Case Histories
Herts Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Centre – Counsellor Training – Funding £500
Herts Area Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre (HARCSAC), based in Hatfield, has been serving the community since 1986. The centre is managed by a dedicated team of twelve female volunteers, all of whom have received specialised training in counselling for rape and sexual abuse. HARCSAC offers a free and confidential service to women aged 18 and over in Hertfordshire who have experienced rape, sexual abuse, or assault at any point in their lives. The centre also extends support to the families and friends of survivors. Thanks to funding from ARISE Hatfield, HARCSAC will now be able to recruit and train volunteer counsellors over an 11-week period. For more information please visit: https://hertsrapecrisis.org.uk
Potential Kids – Sensory Garden – Funding £1,297
Potential Kids is an award-winning charity based in Hatfield which provides learning, social and sports opportunities to Neurodivergent children/young people (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Tourette Syndrome amongst other conditions).
They applied to ARISE Hatfield for funding to enable them to create a sensory garden to support the mental, emotional, and physical needs of their neurodiverse Potential Kids community in Hatfield. The funding enabled them to purchase and build the willow tunnel, purchase paints and sealants to add colour and protect the recycled materials, garden edging, plants, pots, hardware and mulch etc.
This project came about as they had to do a considerable amount of work in the garden to remove all of the bordering wooden posts. They had been rotting and breaking off over the last year, but it was becoming a health and safety issue for their children.
They managed to secure funding to have all of the posts removed, and a large part of the earth removed and the area flattened. Thus, creating a lower maintenance area in the future.
The sensory garden project involved replacing the bamboo and posts, with a willow tunnel and installing a sensory pathway. They also replaced the rotten posts with recycled plastic posts and enhanced the area around the pond with sensory based flowers.
Outdoor sensory paths are not only fun to explore, but they also provide opportunities for people to build sensory connections in the brain, challenge their balance and spatial awareness skills and experience many different tactile sensations in the one area. It’s all about creating an environment that engages and stimulates the five senses: touch, sight, sound, taste and smell. The aim is to connect with nature as much as possible and reap the benefits of the great outdoors.
The willow tunnel will provide another sensory experience for their community, which will add to the mental, emotional, and physical support being offered.
By creating sensory play opportunities in the garden, the children/young people will learn and develop appropriate responses and reactions. The garden is their safe space for discovery and sensory play can be extremely soothing or awakening depending on the nature of the activity.
Many of their activities and sessions take place in the Potential To Grow garden, including Bushcraft, STEAM Home Education, Community Connect Drop-in Warm Spaces, tutoring sessions for individuals unable to access school settings.
For more information about Potential Kids visit:www.potentialkids.org.uk
Howe Dell Extended Services – Funding £929
Howe Dell Extended Services supports Howe Dell School in Hatfield – it offers a variety of Extended Services, including a Breakfast Club, Runway Club, Holiday Playschemes, and several after-school clubs on-site.
In response to the growing need for emotional support, especially since returning from Covid, they planned to create a dedicated space where children can go if they’re feeling anxious or need to calm down. They have observed an increasing number of children struggling to understand and manage their emotions, and so wanted to provide them with a supportive environment.
The funds enabled them to create a calming corner which features large floor cushions and a rug, surrounded by a low room divider to create a sense of security. Inside, there are sensory lights and toys, as well as fidget tools to help them focus and relax. Additionally, they also included a collection of books on feelings and kindness. Once a child has had time to regulate their emotions, they can read a story together, helping them reflect and better equip themselves to manage their reactions in the future.
First Garden Cities Homes – Young at Herts Social Club – Funding £1,450
A charitable housing association, providing affordable homes for over 2300 households. They manage both general needs accommodation and supported housing for older people and people with learning difficulties; They provide a range of services which contribute to the wellbeing of their local communities, including a community visiting service for older homeowners. They received funding to enable them to run their Young at Herts Social club – for over 55’s, they run one day a month for 10 months from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at Hollier Court, Hatfield. The project is FREE of charge and open to residents and non-residents, people from all communities, new to the community, lonely, isolated, people with disabilities and carers. An afternoon to meet new people, laughter, and conversation.
Afternoon includes – refreshments, pastries, and cakes. Entertainment show at 2pm to lift morals and create a feel-good factor improving mental health.
Isabel Hospice – Compassionate Café at Erol’s Hatfield – Funding £1,000
Isabel Hospice has been providing free specialist palliative and end-of-life care for people with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses across eastern Hertfordshire for more than 40 years. We support patients from their diagnosis until the end of their lives, whilst also ensuring that family members and carers are taken care of – both before and after a loved one passes away. Funds helped towards the cost of running their Compassionate Café at Erol’s in Hatfield. In 2022 54 local community members were referred to the café.
Their Compassionate Communities programme creates new support networks to encourage those with a life-limiting illness to live as well as they can and offers support to those left behind after the death of a loved one. They also support people who are affected by loneliness and isolation – problems which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic – old age, dementia and frailty, and who may therefore be at greater risk of developing serious physical and neurological health conditions.
A key part of the programme is their Compassionate Cafés – safe and supportive, conveniently located community spaces where people can share their experiences, enjoy companionship, find emotional support, engage in therapeutic activities, and build meaningful connections with others facing similar challenges.
Forever Young People – Return to Play – Funding £1,500
Forever Young People are located at Hatfield Leisure Centre and they strive to be at the heart of their community. They aim to inspire individuals to feel valued, empowered, and confident in their abilities and to motivate individuals educationally, socially, and emotionally. ARISE Hatfield provided funds for their project supporting young people with mental health issues living in Hatfield that are displaying self-destructive behaviours. Aimed predominately at teenagers, it will provide a programme designed to help reduce anxiety and self-destructive behaviours by building resilience and improving their physical and mental wellbeing, including building confidence, independence, health outcomes and social inclusion by meeting their specific needs. Their sessions will be 2 hours a week and split into informal sports sessions and mentoring and discussions around mental health.
The Craft Room – Craft Camp – Funding £1,500
This group is located at Breaks Manor Youth and Community Centre in Hatfield and they provide free arts and crafts sessions to vulnerable children in Hatfield. They also provide a hot meal, nutritional education and physical activity for one hour. The funds they received allowed them to purchase sports equipment (balls/bibs/table tennis kits/moving grooving maths game/dodgeball kit/bean bags/badminton set etc) to improve the physical activities they provide during their craft camps.
First Garden Cities Homes – Herts and Art – Funding £1440
A charitable housing association, providing affordable homes for over 2300 households. They manage both general needs accommodation and supported housing for older people and people with learning difficulties; but are much more than just a landlord, they provide a range of services which contribute to the wellbeing of their local communities, including a community visiting service for older homeowners in Letchworth, WGC and Hatfield and their weekly Kingfisher Clubs for people with dementia in Letchworth, Welwyn Garden and Welwyn. They are particularly proud of their sheltered, supported, and extra care housing for people who are 55 years or older, or who live with a disability, including those with learning disabilities, or people who may feel socially isolated.
ARISE Hatfield granted them funding for their Herts & Art Club which is a monthly social group where people over 55 can come along and participate in a creative session for 90 mins. Delivered by artists from Open Art Box. ARISE funding will enable 12 participants to attend x12 sessions at £120 per session. Others are welcome to drop in for a cuppa and a chat.
The sessions will provide a positive and inclusive environment, participants will have the opportunity to explore, experiment and experience new art processes. For example, drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles etc. Also looking at artists work as inspiration to learn new techniques and a different way of working. This will offer a unique and meaningful experience designed to connect, empower and enhance the wellbeing and quality of life for older people. Bringing people together through the joy and freedom of creativity in a relaxed and fun environment.
First Garden Cities Homes – Warm Herts Club – Funding £1,470
First Garden Cities Homes is committed to providing affordable homes to over 2300 households. They cater to both general needs accommodation and supported housing for older individuals and those with learning difficulties.
In addition to housing, they offer a range of services that contribute to the well-being of the local community. They take great pride in their sheltered, supported, and extra care housing for individuals aged 55 and above, as well as those living with disabilities or experiencing social isolation.
Their project, the “Warm Herts Club,” aims to provide a nurturing space for individuals over 55 years of age. The club will run for one day a week, December to February between 11 am and 4 pm. The project is open to both residents and non-residents, welcoming people from all communities, including those who are new to the area, lonely, isolated, have disabilities, or are caregivers. The club will offer refreshments throughout the day, including soup, bread rolls, and a sweet treat, an entertainment show will uplift spirits and contribute to improved mental health. Board games and books will be available for participants to enjoy.
WHCVS – Defibrillator – Funding £1,700
WHCVS were awarded funding of £1,500 to distribute to Hatfield families in need. Some of their funding was spent on purchasing food parcels for
The Welwyn Hatfield Community and Voluntary Services is an infrastructure organisation that provides support to front line charities in Welwyn Hatfield. They provide low-cost training, information & advice, funding briefs, equipment hire, DBS checks, office service, support in writing funding applications, recruiting volunteers, networking. In addition, they also provide transport to people having difficulty in using public transport for health-related appointments. Let’s Chat, a telephone befriending service, Blooming Marvellous, supporting elderly people with mobility issues with light gardening, Love Welwyn Hatfield is a community clean-up campaign to help improve particular areas in Welwyn Hatfield that requires some TLC.
ARISE Hatfield provided funds to enable them to install a defibrillator at Gracemead House, Hatfield which will be accessible to WHCVS, Herts Young Homeless and Gracemead Church and open to be used by the community nearby.
LOVE Hatfield – Funding £850
Love Hatfield is a local non-profit making group who support the community of Hatfield by offering a helping hand, assistance and advice when people need it most. They believe that community spirit is everything and they want to help as many people as possible. They received funding in December 2021 for lighting, patio slabs, concrete, planting and compost to make the outside area of Oxlease Methodist Church safe and suitable for the Scouts and other groups to use.
For more information visit: https://lovehatfield.org/
Brightside Preschool – Funding £1487.17
Brightside Preschool is an Early Years setting located at Breaks Manor in Hatfield. They provide sessional care for children aged 0-5 years and their aim is to make childcare affordable and accessible to families in Welwyn and Hatfield. They applied for funding to purchase outdoor play equipment for their preschool and with the money they received they were able to buy a shed, rainsuits, stacking water tables, toddler climbers, gutter stands with bamboo channels, football goals, ball and pump, hoops and football cones.
For more information about Brightside Preschool please visit: https://www.brightsidepreschool.co.uk
Greenacres Specialist Care Home – Funding £1,500
Greenacres is a specialist care home located in Hatfield, their expertise in care is wide-ranging and able to meet people’s changing needs. They offer residential, Dementia, respite, and palliative care to the community. They reached out to ARISE Hatfield to ask for help in funding a large mobile activity table. Their vision was to have a tearoom where their residents could come and enjoy a cup of tea with family and friends and enjoy the sensory table by using the it to reminisce using google earth, play games and watch live events on the large screen. The tablet is mobile so they would also be able to use it in other parts of the home which is fantastic for some of their residents who are less mobile.
Kingdom Light Church – Funding: £1,500
Kingdom Light Church is a parish under the Redeemed Christian Church of God. As a church, they have a mandate to ‘Restore Hope, Live by Faith and Fulfill Destiny’ within the Hatfield community and its environs.
KLC have been running the Christmas Hampers project since December 2016 and are serving more & more individuals and families in the Hatfield community. This is an on-going project, and the objective is to ensure that no families go hungry on Christmas day and the festive period.
For more information click here.
Druglink – Funding £1,500
This group provides homelessness housing support for people within Hatfield. They provide accommodation for those that have been street homeless and allows them the opportunity to gain access to the councils housing list by maintaining a tenancy. They wanted to renovate a space at the house which was not being utilised. This allowed them to provide more on-site support for their clients, whilst also allowing other professionals to attend the service, such as counsellors and other health care professionals, such as holistic therapists and courses on mindfulness and yoga. Often their clients struggle to engage with community services, so this can impact their recovery journey. The ARISE Hatfield funding provided a desk, laptops, chairs and redecoration.
Birchwood Trust
We had already begun our initiative of providing slow cookers and slow cooker meal packages in October 2022. We knew the use of a slow cooker was more energy efficient and therefore more cost effective for our families.
Feedback from the families we support showed sustainability moving forward, and this project was encouraging them to provide healthy and nutritious meals for their children.
However, we were also aware that financially it was impossible for us to continue this programme beyond a few weeks. More families were approaching us for support and funds were very low.
We were delighted that Arise Hatfield were prepared to support us with a grant of £1,500 to maintain our slow cooker project.
Not only did it enable us to continue our slow cooker food packages, but it also facilitated the purchase of a fridge freezer which was an absolute blessing. Some supermarkets now put a limit on the number of items bought, and this meant we were able to buy in advance and store safely.
This project has allowed us to send out 280 slow cooker family meals and 15 slow cookers.
We have received very positive feedback from the families:
“I was nervous about cooking food in the slow cooker, the step-by-step recipe cards and being given all the ingredients made it very easy for me to follow. The children ate the meals, I was pleased with this as I know all the ingredients were fresh, healthy and nutritious”.
“I have more confidence when deciding what to cook for my family, the slow cooker and meal packages have been a godsend”.
“The slow cooker and meal package incentive supplied by the Birchwood Trust, has not only given me healthy meal ideas but, has also shown me that I can cook meals cheaply for my family, as a slow cooker is cheaper to run than my oven”.
Southfield School – Funding: £1,974.83
Southfield School in Hatfield is a unique and wonderful place, offering first class learning for Special Needs children. They applied to ARISE Hatfield for funding to enable them to improve their outside learning area for their Early Years pupils. Visuals with letters and numbers up on display is a great way for their learners to be engaged and learn as well as support their working memory. Young people are truly wonderful and deserve the absolute best, this grant allowed them to make their outside learning space inviting with additional learning opportunities.
First Garden Cities Homes – Hollier Court Sheltered Housing Scheme – Funding £1,560
Hollier Court in Hatfield is a sheltered supported living scheme with 67 flats for people over 55 years old. They received funding to run some young at heart projects for their residents and the local community. The first project was a seated exercise class to music carried out by a qualified instructor, to combat mental health, loneliness, and isolation. The second project was seated clock cricket delivered by the England and Wales Cricket boards. This is played indoors using a sponge ball and foam bats. A social, fun, and competitive pursuit aimed at encouraging the less able or active to take up a physical activity or try something new, players sit in a circle and face four balls each to determine the winner.
Hatfield Comet Youth Football Club – Funding £1,500
Hatfield Comet Youth FC is a grassroots football club supporting youth football in the area. Thet are a self-funded club and like to keep their costs as low as possible to make it more accessible for the local community.
The funding enabled this football team to purchase a set of roll out goals for their new season allowing them to cater for more children.
Old Hatfield Ladies Running Group – Funding: £235
This ladies running club has 65 members – their aim is to increase the number of local women participating in exercise and social interactionswith their peers.
They received funds to enable their members to participate in an online workshop in Personal Freedom covering the staying safe principles for women. This is aimed at helping women to feel and be safer and more confident when they are out running in a group or alone. This is a major barrier to women being active outdoors in our community. Several of their members have experienced verbal abuse and or been followed by a man while out on a run or walk. The online course covered the 3 Stay Safe principles; no-one has the right to hurt you, you are amazing; you don’t have the right to hurt anyone but if someone is hurting you, you can stop them; and if anyone hurts you it is not your fault, so talk to someone you trust – Women’s safety is not just a women’s issue.
Young Life International – Funding £375
YLI hold weekly youth clubs for those aged 11 to 18. This involves games, sports and discussion time. Adding to this, they have two weekly discussion groups for young people to discuss school, life and faith. Contact work at schools involves adult volunteers interacting and mentoring young people. They hold weekly football sessions to encourage physical activity and to promote camaraderie between the young people.
A new member of staff joined their team in January 2022 who took over primary responsibilities at their Friday Club as well as other duties. They fundraised to bring him onto the team part-time for one year but they didn’t have funds for a work laptop for him which is where ARISE Hatfield was able to help and provide funds for this.
The laptop is useful for editing videos that are used as promotion for their charity or to inspire young people to attend summer camps. They would also use it at Club for showing videos, playing games or “just dance” or powerpoints in order to engage and inform young people in fun and social interaction, and informing them about upcoming events. The laptop would be used for interacting and communicating with donors and our committee through email and it can be used to create monthly newsletters.
They are also training up young people to help them with their social media and running tech so this is a great training opportunity for young people to use their marketing, creative and technology skills by increasing their online presence and making club activities more relevant to those in their age range.
WHCVS – Funding £1,500
WHCVS were awarded funding of £1,500 to distribute to Hatfield families in need. Some of their funding was spent on purchasing food parcels for the Hatfield community over Christmas 2022.
LOVE Hatfield – Funding £850
Love Hatfield is a local non-profit making collective of like-minded people who support the community of Hatfield by offering a helping hand, assistance and advice when needed most.
The 3rd scout group were forced to leave their hut in Birchwood due to asbestos. Their new home at Oxlease Methodist Church in Hatfield needs some TLC to make it safe and enable the scouts to use the outside area. The group has already carried out gardening and making an outdoor space for the scouts but wanted additional money to provide lighting, a paved area and planting and compost so the funding will now enable them to do this.
Herts School Outreach – Funding £1,000
Since the start of the Pandemic, there was a significant increase in the mental health and emotional needs of children and young people. Mental Health Needs of Children and Young People according to JSNA: Tier 2 services (including school counselling) only currently reach about 10% of estimated need in that tier. Their goal is to promote good mental health for the children and young people they support and bridge this gap.
Herts School Outreach held sessions to equip children and young people with skills needed to build on their success; the content of the sessions is targeted for the child or young person’s needs and the hurdles they may be experiencing in terms of their emotional wellbeing and mental health needs together with their behavioural and conduct needs. ARISE Hatfield funding of £1,000 will be used to support Hatfield Community Free School. Support Sessions will run across 6 weeks (one academic half term) for two hours per week.
Howe Dell Extended Services – Funding £1,000
Howe Dell Extended Services based at Howe Dell Primary School received £1,000 of funding to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for children whose parents/carers need to work. They run a Breakfast and After School Club and also provide support for some of their families during the holidays that may be struggling for various reasons such as illness or a death in the family. They offer a wide range of arts & crafts, outdoor activities, baking, messy play, board games, competitions, team challenges and quiet activities.
The funds provided enabled them to purchase wheeled tables with attached seating that can be easily moved and stored and wheeled storage trolleys so that the children can have easy access to toys and activities. These will allow them to be portable if rooms or facilities change.
FOREVER YOUNG PEOPLE – Funding £1,410
FYP aims to engage young people in the local community and to build their self-esteem. Society seems increasingly willing to ‘disregard’ young people all too easily excluding them from schools, closing community youth facilities and generally taking away the opportunity for young people to build their identities or have any feelings of self-worth. Where possible this group create a safe environment in which they are encouraged and supported to build the foundation of their fundamental development and growth.
CORNERSTONE HOUSE – Funding £435
Cornerstone House is based in Salisbury Village in Hatfield and is a large housing estate of private and social Housing. There are no churches on the estate, but the De Havilland Community Project has been the Christian presence for over ten years. Each month Journey Light, a fresh expression of Church, takes place in the community room. A small group of people of all ages gather for fellowship, informal worship and time of reflection using art and crafts. Every Tuesday at 10.30am people can come along for a Cuppa’N’Natta, which is a time to meet up and talk over a cup of tea or coffee. Alongside this there has been a monthly family Craft café with around 10 children, aged 5 up to 10, attending with a parent or a child minder. ARISE Hatfield provided funding of £435 to help them provide arts and crafts and other items for their Christmas window hunt and Posada.
The Christmas Window hunt involved 34 children from the estate finding 24 windows, each with a different picture or ornament connected to Christmas. They had to find things like a Christmas Tree, reindeers, shepherds, sheep, a star, nutcrackers, Santa’s sack, and the full nativity. Whether they found 2 or 24 windows their reward was the contents of a Christingle to make at Home, some sweets, and because the Christmas Eve craft Café had to be cancelled due to Covid, some crafts too. Those who found all 24 windows were placed into a draw and 3 lucky winners received an extra prize.
Posada consisted of a knitted Mary, Joseph, and Donkey accompanied by a flock of lambs, chocolates, and a storybook of the nativity. Families on the estate invited Mary and Joseph to their hospitality, creating places for them to sleep and opportunities to join in the evening activities. 20 families hosted Mary and Joseph for 24 hours on their way to Bethlehem.
For more information please visit: https://www.midhertsmethodists.org.uk/journeylight.htm
KINGDOM LIGHT CHURCH – Funding £1,500
ARISE Hatfield provided funds of £1,410 enabling them to purchase key equipment such as a camera and stand for the projects they do and equipment for their mentoring and sporting projects.
ARISE Hatfield provided £1,500 of funding to Kingdom Light Church which has been running the Christmas Hampers project since December 2016 and are serving more & more individuals and families in the Hatfield community. This is an on-going project and the objective is to ensure that no family will go hungry on Christmas day. This project has always made and keeps making a significant difference to residents in the community especially at this challenging time. The difference is the dignity of being able to provide a decent meal for families on Christmas and other festive celebrations. It addresses the issue of lack and deprivation in the community. The additional help and support people will receive to provide for the individuals and families goes a long way to give hope and confidence when they are experiencing difficulties and challenges or facing crisis.
Each hamper costs £30 and they plan to distribute to 120 to 150 families at a total cost of between £3600 to £4500.
For more information about Kingdom Light Church please visit: https://www.kingdomlight.org.uk/
WHCVS – Funding £1,500
WHCVS received funding of £1,500 to enable them to set up a Hardship Fund to support Hatfield families in need. Throughout the pandemic they have come across several residents in Hatfield who are really struggling. One family in particular needed some volunteers to help them make their garden safer and more secure as 2 of their 4 children are disabled. WHCVS develop and promote local voluntary and community groups in order to improve the quality of life for individuals, groups and communities, they work closely with other agencies to combat poverty and disadvantage which may exclude or constrain opportunities of individuals, groups and communities.
HATFIELD HOUSE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL – Funding £1,000
ARISE Hatfield funded this group £1,000 towards set up and running of their festival. The Schools Concerts featured students from the Purcell School and the main work was delivered by a chamber version of Holst’s “Planet Suite” arr. by George Morton, presented and illustrated by the artist James Mayhew. This is magnificent work in its own right, but had the added benefit of creating links with the primary science curriculum as well as exploring a variety of creative opportunities in art and English. James Mayhew is a well-known illustrator of children’s books such as the “Katie” series, but has significant experience in bringing concerts for children to life with his imaginative and colourful drawings.
This creative combination of music, science and art, performed by local young talented musicians for primary school children in Hertfordshire was a feast for all the senses and a marvellous opportunity for them to hear quality live chamber music in an atmospheric and historical setting. There was 360 free tickets available for local primary-age children and the concert was also live-streamed and available to watch for all 370 primary schools in Hertfordshire through their YouTube channel.
To accompany the concert there was a package of support materials, including a programme with notes about the music and other cross-curricular projects for teachers to use.
https://hatfieldhousemusicfestival.org.uk/
H’ARTS IN MIND – Funding £608
This group received £608 enabling them to buy art materials for their art classes. They run weekly and monthly art sessions and discussion groups and have a monthly market stall at Hatfield Market, White Lion Square where members can sell their work or work on the stall for a couple of hours. The group provides art sessions for well-being, development of skills and social interaction/friendship development. Encouragement of healthy activity creating a sense of pride, empowerment, achievement particularly in those suffering from mental health problems, those with physical barriers, social deprivation and who have suffered severely through Covid.
https://www.hartsinmind.co.uk/
SPARKS COMMUNITY CAFÉ – Funding £1,500
Sparks Community Café received £1,500 to enable them to purchase new signage to raise the profile of their café so that more people locally can see the café and hopefully encourage people to pop inside, the funds will also enable them to service their barista coffee machine.
SPARKS Community Café & Hub provides food and safe spaces for the whole community in their “Pay What You Can” Café and offers out their room at the rear of the cafe at rates that community groups can afford so that more people can use the facilities without concern over what it may cost.
Today Resolve delivers Drug & Alcohol Treatment and Homeless services for people across the County of Hertfordshire, with service centres based in Mid & North Herts. Their services continue to expand and to meet demand and as they secure the necessary funding required to deliver this work, they continue to seek to provide services where and when they can. Their work continues to answer the needs of the Community that they serve, and are committed to this as their primary mission.
HATFIELD SWIMMING CLUB – Funding £1,000
Funding of £1,000 was provided to the swimming club so that they could purchase an iPad Pro and GoPro camera to enable them to conduct daily stroke analysis of their members, both underwater and above. The equipment would also be used for race analysis and livestreaming of their competitions. To enable them to provide better quality services to their members. It enables the coaches to provide swimmers with almost instant feedback, this enables the swimmers to get results quicker and enable those who learn more in a visual way to completely engage in the learning process. One of their swimmers was selected for GB Para Olympic Team Tokyo 2020(2021).
Being a not for profit organisation with a hardship fund for some of their members, they find it hard to access new technology, due to limited finance
https://www.hatfieldswimmingclub.org/
HATFIELD UNITED FC – Funding £750
Hatfield United FC received £940 to help fund their pitch fees for the season. Their aim is to develop young people and young adults by giving them the opportunity of playing local football to a good standard and giving them the chance to progress to playing football at a higher level. This is a project of immeasurable value to the young people and young adults themselves as it allows them to develop as footballers but also gives them a sense of pride, belonging and identity. There is a lack of facilities for this age group when youngsters have left school and a lack of opportunity for young men to play football at this level. Hatfield United are providing them with this opportunity.
The local residents, young adults, young people, ethnic minority groups, lone parents, families, unemployed, low income, disadvantaged and young people not in education, employment or training will benefit immensely from this football club.
https://www.hatfieldtownfootballclub.co.uk/
ARMY CADETS – HATFIELD – Funding £700
ARISE Hatfield provided funding of £700 to the Hatfield Detachment so that they could purchase IT equipment to assist their cadets with online learning. The Army Cadet Force was formed in 1859, the Hatfield Detachment has existed since the 1970’s. They develop young people physically and mentally, improving self-confidence, teamwork, friendship and leadership skills. They welcome cadets from all backgrounds and of all ability levels making them a highly accessible organisation.
3rd HATFIELD BROWNIES/1st HATFIELD RAINBOWS – Funding £450
The Hatfield Brownies & Rainbows received £450 from ARISE Hatfield to purchase stationery for their groups this will allow their girls to have their own individual stationery to keep safe during Covid times. Rainbows is for all girls aged 5-7, they play loads of fun games and do activities and challenges. Brownies is for girls aged 7-10 and they learn by doing – they get their hands dirty, do sports, arts and crafts and play games. Through taking part in a range of different activities with girls their own age, Rainbows develop self-confidence and make lots of new friends.
YOUNG LIFE WELWYN HATFIELD – Funding £180
ARISE Hatfield provided funding of £180 to this organisation to enable them to send a member of their team on a Mental Health First Aid training course. This will benefit the young people that they support. The course teaches you how to help others and builds your confidence in supporting someone who is experiencing mental distress. Much the same as a traditional first aider who is concerned with physical distress, a First Aider for Mental Health provides the same type of immediate help and support for emotional distress.
Young Life believe in young people and shares the hope-filled message of Jesus with them. `Their motto is to help young people find hope & purpose’. They run weekly youth clubs and discussion groups for young people aged 11-18. Adult mentors volunteer in schools to support, coach, and encourage young people and they also organise monthly trips for outside fun or sports (trampolining, trips to London, swim parties, pamper nights etc.)
This group will be based at Eden House, Countess Anne Primary School, Hatfield.
For more information please visit: https://welwynhatfield.ylinternational.org/
HATFIELD MEN’S SHED – THE HATFIELD BIKE PROJECT – Funding £991.60
Funds of £991.60 was awarded to this group to enable them to purchase various supplies to repair the bikes and keep them working. Hatfield Men’s Shed are now working with Breaks Manor Youth Community Centre and Potential for All on a new cycling project called `The Hatfield Bike Project’ which will repair and then maintain a ‘fleet’ of bicycles and organise ‘ride outs’ to help ‘Keep Hatfield Healthy’. They promote cycling, learning, staying active, connecting people, giving to others and taking notice from ‘The NHS 5 steps to Mental Wellbeing’. They currently have 32 bikes in various states of disrepair donated by local Police Stations as former ‘Subjects of Crime’ and they also have a cycle engineer who will train young people to a qualification, supplied through Potential for All, for those disengaged with education.
THE DEHAVILLAND COMMUNITY PROJECT – Funding £100
In March 2021 ARISE Hatfield provided funding of £100 to enable this project to purchase Easter Eggs for the children who took part in the Easter Egg Trail around Salisbury Village, Hatfield. During Holy Week, 53 children took part in the Easter Egg trail around Salisbury Village.
The aim was to find 11 posters displayed in windows, note the letter on each poster and make a phrase with those letters and bring it back to Deacon Linda for a prize. The 11 letters spelt ‘Happy Easter’ and their prize was a ‘real’ Easter Egg. So, from Palm Sunday till Easter Eve families arrived in Chipmunk Chase with their answers. Everyone enjoyed finding the posters and were thrilled with their Easter Eggs. Everyone went home happy with the Easter story to read too.
HERTS VISION LOSS – Funding £1,000
Dear Arise
Herts Vision Loss are so grateful for the £1k grant that has been received from Arise.
Being blind or visually impaired is very challenging and lonely and this has only been exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many or our service users have experienced devastating isolation and loneliness and have found coming to terms with their sight loss more challenging than ever before,
With the funding received, we will be able to offer Counselling to any adult or child living in Hatfield is blind or has a visual impairment. We will help them to:
- Come to terms with sight loss
- to talk to someone who will listen. Someone who does not judge or tell you what to do but will give you space to explore and make sense of your thoughts and feelings
- increase independence and reduce social isolation
- gain coping strategies to reduce stress and anxiety.
- explore, talk and find ways of doing things differently, towards a greater wellbeing.
Thanks so much!
Jo Carter
CEO
HATFIELD MEN’S SHED – Funding £761.35
Men’s Sheds are a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending. Sheds are whatever the members want them to be. Although labelled sheds, they often aren’t sheds at all. Many Sheds get involved in community projects too – restoring village features, helping maintain parks and green spaces, and building things for schools, libraries and individuals in need.
Activities in Sheds vary greatly, but you can usually find woodworking, metalworking, repairing and restoring, electronics, model buildings or even car building in a typical Shed. Sheds typically attract older men, but many have younger members and women too.
The Hatfield Men’s Shed received funding of over £700 to purchase a Mitre Saw to allow them to speed up production of planters for another local Third Sector partner Potential Kids to sell in their new Learning Garden. They recycle wood from local builders and home improvement projects as well as pallet wood from local logistics companies. They use this wood for environmental projects including building hedgehog hibernation stations for the local Hedgehog Recue Centre (Hattie’s Hedgehogs), building bird boxes, and making benches and planters for gardening and hopefully soon for growing vegetables around the shed.
The funding should allow them a degree of financial self-sufficiency as well as raising money for Potential Kids.
For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/678715189210824
COUNTESS ANNE SCHOOL – Funding £849.99
In July 2020 this Hatfield school received £850 to help with its continued development of their annex building. They had completed the refurbishment of their large first floor room and now wanted to focus on equipping a small kitchen to serve this room. The funding provided enabled them to purchase a large fridge freezer.
The main room is to be community based and is to provide multiple uses for both community and school.
One of the uses is to provide a setting where the upper junior children can provide an events afternoon for the local old age residents. This events afternoon would include hosting a boards and cards afternoon and also an ‘Afternoon Tea and Flicks’ event (the room is being equipped to provide cinematic events).
They believe that such events would be invaluable for both the young people and for the elderly. They have equipped the annex with a ramp and a lift to the first floor to ensure access and already have a working relationship with Acacia Mews – whom their pupils visit on a termly basis.
In addition, the room has already been used by HAFLS in the delivery of basic skill courses for adults looking to secure employment and by ‘Families in Focus’ in the hosting of courses for families with SEN children.
At both of the above events and when hosting the elderly the whole experience for those taking part would be made much more conducive if they could be served with refreshments – hence the need to equip a serving kitchen.
HATFIELD FOODBANK – Funding £1,000
The Hatfield Foodbank which is located at Gracemead Church in Hatfield provides emergency food supplies to Hatfield residents. The foodbank doesn’t think that anyone in the community should have to face going hungry. They provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in crisis. They are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
ARISE Hatfield donated £1,000 to enable them to purchase shelving and boxes to store food as their biggest logistical problem is that food isn’t donated “evenly” throughout the year. In fact perhaps 70% of it comes through particularly generous at Christmas/Harvest Festival, and they then give it out through the rest of the year. With this in mind they need somewhere to store it – stocks go gradually down through the year and then the process starts again the next year! Storing it without proper shelving proved very difficult for them. They have stayed open every week during the coronavirus pandemic. So have been able to serve those struggling throughout, which is amazing.
JIMMY MAC’S ACTIVITY CENTRE – Funding £1,000
Jimmy Mac’s activity centre is a locally based charity located at the Jim McDonald Centre in Hatfield supporting those who are retired over 50’s or disabled. They received funding of £1,000 in 2019 which they used to purchase outdoor garden furniture so that the residents could enjoy their lovely garden throughout the year.
They are open from 9.00 to 4pm providing lunches 6 days a week in their dining room which accommodates 80 people with a changing daily menu of home cooked meals.
The Jimmy Macs Charity provides activities such as chair-based exercises, line dancing, bingo, board games, indoor bowls, dance evenings with invited musical entertainers, organised day and mystery trips to different parts of the UK as well as organised theatre trips and week-long holidays both in the UK and abroad which have included cruises.
On an average day the centre is used by approximately 40 to 50 people, there is no membership requirements to use the centre which welcomes all who match their aims. The charity believes that no one is alone with Jimmy Mac’s, the purpose of Jimmy Mac’s is to avoid people becoming lonely or isolated due to their retirement or disability and help people stay healthy and active; by creating a fun and safe environment that individuals come along to enjoy the activities. For more information about the charity and how to get involved visit http://www.jimmymacs.org.uk/
YOUNG LIFE INTERNATIONAL- Funding £900
This group run weekly youth clubs for young Hatfield people aged 11-18, they hold weekly discussion groups for the young people to discuss faith and life skills. Adult mentors volunteer in the local schools to support, coach, and encourage young people. This group received £900 in 2019 for their sports engagement project which enabled them to rent an Astroturf pitch at Breaks Manor in Hatfield.
Sports is a great way to engage and invite new youth. Playing sports outside of organised clubs and school teams provides great exercise and camaraderie without the pressure of competitions AND allows every kid (despite their athletic ability) to participate in a team sport. Young people are so consumed with screen time these days that obesity, mental health struggles and disengagement from positive human interactions have become massive problems for this generation. Playing sports together will provide great chances for healthy friendships, teamwork, competition, as well as the obvious physical health benefits of staying fit. For more information on this group please visithttps://ylinternational.org/
HOWE DELL PLAYSCHEME – Funding £1,000
In May 2019 Howe Dell Playscheme received £1,000 to purchase scooters and bikes for their playscheme.
This group provide holiday playschemes during half terms, Easter and summer holidays and also some inset days. They also run a Breakfast and After School Club during term time. In 2019 they supported over 80 Hatfield families.
They aim to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for children whose parents/carers need to work. They offer a wide range of arts & crafts, outdoor activities, baking, messy play, board games, competitions, team challenges and quiet activities. Children also attend their sessions to help build confidence and make new friends.
The money they received enabled them to provide the children with scooters and bikes to encourage more outdoor activity. The scooters and bikes help the children to improve their balance and co-ordination and the scooters also help with both fine and gross motor skills and provide the children with the freedom and independence to develop skills in a safe environment. This will also encourage children to be more physically active and promote a healthy lifestyle. With rising obesity levels of children in schools one of their aims is to provide health and emotional wellbeing in the care that they provide. Fitness has been proven to help with mental health and the scooters have encouraged the children to spend more time outside being active. Having 3 wheeled scooters has also encouraged less confident children to ‘have a go’.
SPARKS “PAY WHAT YOU CAN” COMMUNITY CAFÉ & HUB – Funding £1,000
This charity received £1,000 of funding to help towards the cost of kitchen units for their new community café project. This Café is available to the whole community, the café provides food and drink for people based on their need no matter what their ability to pay and delivers a café providing food on a “Pay What You Want” basis. Much of the local community live below the poverty line, while there is also much wealth within the district and so they sincerely believe that there will be those who will pay a little more, as long as a quality product is provided, while this will help support local people who are currently homeless or trying to live on limited incomes, benefits, etc.
This project was supported by the late Mayor of Welwyn & Hatfield, Councillor Lynne Sparks and following her passing away, Resolve dedicated this café to Lynne, naming it SPARKS Community Café in her memory.
HATFIELD ARMY CADET FORCE – Funding £1,000
The Cadets received £1,000 which enabled them to purchase a First Aid doll, walkie talkies, hi-vis vests and a gazebo.
The new equipment will help to increase the amount of training they are able to deliver to their cadets as their numbers have vastly increased over time. The new equipment will also enable them to increase the amount of valuable training they can deliver to young people and to increase the number of public events they can attend in order to help the community and increase the scope of Hatfield Army Cadets Force.
They hope to see more cadets trained with lifesaving skills that they can then take out into the world. They have had cadets in newspapers in the past saving lives and they want to make sure that continues by delivering the most beneficial training possible. The Radios, Vests and Gazebo are all equipment that the team will be using to host and deliver more community events over a wider scale. The high vis vests are a large safety requirement for the cadets and needed to help keep them safe. The gazebo will be used as a resting point for the cadets and also as a recruitment stand. The radios are so they can keep in communication with the cadets and staff during larger scale events such as the Hatfield House Battle Proms, as communication is important to a successful event and keeping people safe our need for radios has limited what we are able to do in the community.
LEMSFORD FOOTBALL CLUB – Funding £150
This football club have existed since 1922 and in 2019 ARISE Hatfield were able to donate £150 to the club so that they could purchase some new equipment, the funds provided will cover the cost of training equipment cones, agility ladders and training bibs.
HERTS VISION LOSS – Funding £1,000
This group received £1,000 in 2019 to enable them to set up `Sight Life Support Group’ which they estimate will support over 20 people per month. A dedicated Vision Loss Advisor will be present at the groups and affected people will be able to go through any issues that are affecting them, socialise with others and learn new things for example about specific technology that is available. They will run cooking sessions as well as employment sessions. There will be a trained counsellor present who will see people as required.
POTENTIAL KIDS – Funding £1,000
Potential Kids is a voluntary non-profit organisation based in Hatfield, aiming to help neurodiverse young people, their siblings and families by providing social/activity groups.https://www.c.potentialkids.org/
ARISE Hatfield have supported this group on several occasions and thought the idea of providing money towards sensory equipment was a fantastic idea and so provided £1000 of funding to enable them to purchase the equipment needed. The equipment will help to increase confidence and self-esteem for the children and young people by providing opportunities to learn new skills and socialise in a fun, relaxed and safe environment. Having a sensory/chill out room has many benefits and will support the young people by providing a safe and secure zone and thus creating a space to relax, reduce anxiety and have some time out.
THE HATFIELD HOUSE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2019 – Funding £1,000
This group organised a programme of concerts, education and outreach work in the local community of Hatfield and the surrounding villages inspiring, engaging and enabling the next generation of young musicians. On 26th September they hosted three Schools’ Concerts, attended by 422 primary school children from 8 different schools + 46 accompanying adults. On 28th September – 70 adults and children attended a Family Concert. On 29th September – a masterclass given by the Navarra quartet and two student quartets from the Royal Academy of Music. On 29th September – Young Musicians Platform three informal free concerts with 35-40 audience at each concert, performed by 36 students from the Mid Herts Music School (part of Hertfordshire Music Service) and Young Etheldreda’s Singers – Y.E.S! The programme for the Schools’ and Family Concert included music from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns. In pre-concert workshops at the schools earlier in September, the children were encouraged to make animal masks and do other artwork, write poetry inspired by animals and learn something of the background to the music. This included learning about when and how Saint-Saëns had composed the pieces for Carnival and the instruments and musical techniques used to create the animal “pictures” in sound. The children also discovered that he used some French folk songs in the music as well as part of “Offenbach’s “Cancan” and his own “Danse Macabre”.
ARISE Hatfield provided £1,000 of funding to help towards artist fees, travel, venue hire, presenter, lighting etc
YOUNG LIFE INTERNATIONAL – Funding £400
This Hatfield group work with several hundred young people at the local schools and in the community. They currently have an average of 25 young people involved each week at a Young Life event and they are consistently inviting more friends especially from Onslow St. Audreys and Bishops Hatfield schools. They asked for funding to purchase some flags as they use Gracemead House/Church for their Clubs and do not have the ability to put an outside sign on the building. The flags would help kids know where they are and would make a huge difference in creating a space inside that feels welcoming and fun and full of life.
DE HAVILLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL – Funding £997.50
In May 2019 De Havilland Primary School received £997.50 to purchase a class set of ukuleles for teaching and learning music and school shows. Their aim was to expand the range of musical opportunities and experiences for their children and encourage a love of music and learning. In the future they are looking to include a school radio station and other musical instruments.
BIRCHWOOD METHODIST CHURCH – Funding £500
In January 2019 ARISE Hatfield gave funding of £500 to Birchwood Methodist Church for Garden boxes, gazebo, outdoor play equipment & toys for their Monday after school Club. The Monday Club offers an after school club for the age range 6-11 years. They charge 50p admission to attend the club. This is for families who have little funds to send their children to after school clubs. The aim of the club is to provide a space where children can develop social and emotional skills whilst having fun and allowing their parents to work.
COUNTESS ANNE SCHOOL – Funding £1,000
In 2018 ARISE Hatfield provided £1,000 towards the cost of painting a 1 mile running track to improve the children’s fitness, social skills and well-being. The Daily Mile can increase children’s health and give them the exercise they need to boost their concentration levels during lesson time.
FALCON JUDO CLUB – Funding £720
This project received £720 of ARISE Hatfield funding in 2018 for judo licences/free judo sessions, flyers, advertising, website fees and also a new safety mat. They run regular sessions at The Jim McDonald Centre, Hatfield every Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm. They are going to run another session on Fridays for children with complex special needs and aim to extend their offer to local SEN schools.
DEHAVILLAND COMMUNITY PROJECT – Funding £332
This project received £332 of ARISE Hatfield funding to cover the hall hire cost and marketing for their Christmas Fun Afternoon. This lovely event took place on the 15th December 2018 for families in Salisbury Village, Hatfield. The afternoon included a children’s entertainer, balloon modeller and a visit from Father Christmas.
MUSIC24 – Funding £948
ARISE Hatfield provided funding of £948 to Music24 to help them put on a Dementia-friendly Carol Service at St Etheldreda’s Church in Hatfield. This took place on the 3rd December 2018 and was a great success. They are a group that provides community music therapy groups across Luton, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Their main client groups are adults living with a learning disability, mental health diagnosis and dementia. Activities include singing, dancing, improvising using a wide range of musical instruments, song-writing and much more. Music can be used to help people express themselves in a safe way, exploring themselves as creative beings. This improves their wellbeing, reduces social isolation and supports them through tough times.
OLD HATFIELD RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION – Funding £742
The Old Hatfield Residents Association (OHRA) aims to encourage community spirit and empower residents to enjoy and improve the local area in which they live.
They received ARISE Hatfield funding to purchase a watering device which can be wheeled around Old Hatfield in dry spells so that they can water the various beds, planters and baskets. Their old method involved transporting the water and a small step ladder to the site in a car. They are mostly of the older generation, and watering baskets in the street from a step ladder, which has to be moved with the water from basket to basket, was dangerous.
YOUNG LIFE INTERNATIONAL – Funding £1,000
ARISE Hatfield has supported this group on several occasions and has seen their project grow over the years. This particular project was for 60 young people and leaders to attend their BASH Day Camp in May 2019 at Break’s Manor Youth Centre in Hatfield. The camp ran each afternoon and included Young Life clubs, snacks, active outdoor sports and play, human football table, pedal carts, octaball, messy games, trampolining, high ropes, scavenger hunt/obstacle course and a BBQ. In the midst of all the fun was also time for small group times and chats between leader’s and young people to help support them with everyday life. BASH was a new venture. The main reason they did it was to allow MORE local young people to experience the benefits of camp without going away and without the high price tag. ARISE Hatfield provided £1,000 of funding to cover the cost of the Community BBQ and Vertigo Ropes Course at Stanborough Lakes.