I checked the dictionary, and a ripple, by definition, is a small wave on the surface of the water.
We know that once started, the waves go on and on. It also has another definition – a type of ice cream with wavy lines of syrup running through it. But never mind that, my favourite kind of ripples apart from laughter, are the ones made by Galaxy Chocolate!! I’ve been thinking about ripples this week because I have put the finishing touches on an evaluation report for one of Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme projects. So I have been focussed on impact.
Several things have happened recently that just made me think. BYPHS has been running the Hug in a Mug campaign and it’s been fantastic; the response has been overwhelming – over 200 hugs in mugs. On average, a mug would be £1.50, tea bags and coffee around £5.00, sugar £1.00, milk £1.00, and biscuits £1.00. So even though that all makes many brews, that’s a £9.00 investment to get started when most of the young people on our scheme have £11.00 a week to buy food, toiletries, clothes, luxuries. The impact of people giving these HUGS is a massive financial one, but it’s also about the value we place on our residents. We are saying you’re worth it, and not only do the staff at BYPHS think so, but so do the community of Bolton and beyond.
They say when you have more than you need “don’t build a higher fence; build a bigger table.” So we have. The first 60 hugs in mugs went to young people in the scheme, and we have some put by for young people moving in over the next few months. But we gave 20 to the men that live on the Emmaus project, by way of a thank you. We will be sharing some more with other homeless people over the next few weeks. Our hugs will ripple for some time, because of the number we have received, and because we have enough to share with other people in need.
The homeless men that live in that community decided to raise money for people less fortunate than them, and picked the younger homeless generation to support. They gave us £250.00 to spend on furnishings in the new communal areas of our under 18s accommodation. The type of lovely things that will make it feel like “home”. The ripple effect from their generosity will be that they make frightened young people who are homeless, feel comfortable, and challenge their expectations about homeless accommodation. That will probably have an effect for years to come. A lot longer than the effect of a hug in a mug, but they say it’s the thought that counts.
The second campaign we are running is the Snug in a Bug campaign – new or very nearly new bedding for young people moving into our scheme. This has a financial impact on the scheme overall because the money we save can be used on other necessities, and the young people are told that the bedding has come from the generous people of the Bolton community. Again, this has had a wonderful response, and the donations have been fantastic. Our stock room is the fullest it has ever been.
I went to a cheque presentation a couple of weeks ago with Team Eagley Bank, from the massive fund raising they did for us in 2015. They are supporting another worthy cause this year – Fortalice. We met at the Eccythump Tattoo parlour and coffee shop on Blackburn Road. Turns out the owners there had been wanting to support a charity working with homeless people, but hadn’t pursued it, and so another connection was formed, another ripple from the initial Team Eagley Bank connection. Eccythump are going to raise some funds for us over the next few months. It was obvious the owner, Paul and his wife, have a natural affinity to BYPHS and young people.
As Suffa continue to support young people who are homeless as part of their work with lots of homeless groups and individuals in need. They provide food every week, hugs in mugs and other donations, and are generally wonderful friends to our organisation. They are members of the Muslim faith, and inspire me every time I read about them or talk to them. I told my mum about them because of their hard work, and she said that she thought it was fantastic; we talked about media folk devils and how people make incorrect and huge assumptions about people in the Muslim faith. She likened it to the atmosphere in the 70s, when Northern Ireland had “troubles” and my mum was embarrassed to be here as an Irish person. Mum moved here in the 60s. She told me she once went to our local butchers and couldn’t order her meat, left the shop in a fluster because of her Irish accent afraid people would assume she was a terrorist. It seems nothing much has changed.
Speaking of my Mum, it’s Mothers Day weekend. When she was younger she did a very difficult thing, and gave a baby up for adoption. It is not my story to tell, and my Mum is very private, but you’ve heard the story before; Irish Catholic family, 1960 something and an unmarried pregnant girl……. So my sister was adopted by an amazing couple in Essex, and not only did they bring Helen up with love and laughter and a penchant for practical jokes they enabled and supported Helen to find her birth mother, my Mum, in 1999. Helens’ Dad died a few years ago, and her Mum sadly died a few days ago, and I wanted to remember her Mum, especially as she is laid to rest this week. I only met her once, but as a complete stranger, her actions changed lives for the better, including mine. Their decision to firstly adopt, and also the decision to find my Mum for Helen was a brave and fabulous thing to do. So the blog is dedicated to you two; Patricia Wright, known as Paddy; and my Mum, Eveline – known as Eveline. These two women never met, but had a unique and invisible connection in Helen. The ripple effect from those various actions and decisions has lasted almost 20 years and will continue. I am so proud of the relationship I have with my Mum and Helen. And because we didn’t meet until I was 29, I haven’t got the middle child syndrome!! Bonus.
More recently then, and work related, the Mayor and Mayoress of Blackrod have been raising funds for Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme, and we attended a charity event last week, meeting people who were just doing their bit to help charity. We bought raffle tickets, ate cheese and crackers, and enjoyed the music, but I bet very few people in the room realise the impact that will have. Sometime in the near future, every penny of that money will go to young people in crisis; a young woman with no money for sanitary protection, a young man, sat in the cold and dark, with no money for electricity, food for someone waiting 6 weeks for a new benefit claim because they have become homeless suddenly, or money for a uniform to start catering college.
I was reflecting this week, about this, and other totally random things that have been happening recently, that are never publicised or shouted about. For example, a group of students at Bolton Sixth Form College have produced a book linked to homelessness, and the proceeds, £1 each, will be donated to BYPHS. These students had a writing competition and the book is the result. If you want one please email sjones@bolton-sfc.ac.uk. They selected our service as the beneficiaries because they had seen our details on the packaging of the Bolton Wanderers third shirt this year, made to commemorate the Burnden Disaster, in which 33 people were killed 70 years ago.
BWFC sold a thousand of these shirts, and the sale will result in BYPHS receiving a cheque for £10,000 next week at the #remember the 33 commemorative football match. I can’t describe the feeling of gratitude and amazement I felt when I was told this. But this windfall, that will be a life changer for young people who are homeless, have come from tragedy, disaster and loss. There are mixed feelings, but it’s an honour to have been selected as the recipient of the money. I feel like we are part of history and local culture. The ripple effect….. ? Apart from the lasting impact of assisting people in dire need, there is the sharing of information with the shirts themselves. They sold out in a week, and the packaging has a description of our charity on the back of it. They have all the names of the people who lost their lives listed inside, and those boxes will be kept as keep sakes for ever.
Staying with a football theme, another totally amazeballs thing happened last week. BYPHS are funded by Comic Relief, linked to Sport Relief. Last year I asked how projects get involved with the stuff that’s on telly….. so two weeks ago, we had an email asking if we wanted to submit a 5 a side football team for a Sport Relief event, so I said yes. Long story short; three BYPHS staff worked their usual magic and assembled six young people for a team, and we were good to go. The day before the event, we were told we were actually opening the event, fifty seven hours of non-stop football at Media City, and we were playing with Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage and Trevor Sinclair. Our team of five boys and one girl played well, scored goals, and generally had the time of their lives. They got photos with their idols, played well, were interviewed on Radio 5 Live, had a brief appearance on the telly and got up at 6am for the privilege. They were fine ambassadors for Bolton and the BYPHS. They will remember that experience for the rest of their lives. This is nothing to do with housing but everything to do with BYPHS and how we try every day to make things count – every day is an interview. What an honour though.
We had a visit from an ex resident and her two beautiful babies, and reminisced about life on the scheme. She recalled her time here fondly, and clearly we had an impact. She is enjoying motherhood, and has created a lovely family with her partner. BYPHS ex residents are far and wide now after 24 years; I sometimes try to picture the ripple effect that caused. But one fantastic outcome was that we did Project Manager recruitment this week, and after we appointed two people who I know will be excellent, one of them told me she is an ex resident from the scheme 13 years ago, and always knew that this was what she wanted to do. Now that’s what I call a result; what better positive outcome can you have? That’s five people now employed at BYPHS who were residents on the scheme. A statistic I am very proud of.
The other, and final thing that happened this week, is I was asked to judge an art competition. Mosaic and bead work by individual and groups of women. This was to mark the launch of the women’s Reach Out Project – empowering women through art. The entries were all stunning, the detail, creativity and impact were breathtaking. Thankfully I was one of three judges, so the pressure was shared. Those women have put so much effort into their pieces, they were amazing. The art work is on display in the Octagon Theatre for a few weeks – it’s well worth a look. The project was organised by Gulnaz Brennan (Chai Times) and a resounding success. The ripple effect here will be the women in those groups have a well-deserved sense of achievement, that increases self-esteem and worth. That will be long lasting. Hopefully they will inspire others too.
So, February and on into March, it is busy. BYPHS are working relentlessly to make sure young people are safe, rehoused and have the best possible experience available. But we are blessed with amazing supporters, great staff, wonderful stakeholders and very generous local communities helping us out all the time. I have been pondering on these and other lovely things happening. I think that the BYPHS team efforts to raise the profile of the organisation over the last couple of years are paying off. Relationships are the key to everything. This is not only true with all stakeholders and friends of the scheme, but between young people and staff who support them. The success of our organisation is based on the young people after all. So, every introduction, every referral, every time you mention me or BYPHS, you are helping us. A tweet, a “like” or just a mention in passing all contribute to improving a young person’s life chances.
So, what are you going to do or say today to start a ripple? Do something to make the day count for yourself or for others. I have started my ripple as I am organising an event. BYPHS are promoting a charity sleep out on April 22nd, so why not join us or sponsor us, and raise money and awareness for homeless people. If you want to sponsor me please text BYPH88 £5 to 70070, and if you can’t, then just tell others about it. If not, do something else. You will know what it is but please know that if it’s something in aid of a local charity like ours, as the advert says, “little things mean a lot”. You don’t have to make grand gestures, take that bag of stuff to the charity shop, ring a friend who might need cheering up, text someone ‘you love them’ (only if you do actually love them though) or something. The ripple effect will start immediately, I promise, and who knows where it might lead?
“What you do today might improve all your tomorrows.” Ralph Marston.
Maura Xx