THE ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDS OF THE DERWEN

Founded in 1967, the Centenary Year of the birth of Dame Agnes Hunt DBE, RRC

Registered Charity No. 208745

Treasurer: Mr. R.J. Beaman

Chairman: Mr. M.H. Woodward

Secretary: Mr. D.J. Kendall

 

NEWSLETTER 2009

 

A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENTS

2008 has been another highly successful year for the College, the students and the staff.  The Bradbury Retail Centre was opened, on schedule in September and, together with Young’s Farm Shop, provides outstanding teaching and customer facilities.  The Friends raised the fantastic sum of £40,000 towards this project and this year we also received grants from Ian Karten Trust, Tesco Charitable Trust, Forbes Charitable Foundation, Ellesmere Round Table and Rank Foundation. The support of many generous sponsors made the scale and quality of this resource possible.  Student achievement remains outstanding and successes in qualifications, independence and personal skills ensure that our leavers are best equipped for the challenges ahead. The quality of provision, inspected by Ofsted and CSCI, has been judged outstanding.  The high level of our staff expertise is a key element of the College curriculum development, innovation and student support.

 

FUTURE PLANS

Demand for courses at the College remains high.  The preparation for 2009 admissions will again be a testing time in balancing the expectations of prospective students with the reality of gaining funding approvals.  The admissions for 2010 and beyond can only become more demanding with the additional budgetary pressures exerted by Local Authorities, and the new Young People’s Learning Agency having a greater influence in guiding young people with learning difficulties and disabilities towards part-time and day provision in the home area.  Current legislation requires local provision to be merely sufficient and adequate.  This basic requirement is unlikely to change and may put individual specialist colleges at a disadvantage. The College will need to become ever more adept at meeting the expectations of young people with learning difficulties and disabilities whilst working within the funding constraints of the government agencies.

The success of the Garden Centre, Betty’s Coffee Shop, Orangery Restaurant and Young’s Farm Shop in drawing the community into the College campus has influenced the decision to build an additional eating area in the production garden.  Opening in August 2009, it will provide paid work opportunities for students, together with work experience.  This concept could be taken further: perhaps with an additional catering outlet, a Bistro, serving locally sourced food or, by maximising our craft expertise and facilities, through offering short courses to the wider community.  The College will test demand and look for new opportunities to deliver courses to the public. This would extend the range of social enterprises and provide more opportunities for students to gain experience on taster courses and in customer-facing vocational settings. 

2010

In 2010 we intend to build a small residence in the community, to be known as Horton House.  The development of this purpose-built house adjacent to the College campus would provide greater flexibility for students to make personal choices, live more independently and cater for themselves.  This would replace the rented accommodation in Oswestry, which, despite being off-campus, does not allow the students to gain as much independence and personal choice as is available within the more local houses.  The aim is to ensure that the balance of risk against achieving progression remains central to the work of the college, teaching students to become less vulnerable, more skilled and increasingly independent within the community.

SUPPORT FROM THE FRIENDS

The Friends’ success over so many years is due to the commitment and hard work of the committee supported by the generosity and effort of the sponsors, walkers, stallholders and guests at the range of functions held.  The Walk, Fete, Golf event, Flag Day and parties all contribute to the endowment provided to the College by the Association.  But to quantify the value in financial terms alone would be to undersell the contribution made by the Friends through the personal community links which exist and go far beyond mere financial benefits, but permeate into every aspect of College life.

In 2009, the Friends have committed themselves to a target of raising £60,000 towards the new food outlet.  A new minibus is to be provided by The Lord’s Taverners and the Friends will provide a £10,000 grant towards the cost.

In addition to these major projects, the Friends have funded the students’ and trainees’ trips to Blackpool, Alton Towers and Drayton Manor, supported Riding for the Disabled and awarded a number of personal grants to needy students and trainees.    The success of the year’s fund raising events is important in supporting such commitments.  The Sponsored Walk raised a new record of £28,206 and the Fete raised £14,168, and earlier in the year the Monte Carlo Evening raised a total of £2,196.  The Sainsbury’s and Oswestry Town Centre Flag Day made £861 and a Wine Tasting Evening raised £1,131.  There were donations of £1,616 in memory of Elizabeth Hughes and Elaine Woodward, both former students of the College, and the Riding for the Disabled Association made a donation of £250.

The Committee would like to thank all of our friends – the walkers, stallholders, sponsors and guests – who have helped to make the year’s fundraising the most successful ever.  It has been possible for the Friends to again consider a substantial grant towards a major project, whilst continuing to support students and trainees in other ways, including the many student leisure and social activities.  These depend on the success of the fund raising events held during the year and on your continuing generosity.

Once again the Friends are organising two major activities this year – the Sponsored Walk that will take place on Sunday 29th March and the Summer Fete and Open Day on Thursday 28th May.  We look forward to welcoming you on both of these occasions.  If that is not possible you can still help – by completing the attached form to sponsor one of the many students taking part in the Walk.  They are always delighted to know they have the support of a friend.  If you cannot come to the Fete, please let us know if you would like us to send you tickets for the Grand Raffle, which is a major feature of the afternoon.

…AND FINALLY 

The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held in the Orangery Restaurant on Tuesday 3rd March 2009 commencing at 8.00 p.m.  You are most welcome to attend or to send any ideas you would like to have put forward at the meeting regarding future fundraising events or activities.

 

We hope to see you at our 

DERWEN SPONSORED WALK - SUNDAY 29TH MARCH

DERWEN FETE AND OPEN DAY - THURSDAY 28TH MAY