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On a beautifully sunny day in June, Liz Potts, Elise Austin and I travelled south west to Jamie's Farm in Wiltshire. A number of students from a south west London secondary school were half way through their five day residential visit. Aged 11 to 16 years, they had various emotional and behavioural problems - the type of young people who benefit from the holistic approach of Jamie's Farm.
The glorious weather of 'Flaming June' really showcased the inspiring grounds of Trafford Hall during my visit last week. Joined on my charity visit by Danielle Rorison of LandAid Foundation Partner McLaren Property, we were welcomed to the 18th century manor house by Trafford Hall's Chief Executive Sally Wyatt.
The stark figures released by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty (SMCP) Commission last week highlight the real challenges facing young people in the UK. The most sobering statistic is that 3.5 million children will be in absolute poverty by 2020 - the very year that the Government's aim of eradicating child poverty will expire. The Commission's damning assessment in response to the Government's draft child poverty strategy 2014 to 2017 is that the Coalition is not doing nearly enough to address the problem.
After a very rewarding day in Glasgow and Kilmarnock, LandAid had two more stops to make in our trip to Scotland. The day began with a very enjoyable visit to our charity partner Four Square at their hostel for homeless young people in Edinburgh. Homelessness is a major problem in Scotland's capital, with the city's streets home to the greatest number of rough sleepers in the country.
First stop - Glasgow; or more specifically, the offices of Glasgow City Council, where we met with Donna Cunningham, Skills and Aspirations Lead Officer in the Education Department.
Last Friday Liz, Laureen and Alex from the LandAid team paid a visit to Queens Park to meet with charity partner Avenues Youth Project, which was set up in 1979 to provide after-school activities for disadvantaged children and young people in the area. LandAid are providing a grant of £50,000 to help the Avenues Youth Project refurbish their centre, serving 400 young people per year.
On 25 October 2013, LandAid was delighted to attend a charity lunch at the Prince's Trust Fairbridge Programme in Hackney to see first-hand the positive changes that funding from LandAid has brought to the centre. Sally Robinson, Charity Administration Officer, went along and here is her report.
