look like?”. Both the kids and staff couldn’t stop talking about it afterwards! Activities like this are a brilliant way to get people to reflect on their own and others’ thoughts and emotions and build empathy – all really useful skills for vulnerable young carers.

“The transformation you see in some children is amazing. Many of these kids have put up a wall and struggle to engage in class, so it’s brilliant when we see them getting stuck into SEAL activities. One boy arrived and immediately built himself a cushion fort and hid; but by the last day, he said he didn’t even need to phone home as he’d see his mum tomorrow anyway. He really came out of his shell, became inquisitive and enthusiastic, and went home with some valuable life lessons.

“I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our breaks, and I’m already working on developing more activities and challenges. You can’t separate education from wellbeing. On SEAL breaks, you get to know so much more about a child and to see them as a whole person. I think it’s a much more realistic model for education; if we do social and emotional learning properly, it lays the groundwork for everything else.”

Reporting back from our first learning breaks! Team Leader Martin tells us how the new SEAL

breaks are going!

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During August at Honeypot Pen y Bryn, we were able to open our marvellous new swimming pool to the young carers arriving for their respite breaks!The new pool has proved to be a huge success with the children who have thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to spend their time swimming, splashing and floating around making use of all of our inflatables and pool toys.When playing ‘High, Low, Hero’ most of our guests said their high was going in the swimming pool!Our thanks go out to Neil Pegrum and Solent Group for funding the production of our Welsh swimming pool. We are also thrilled to have been awarded a grant from Leeds Building Society to complete a tarmac path around the new pool. The path will not only make the area around the pool safer, but will double up as a go-kart track for our young racers visiting the house.

Splashing away in Wales!

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A group of our young carers visiting Honeypot Pen y Bryn were treated to a special Roman Day at the Grosvenor Museum, sponsored by our charity partner Bank of America. Together our children and Honeypot team learned why the Ancient Romans chose Chester as a base, and got a chance to look at the armour they used to wear – and see how heavy it was!

Afterwards, we took our children on a Roman March through Chester City Centre, so they could act out scenarios in armour, getting ready for battle and singing songs.

Roaming Romans!

Who better to teach about the Ancient Romans than a real Roman soldier?

“On a typical residential day,” Nikita says. “After we’ve woken up and had breakfast, everyone sits down to plan out their day. We ask the children to rate how they’re feeling out of ten, so that if anyone’s worried or unhappy we can make sure we’ve solved it and they’re feeling positive for the day ahead. Then we decide what we’d like to do; we make sure that the children know they can do whatever they’d like, and we’re there to make their break as special as possible.“We always have a mix of activities to choose from, from craft to baking to go-karting, because we know how important it is for young carers to have the chance to do whatever they want and get whatever they need out of the break. One boy who came to us was one of twelve children and said he hadn’t slept past 9am in years – he was chuffed to be able to sleep from 8:30 at night until 9:30 in the morning!“In the morning, we often go for a walk by the stream or head over to a nearby farm to say hello to the alpacas. For children coming from big cities, it’s a rare opportunity to spend so much time in nature. After lunch,

9 times out of ten, everyone wants to go swimming. The new heated pool was opened in August and especially in this cold weather, it’s a huge hit.“After swimming, everyone gets into their pyjamas for an evening meal together, then we have a movie night with hot chocolate and popcorn. Things like that are really important for making the children feel at home and creating a supportive environment. Before bed, the children can call home if they like; otherwise I’ll text their family to let them know all’s well and tell them what we’ve been up to.“One thing I’ve introduced that’s worked really well is ‘High Low Hero’: at the end of the day, we sit down together to tell each other our high and low points of the day and nominate someone who’s been our hero today. It’s a great way to get feedback straight from the children so we can keep making breaks better. One boy said his high point was the Christmas dinner we held, since he’d never had one at home before, and that the staff were his heroes for supporting him.”

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“Making a difference like that, giving children a fresh perspective and showing them they’re not alone, is why we do what we do; that’s what Honeypot is.”Nikita has worked at Honeypot Pen y Bryn since 2018. Here’s how a typical day on a Honeypot respite break goes!

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“I started volunteering for Honeypot a few years ago after hearing about the charity through my parents’ work. From there I started raising small sums of money and awareness as it’s such an amazing cause which is largely unknown. Even talking to people now, not everyone is aware of how many young carers there are and what they have to do on a daily basis.”“Before I started,” Oscar says. “I felt that as a child there wasn’t a lot I could do to help with global issues but Honeypot has helped and encouraged me to make a difference for a worthy cause.”Oscar has raised money for Honeypot through all sorts of creative methods:

� Writing and self-publishing a choose-your-adventure book for kids to sell in aid of Honeypot.

� Helping out at charity stalls. � Persuading his school to hold a charity

day, leading an assembly to talk about Honeypot.

“Through volunteering I have learnt to be persuasive and communicative whilst speaking up on behalf of other people. Supporting Honeypot has given me more of a purpose and incentive to finish writing the book, as it wasn’t just me I was doing it for. I have got a lot out of fundraising and it has sparked conversation with people I didn’t know very well before.”“To anyone considering volunteering with Honeypot, I’d say go for it! Don’t let anything stand in your way. It’s a super cause to dedicate your time towards, plus the team is amazing and will be with you all the way. Whatever you choose to do, you can make a difference and your work will be valued by Honeypot, young carers and the country.”

“Fundraising has given me more ties with people in my community and I hope that more young people can help make a difference too.”

Why Oscar has volunteered for Honeypot since he was 11 years old.

Oscar’s volunteering was so impressive he was among our guests to our reception at 10 Downing Street in 2018!

To round off the first year of Bank of America’s two-year charity partnership with Honeypot, back in November, the Bank held their annual major charity fundraising event. For one day, everyone across their UK offices in London, Bromley, Camberley and Chester focussed on raising money for Honeypot. Thousands of Bank of America staff took part in all sorts of activities raining vital funds for the charity - from holding a sponsored team spinathon to hosting an inflatable assault course, a karaoke competition and even a live auction!Since the beginning of the year, Bank of America employees in the UK have raised an incredible £350,000 for Honeypot, enough to pay for more than 762 young carers to enjoy a respite break for a full weekend.

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How our major partners have supported us

Anthony Harte, Head of Philanthropy, EMEA at Bank of America, said: “We are delighted to partner with Honeypot, to support their essential work with young carers. Throughout 2019, our employees - some of whom were young carers themselves - committed their time and funds to enable 762 children to experience 42,000 hours of learning and respite care. We look forward to our continued partnership in 2020.”Simmi Woodwal, CEO at Honeypot said: “Our partnership with Bank of America has exceeded all our expectations and their efforts have transformed the lives of hundreds of young carers across the UK. In addition to the fundraising activities throughout the year, they have also visited the sites to work on the grounds helping to keep them maintained for the children. This is no ordinary partnership!”

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Excelling at the ExCel!

CIBC supported Honeypot and CHICKS (who provide respite breaks to older children outside our age group) among others on their annual fundraising Miracle Day! They donated £7,500 to Honeypot alone, to help a group of young carers experience respite breaks with Honeypot until they turn 12, before being seamlessly transitioned through a direct referral process to CHICKS.

Miracles for young carers!

Honeypot was the official Charity Partner for Sibos as they took on their annual financial conference in the ExCel Centre, London, from Monday 23rd September — Thursday 26th September.To help us achieve our goal of helping the nation’s young carers make the most of their one chance at

childhood, Sibos was raising money to fund 4,200 hours of respite breaks, and 1,400 of our new learning breaks.Visitors to the Sibos conference interacted with one of the two Honeypot stalls at Meeting Point North and Meeting Point South at ExCel London during Sibos Week where

Honeypot staff explained the charity’s work with young carers and collected donations. Delegates also took part in the Sibos 5k, running in the cold and rain at 6am to raise money for Honeypot.Our thanks go out to the team behind Sibos and all the people who visited!

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David Sweeting, Colin Kirkham, Tim Cairnes, Alex White and Simon Venables formed the team ‘Honeypot Hopefuls’ and ran the Reebok Ragnar Relay White Cliffs Race, a non-stop 172 mile relay race! Normally undertaken by a team of 10, each runner covered a distance equalling one and a half marathon’s!

David first heard about at Honeypot when his son heard a Honeypot talk at his school assembly. “We recently had the opportunity to visit

Honeypot and see the work they do. It was incredibly humbling and far beyond a

worthy cause,” he said. The Honeypot Hopefuls raised over £800. Thank you all so much for this incredible achievement!

Thank you!

Among the amazing schools who’ve supported us, let’s hear it for Normanhurst School, who raised £1,300, and King Edward VI School who raised £1,500!

Congratulations to our Chester Marathon team, who raised £1,992 for young carers!

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The Hampshire Carol Concert, a mainstay of our local events at Honeypot House, returned to Romsey Abbey on Monday 2nd December 2019. It was a beautiful, festive evening in aid of young carers, with a variety of features and performances.There were two choirs performing, Walhampton School Chapel Choir and Rock Choir, with Honeypot parent Jen and her children Tom and Emily to speak about their experiences. BBC historian Dan Snow’s talk of war-time Christmas letters helped brought home the reality of challenges during the festive season. The Carol Concert raised over £10,000, so thank you so much to everyone who attended or helped make the event so special! A thank you too to our Concert’s sponsors, Selwood, Minuteman Press Southampton, Harvest Fine Foods, Fairweather’s Garden Centre, Jugo Systems, Business Improvement Group UK, Luminique Events and Breckenridge Agency.

Hampshire Carol Concert

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Sign up to make a difference to young carers this year!

June 2020

March 2020

May 2020

8 June – 14 June 2020 – Carers WeekCarers Week is an annual weekly campaign that raises awareness of carers and the issues they face, and recognises the impact they have. To support young carers next Carer Week, get in touch.

Why not take part in Come Dine With Honeypot? Hold your own dinner party and invite friends to raise funds and awareness! Email now for your own fundraising pack.

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24 March 2020 – Honeypot Darts NightBring a team along to Flight Club, Victoria to take part in this epic darts competition!

11 May 2020 – Honeypot Comedy NightHaving featured stars like Russell Howard and Josh Widdicombe at our previous Comedy Nights, we can’t wait to welcome you back again!

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October 20204 October 2020 – Chester MarathonVoted the UK’s favourite marathon in 2018, this route takes you past the iconic landmarks of Chester, into the Cheshire and Welsh countryside and along the banks of the River Dee for a photo fi nish!11 October 2020 – Royal Parks Half MarathonThis stunning central London Half Marathon, takes in some of the capital’s world-famous landmarks and four of London’s Royal Parks - Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens.

Why not take part in Come Dine With Honeypot? Hold your own dinner party and invite friends to raise funds and awareness! Email now for your own fundraising pack.

To get involved and for more events, email [email protected]!

September 2020

1919 September 2020 – Honeypot Gala DinnerCome join us at the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton, for a full three-course meal and entertainment. The dinner has an enchanted forest theme, and is set to be a truly magical evening.