Issue NC13 Special edition
A YEAR IN REVIEW
Reflecting on events of the last 12 months ... and what a time it was! Our news issues are kindly funded entirely by a private donation from the Hawerby Trust
www.catzero.org
Overview
What a year we had!
Chair Jim Dick and CEO Dave Bertholini reflect upon the events of 2021, the dedication of the CatZero team and the successes of our participants ... It gives us great pleasure to present to you this end of year report, and to showcase the amazing impact CatZero has had during the last 12 months. As we entered 2021, the team at CatZero once more found themselves in the challenging environment of a full, national Covid-19 lockdown, which kept many young people away from their schools and continued to impact participants who were already suffering from the effects of a difficult previous year. The fantastic team at CatZero continued the now tried and tested, socially distanced forms of contact with our participants, providing activities for children and ongoing telephone support to young people, veterans, adults, and those on our Full Families programmes. Once restrictions were relaxed, staff were able to organise safe, local walks for participants of some programmes, which proved invaluable for those who had endured difficult times and had received limited contact with people during lockdown. A late spring, Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) programme sail from Grimsby to Hull heralded the start of our 2021 sailing programme, with many of the participants on this sail going on to enjoy an amazing trip to London’s St Katherine Docks, in July. The group sailed down the east coast of the country before docking in the capital, later enjoying Fishmongers’ Company guided visits to Billingsgate Fish Market, the Seafood School, and Beyond Food,
at the Brigade Bar and Kitchen. The young people left with confidence, new skills and were inspired by the opportunities available across the seafood processing industry. While in London, the Grimsby YFF participants, along with CatZero programme manager Sean Cahill and director of sailing Danny Watson, met with Great Grimsby MP Lia Nici and Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, Thérèse Coffey. This offered a unique chance to evidence CatZero’s good practice and to talk about jobs and skills across the Humber region. This in turn has enabled the organisation to look into options for furthering our work with regional businesses, and employment opportunities for participants in the coming months. During the summer, 12 of our participants were successful in gaining paid internships with long-standing CatZero partner Sewell Group. The experience has given many of these hardworking young people the confidence to seek further employment, with several now working in apprenticeships across Hull, and the surrounding areas. A great programme and a superb achievement for all that took part. Our wonderful fundraisers were not deterred by the worldwide pandemic, with former participant Caz White proving ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero, by completing a quirky but arduous rollerskate, from
Youth Futures Foundation participants enjoyed a successful trip to London, where they learnt about the seafood industry.
the Grimsby Hub to Hull Marina. CatZero delivery officer David Andrews successfully finishing a very muddy solo coast-to-coast cycle, at the end of June. The Rolex Fastnet and Round the Island fundraising sails were a great success, with the same team participating in both races, to reduce the risks of Covid-19. Individual funders, like David, Caz and the sailing team, enable us to match donations in funding applications and these generous contributions cover elements of programme delivery and costs for which we cannot ordinarily find funding.
HRH The Princess Royal was welcomed to Hull by CatZero, in October.
members on our Full Families programmes. A further 141 past participants continued to be supported as part of our ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ guarantee.
Towards the end of the year, we were proud to welcome HRH, The Princess Royal to our corner of the world. The princess, being a keen and highly experienced sailor herself, was interested to learn more about CatZero, meeting participants and members of the team during the visit. This, and the London sail, generated some great publicity, which further highlighted our work across the region.
We are proud of the amazing work and resilience of the CatZero team, who work exceptionally hard at making the organisation a resounding success, and equally so of the participants who, despite facing challenging conditions, have achieved many personal successes. Thank you to all our supporters, the army of volunteers that give up their time to assist CatZero, the many businesses offering in-kind support, financial help, and employment and training opportunities for our participants. We are grateful to the many charities and grant-making bodies that fund our delivery the many partner organisations, services, and statutory organisations that CatZero work with and alongside. Your continued support really does help to change lives.
Despite the challenging conditions, Danny and the sailing team used any downtime wisely by overhauling parts of the CatZero yacht, which towards the end of the year included the refurb of the engine, servicing of equipment and new plumbing. This is to ensure the yacht is in the best possible condition for sailing, ultimately keeping our participants and crew safe on their journeys.
Within this report we aim to give you an insight into Catzero’s work during 2021, the programmes that were delivered, their impact, and how we used our time and funding to meet the many needs of our participants. We hope that you enjoy finding out more and, once again, a huge thank you to those who have helped us through this continued period of unusual challenges.
Throughout 2021, Catzero worked with 124 participants on our full programmes and 233 family
Jim and Dave 3
Statistics
Positive annual outcomes
During 2021, CatZero ran the following programmes, supporting more than 350 participants during this period. In addition, CatZero has continued to support almost 150 people as part of the ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ guarantee.
With support from North Lincolnshire Council
‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ 5
Statistics Our work with the families differs from that of other programmes. Funds are provided to work with individual family members who need intensive support to address those things which prevent them from moving into employment or training; other funding is received to work with the whole family and each member of the family to focus on other areas that need addressing, in order to improve quality of life. We recorded the following:
The families programmes are also funded by the Hawerby Family Trust, in Grimsby, the JF Brignall Family Trust, in Hull, other private individuals and with further support from North East Lincolnshire Council, Hull City Council and the Humber Learning Consortium.
Despite a delayed start, the sailing season proved very successful with many of the corporate partners once more supporting CatZero, receiving a day sail in return.
The chart below shows a breakdown of where our funding comes from. As well as the many funding bids and grant applications submitted each year, CatZero are very fortunate to have a number of local philanthropic donors and businesses that support us, both in terms of financial contributions and pro bono services. A full list of our funders and supporters can be found on the back page. We thank you all.
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Full Families
Families faced multiple issues during national lockdowns
AS WITH all programmes across CatZero, national and regional lockdowns at the start of 2021 posed major challenges for the Grimsby Full Families team. Due to the frequent changes in restrictions, parents became confused and subesquently struggled to understand how these changes would affect each and every one of them. When lockdown began to ease, it was a challenging time for families to get back to ‘normal’. Suddenly faced with returning to school, and mixing with other people, became a problem, as a lot of children struggled to engage with school. For most families, any structure had gone and it was proving difficult to re-establish that in their lives. Parents struggled, especially as class bubbles in school closed, when students contracted Covid-19, and children were sent back home again. Families also found it difficult when they themselves caught Covid, and some had to isolate many times. Sarah Coulson, Assistant Programme Manager in 2021, said: “Some of our families had either two parents with Covid, or they were single parents with very small children, so they had no choice but to go out and buy food and essentials when they were supposed to be in isolation. “They also had difficulty topping up electricity and gas meters, which could have caused problems in the winter months.” Some of our parents had ‘Covid babies’ during 2020 and 2021. Having a newborn is always an anxious time but during a global pandemic, new parents really struggled. As lockdown eased, many of their anxieties heightened as they were leaving the house and introducing their precious babies to other people. The babies also struggled with their social skills as mixing with new people was all new to them. School attendance is still a major issue with our
families, as many of the children are regularly refusing to attend. Some of this is due to genuine anxiety but others are using this as an excuse not to go. The CatZero team continues to engage with schools, social workers and other organisations, working alongside the families and attending any meetings to support them. Sarah continued: “During lockdown, parents were expected to home school their children but the majority didn’t have a device for them to do their homework, and some had small children and found it difficult to home school the bigger ones. Lots of families don’t even have the internet.” We were able to continue supporting more than 50 families during 2021, and took a further 43 referrals, enabling us to work with a further 24 families throughout the year. This support continues into 2022, and we are taking new referrals all the time. CatZero secured two allotments on the East Marsh, in 2021, and are currently in the process of clearing and getting them ready for the families to assist in planting and growing of produce. This will be used in Summer 2022 for activities, family meetings and one to ones getting the families out of the house and the children away from consoles. * Grimsby Full Families is funded by Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, Trusthouse Foundation, Fishmongers’ Company, Hawerby Family Trust and NELC.
Staying safe in unusual times criminality, spiralling debt, housing repairs, homelessness, life-altering illness, addiction and domestic abuse. As the families successfully tick each step on their Family Action Plan, we celebrate their achievements with them. Feedback from many of the families that we support is that they feel heard.
HULL Full Families (HFF) had a particularly busy time post-lockdown, continuing their day-to-day work while doing their best to stay safe, and attending the Acorns Children’s Centre once per week. The CatZero team negotiated a residency in the building, to the east of the city, due to it being a base for Hull City Council’s Early Help Team. The move has helped us to strengthen professional working relationships with Early Help, and provided us an additional venue from which to widen our reach within the community. The Hull FF team have been actively reaching out to, or directly working with, safeguarding teams at each of the primary and secondary schools in the area. This has enabled them to take referrals while working alongside the school to support families in need of our help. Work has been done with Community Police Officers, to streamline the referral process and remove any barriers that may prevent a family engaging with with CatZero. The Hull FF team has also been busy leafleting the local area and has had a moment in the spotlight with the Marfleet Newsletter. This is distributed to thousands of homes in the area. Julian Rice, Chief Executive of The Freedom Community Trust: “It’s fantastic to see the CatZero team in the heart of the community, proactively reaching out to families and breaking down barriers, bringing people into centre, addressing issues and driving inclusivity.” We have supported families as they work through complex issues such as school attendance,
The CatZero Full Families Programme continues to empower families to tackle the problems that had kept them from the lives they deserve. As their confidence grows, they come to need CatZero support less and less. The staff team keep in touch – a reassuring voice that tells them “you’re doing great, keep going”. There are many challenges when working with people from all walks of life. Sometimes the people who would benefit the most from support are the hardest to reach. There are additional challenges presented by oversubscribed statutory services and the long waiting lists that can a barrier to progression. Years of learned behaviour are not easily changed in a short period of time. Moving forward, CatZero is aiming to continue to develop its work with children, young people and their families in Hull. We look to work with more families, with the aim of bringing the families together to work in community groups. This will enable us to begin to address some of the bigger community issues in their locality, and have more influence in making the locality a better place to live. The work and the achievements to date have only been possible with the support of private funders. The outcomes are only limited by the funding available; the more funding CatZero can secure, the more families can be supported. We receive funding from the Hull Community Led Local Development (CLLD) fund to work intensively with any family members and other individuals from Hull who need support to move into ‘Employment, Education or Training’ (EET) through the provision of motivational activities and focussed sessions on employability. * Hull Full Families is funded by JF Brignall Trust, European Structural Investment Funds, Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, Trusthouse Foundation and J Marr (Seafoods) Limited, and CLLD.
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Case study
A great insight into life at work
INITIALLY coming through CatZero’s Full Families programme in Hull, 16-year-old Liam Greenham is grabbing every opportunity available to him, having left school following his GCSE’s in the summer. Liam was one of the CatZero participants chosen through interview to receive a 4-week work placement with the Sewell Group, a multi-disciplined organisation with a number of companies operating across the region. The diverse nature of Sewell Group meant that CatZero participants had a whole range of opportunities available to them, from Liam enjoys the Sewell Group’s celebration event, at the end of the internship.
Hard-working Liam Greenham.
building to facilities management and professional services. Liam succeeded in acquiring a placement with facilities management, which meant he was working within a team responsible for ensuring health centres are maintained correctly. This included some site visits, in addition to having to be very organised! He said: “I have been with CatZero for about two years and they have really helped me. “I had earlier applied to go into the army but I was unfortunately unable to join on medical grounds, but I will be able to apply again in the future, if I want to. Supported by CatZero delivery officer David, I decided to apply to Sewells for the month of paid experience. He helped me with my CV and supported me with my application. “I have really enjoyed being with Sewells and it has given me a good idea of work life. Since then, I applied to work with Integra, in Hull, and I have been successful in getting a full-time, 2-year apprenticeship where I will be trained as a joiner making modular buildings and portacabins. “The whole experience with CatZero and Sewells has given me confidence and pushed me onto the right path.” CatZero Delivery Officer David finished: “We are really proud of Liam and have been impressed by his hard work and perseverance. He deserves every success in his career.”
Sailing
The Rolex Fastnet and Round the Island Race sailing crew, 2021.
AFTER a slow start due to the early 2021 lockdown, the sailing team, with CatZero skipper and Director of Sailing Danny Watson at the helm, tentatively returned to the waves in late May. With a host of Covid-19 safety measures in place, a Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) taster sail ventured from Grimsby to Hull before further taster sails with Lincolnshire Air Ambulance, Scunthorpe CLLD and corporate supporters as the summer drew near. The Round the Island and Fastnet races are fundraising events for CatZero, which generally see two separate crews on each race, but due to Covid restrictions in 2021, the two opportunities were joined together to create an amazing, two-race challenge for those wanting to take part. The Round the Island race departed Southampton with very little wind behind them, although the crew had an amazing time and all arrived back at the dock safely. A much more difficult race, the Rolex Fastnet faced plenty of strong headwinds as they took on the challenge to Fastnet Rock, off the southern coast of Ireland. The crew took six days and arrived weary but triumphant in Cherbourg, France, on August 8. With a busy schedule, which saw plenty of catching
A YFF participant immerses himself in the sail down to London.
Team takes on the higher seas in 2021 up post-lockdown, an early August YFF sail to St Katharine Docks, London, was a huge success and throughly enjoyed The gruelling Rolex Fastnet by the young people who took part (Find out more about this fantastic adventure on page 14).
After several more taster sails and a Dutch Dash in September, the weary crew ended the sailing season with a YFF sail on October 18. Since then, the ever present volunteers along with Danny, Callum and the sailing team have been working hard to prepare the boat for the 2022 season, which had an infinitely brighter outlook than that of early 2021. Although many of the jobs were routine, the yacht’s engine came out for a full refurb – the first time in 23 years that it has been completely removed from the boat! The toilet pipes have been replaced, a job that was last completed three years ago, the bunks were sent for dry cleaning, the anchor removed to allow for a full check for rust or damage in the sail locker, the removal of the life rafts and life jackets for servicing, and the overhaul of the generator. CatZero has sailed with more than 100 people, not including support crew, during the course of this year. Ordinarily the number would be double that amount but skipper Danny Watson and the team have worked exceptionally hard to give 2021 participants and corporate sailors the opportunity to head out onto the water.
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Veterans A participant takes in the scenery during a trip to the Peak District.
Ongoing support for ex Forces ALTHOUGH six months later than the proposed start date, the veterans’ Positive Pathways group began in September 2020, with 12 participants. The programme started extremely well with everyone working hard to adhere to a new way of being together as a group, using masks and socially distancing, particularly when indoors. By early 2021, we were back in another lockdown and found ourselves offering remote support to past pathways participants, while building relationships with prospective new participants. Post-lockdown, we were once again permitted to engage in social activities and group work, where we immediately began to see the positive effects of being together. The programme staff worked hard to ensure that plenty of support could be offered to those who needed it, and so that participants could be facilitated to pursue their own interests. The group were engaged in the design of the programme and expressed the interest to do more conservation and community work, museum visits, residential experiences, fitness sessions and, for some, employability sessions. Highlights of the second year of the programme were a three-day residential to the Peak District, where participants stayed in bunkhouse accommodation, and an eight-day voyage on the yacht CatZero to the Isle of Wight. Both were well attended and offered participants differing experiences. Positive Pathways participants found the interaction
in our groups of great benefit, particularly the oneto-one support. This was of great importance for those needing additional help with mental health and wellbeing, and family relationships. As we continue to support veterans across the Humber region, we have learnt that the continued support from CatZero is paramount, underpinning the ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ ethos. CatZero has embedded its self within the veterans’ support networks of the region and created an excellent reputation for itself, which means we can offer ongoing support to those that need it most. Other impacts we have achieved are the product of the veterans’ efforts in volunteering. We have undertaken conservation projects with the Trust for Conservation volunteers, where we have cleared and managed land, as well as planted trees and constructed benches. Working with a local outdoor centre we have co-built a forest school area, cleared weeds, repaired pathways, and built jetties. These activities have boosted a veteran’s positive mental health, feeling of self-worth as well as benefitting the wider community and environment. The tasks we have undertaken are highly visible and will be used widely over the coming years by many other organisations, which is a fantastic legacy for the veterans to be involved with. * Veterans’ programmes are funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust and ABF Soliders’ Charity.
Case study
Taking pride in achievements
FOR the last three years, aspiring artist Lisa Jackson has been involved with CatZero, whether through the successful Lone Parent programme or through ongoing support provided by the organisation as part of the ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ ethos. Earlier this year, Lisa succeeded in acquiring work at Young’s Seafood and is enjoying another new chapter in her life. Originally from the south west of the UK, Lisa studied for a number of years at art school. She later became unemployed, making a huge dent in her confidence and self-belief. Signposted to CatZero by the JobCentre, Lisa was contacted by delivery officer Neil, who supported her throughout the programme. Lisa said: “I went on a number of courses, including first aid, and built confidence through this and the activities that were available to me. “I did an evening sail on the yacht, played badminton, tried my hand at boxing and did indoor rock climbing. It was a completely new challenge for me but the whole experience built my confidence no end.” After completing the programme, Lisa was filled with renewed hope and set about finding a job that would pay her enough so that she could comfortably pay her bills - and also buy a few much-needed art
supplies! In the early summer, 2021, Lisa found work through the JobCentre with Young’s Seafood and is proud of what she has achieved to date. She feels encouraged by the team with whom she is working and pleased that she can now support herself - something which is very important to her. Lisa continued: “CatZero isn’t just about courses and paperwork - it’s about people’s lives. They even helped me when I needed to move home! “The team help to find the barriers which are stopping people from succeeding and guide us in the direction of what we want from our own futures.” In Lisa’s case, she is passionate about her art, something Neil and the CatZero team continue to champion. Lisa would love a career in the art world. “CatZero has made such a big difference to me. Even though I am no longer on the programme, I still feel that I am a part of it and I can call up for support whenever I need it, and that’s really comforting.”
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Youth Futures Foundation New skills and lasting memories CATZERO, like everyone, faced a very challenging eighteen months due to the Covid19 pandemic. January 2021 saw the whole country still under fairly tough restrictions, but we took the decision to begin looking at a return, with staff working in team bubbles to keep everyone as safe as possible. With other local referral agencies and providers, including JobCentre Plus, not yet open to the public, this gave the team a very tough start to 2021. The Youth Futures Foundation (YFF) programme also commenced that January, a programme for 14 to 24-year-olds, which saw us working with a minimum of 50 young people across the Humber sub-region. Throughout the year, we worked intensively with 61 young people within the programme, as staff undertook one-to-ones, multi-needs assessments and action planning to address any underlying issues, in order to support them into their end goals. These were to return the young people into the education system, or to help them continue with education, move into training, or employment opportunities. The YFF participants worked alongside the staff to co-design the supporting activities for this programme, ensuring that what we offered was both what they needed, and what they would enjoy. The young people attended a total of 621 activity sessions and gained 124 qualifications throughout the year - a fantastic achievement for everyone
involved. These included activity days at Welton Waters Adventure Centre, near Brough, and team building events to raise their confidence, such as boxing, swimming, tennis and badminton sessions. The staff were mindful that the participants should try activities that they could continue outside of CatZero, if they wished to do so. Further goals for the team building work were to raise physical activity levels and to involve the participants in their local community. We ventured to a number of local areas of interest, including Donna Nook, Normanby Hall, Paull, and Hull Old Town, in order to encourage them outdoors and to further explore the world around them. They also had the opportunity for fun sessions, such as bowling, beach days and go-karting, which we hoped would develop bonds and friendships. A two-day residential at Melton Scout Camp was unfortunately cancelled due to lockdown and isolation periods for staff. A further plan for the residential did not prove feasible due to the high number of individuals who had moved into employment, which means that we were able to offer twice as many young people the opportunity of a residential sail on board CatZero. A total of 26 young people took part in a mixture of taster sails and eight-day residential sails. The first of these took place from July 23 to August 3, with eight young Grimsby people on board, all aged between
L-R CatZero DirectorDanny Watson and since retired manager Sean Cahill, with Grimsby MP Lia Nici and the Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions, Therese Coffey.
Young people on the trip thoroughly enjoyed cooking at the Seafood School, with some eager to experiment at home!
14 and 18 years. The group took the yacht down to St Katharine Docks, in London, where they were welcomed by The Fishmongers’ Company and the Hawerby Trust. A life-changing opportunity for the young people taking part, participants enjoyed a unique chance to learn about the wider seafood industry and the jobs and exciting careers available across the sector. It also tied in with CatZero’s drive to encourage its work-ready participants into work through opportunities provided by local business and industry. Participants spent a day being hosted by The Fishmonger’s Company, who took them on a tour of Billingsgate Fish Market, before they enjoyed the opportunity to cook at the Seafood School, also in Billingsgate. Later in the day, they enjoyed tasty fare cooked at the ‘Brigade Bar + Kitchen’ by the charity ‘Beyond Food Foundation’. Beyond Food provides training and support to people who have been impacted by homelessness, mental health and addiction, and is one of three organisations, including CatZero, enjoying fundraising support by The Fishmongers’ Company. The group were able to discuss issues facing young people, and the long-term unemployed, with the Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey, the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, and Great Grimsby MP Lia Nici, who came to find out more
about CatZero and its work while they were moored at St Katharine Docks. Thérèse Coffey commented: “CatZero is already helping jobseekers across the Humber region in this special way so they can go on to thrive in employment.” The Grimsby to London trip, which ended with a bus journey back from Plymouth, also saw the participants take on a number of responsibilities during the sail, including helming, cooking and cleaning. ITV Calendar supported the young people’s journey throughout, some of which can be seen at: www. shorturl.at/nqzFL Participant Harry said: “It was amazing coming on to watch at 4am, and coming up on deck to see Tower Bridge all lit up from the middle of the Thames. I also like being in the kitchen and making bacon butties for everyone.” Kiva finished: “I am really proud of myself for sticking at it and completing the sail. I was a little unsure at first but once we got going it was amazing. It was great a great experience and I have some memories and new friends that I will keep forever.” * YFF is funded by The Fishmongers’ Company, Youth Futures Foundation, The Tribune Trust and Sail Training International.
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Scunthorpe CLLD
ScuS
Participants on the CLLD 5, in Scunthorpe, enjoy a trip to the 20-21 Visual Arts Centre.
A busy year across the Humber CLLD (Community Led Local Development) is a programme that gives participants the opportunity to increase life skills and confidence through support from the dedicated team at CatZero, by offering training opportunities, employment advice, and activities to help with wellbeing and motivation. Once again, staff furloughs and Covid-19 put CatZero in a difficult spot early in 2021, making it hard to employ two, much-needed new members of staff to the Scunthorpe CLLD programme, yet participants continuing to engage during lockdown received excellent remote support from the CatZero team, which they all found very beneficial. Participants and staff alike found the third national lockdown especially challenging as it was during the winter months. Wellbeing phone calls took place at least weekly, depending on the needs of the individual.
to go for food parcels. During the summer months, with restrictions much relaxed compared to the earlier part of the year, participants were invited to take part in engagement sessions. This included conservation work, boxing, water sports, indoor team building and hikes within the local area. The sessions were successful in bringing people together to form friendship groups and a community, so they could support one another outside of CatZero. Further courses delivered in 2021 were level two and three qualifications in First Aid, CoSHH, Food Hygiene, Fire Safety and Health and Safety. * Scunthorpe CLLD is funded by European Structural and Investment Funds.
As lockdown ended, we were able to find safe mechanisms for face-to-face support, with development officers David and Steve working hard to bring new participants onto the 16-week programme. People engaging with CLLD are able to access support such as EET opportunities, funded distance learning, virtual job fairs, volunteer opportunities and lots of local and national information from North Lincs Council and HM Government on everything from cooking on a budget, staying safe, combating isolation, saving money and debt advice, and where
Nikita Dandilly with her daughter Peighton, receiving a donated laptop to help her with online courses. She is part of the HLC Female group, and CLLD.
New horizons Breaking barriers
Seafood sector career options LEADING figures from the Grimsby area seafood sector participated in an evening sail during the summer, 2021, accompanied by the organisation’s Director of Operations Dave Bertholini and former Programme Manager Sean Cahill. The sector group were invited to learn more about CatZero’s service to match work-ready people already engaging with the organisation to employment vacancies within businesses across the Humber region. The CatZero team were joined on the challenge yacht by representatives from Orsted, Flat Fish, New England Seafood, Grimsby Fish Merchants Association, former CEO of Young’s Seafood Wynne Griffiths and North East Lincolnshire Council Leader Phillip Jackson. The group were joined prior to departure for a short visit by MP for Great Grimsby, Lia Nici. Senior team members engaged many of the seafood industry guests in discussions about the use of the yacht across the organisation’s programmes in addition to further details on how plans to help CatZero participants into the workplace will be fully supported by an experienced team. Programme Manager Sean said: “ This is an important time for the Humber region which, for the first time, there are more employment opportunities than people to fill them. For businesses, the area and community to succeed the many barriers facing the unemployed population need to be addressed. Echoing the words of the Rt Hon Thérèse Coffey, during the YFF London sail (p15), getting a job isn’t always the priority for some people - housing, debts or family issues could be barriers to them seeking employment and opportunities for the future. CatZero is here to help people address these issues and support our participants into education, work and, ultimately, employment.”
AN EXCITING programme took place during 2021, ‘Hull Females’, which was created specifically for women struggling to overcome the barriers preventing them from moving into employment. This small project, run by CatZero’s Progressions Team, was open to females who have previously been on one of our programmes, in addition to new applicants to the organisation. Employability and Progressions Manager, Gail Howson, said: “The Progressions Team works with each participant to break down the barriers preventing access to employment, education or training. By working with each individual on their own action plan, barriers are identified and actions taken so that they can progress nearer to their employability goals. “Working with the participants on a oneto-one basis, we are able to provide new career pathways, and search for training and educational courses which will enhance their future prospects, provide training in preparing for that all important interview, the creation or updating of CVs, support with personal statements and personal profiles for job and college applications and ongoing, tailored assistance and support throughout the application process and beyond.” Participants on Hull Females have been hugely successful, gaining employment in a number of different areas, including in retail, customer services, and media and marketing. One participant has gained an apprenticeship, while several are working towards their goals through other training programmes and education. Work continues with all 12 ladies who joined the programme in 2021, with the door open to other females wanting to join in 2022. * Hull Females is funded by European Social Fund Community.
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Case studies With support from CatZero, a young man eyes success SINCE meeting the CatZero team almost two years ago, aspiring young engineer Cain Brooks has a fantastic future ahead of him. When two family members joined the Veterans’ programme and Lone Parents, respectively, Cain was in a difficult place, suffering from anxiety and confidence issues. Although he was undertaking an engineering course at college, Cain had already suffered a few career setbacks, but when the first wave of coronavirus hit the country, in early 2020, the resulting lockdown meant that he and his classmates were no longer able to attend college classes directly, having a further impact on his confidence.
Sewell Group Chair Paul Sewell with Cain and his toy Aston Martin! One day, Cain, one day ...
keen on the Chair Paul Sewell’s Aston Martin, and was subsequently gifted a toy version during the final celebration ceremony - there’s still plenty of time for him to earn enough for a real one! Originally wanting to be a vet, Cain’s career path has already taken a few twists and turns, but he now has his sights set on being a weapons engineer in the Royal Navy, which has excellent opportunities for progression. His first attempt saw him as one of only 20 people, out of 700 applicants, chosen for the job, but delays have put this back until at least October. Cain continued: “Fiona has been helping me to sort out a career path into the Navy. She has been amazing at supporting me with the application.
Cain said: “I think I only did eight months of the two year course inside college, due to Covid restrictions. I found myself being prescribed anti-depressants, but I wanted to turn things around without their help.
“On the YFF programme, I did activity days, beach events, walks, go-karting, and tennis. I’m an outdoor person, and this helped me a lot with my anxiety, especially after lockdown.”
“It was my mum who was doing Lone Parents with CatZero, and I met Progressions Officer Fiona (Daggett) through her. They asked if I wanted to do the youth course, so I joined that as I already felt comfortable with most of the staff.”
Although it is a little while since Cain completed the CatZero programme, he continues to receive support under the ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ ethos. He is currently working on the dock while he awaits the outcome of his naval application, but he feels that he is in a good place and ready for wherever his future may take him.
Cain joined the YFF programme after completing his studies, and also managed to secure a part time job at a Nisa Local, in May 2021. His relationship with CatZero began after the first lockdown and he has since completed a Level 3 First Aid course, a Competent Crew certificate after completing an eight day residential sail (771 nautical miles), a Level 2 Food Safety for Catering course, and a Sea Survival certificate. He also gained a place on a 2021 Sewell Group paid summer internship, where he completed a total of 12 certificates during his work. Cain was
Progressions Officer Fiona said: “Cain’s CatZero journey has been amazing, and through his determination to succeed he is where he is today, a positive young man with a fantastic future ahead of him.” “CatZero are like family to me,” Cain finished. “They are always there for me and they treat you as an individual. My CV, and my life, wouldn’t be what it is without CatZero.”
The future
Looking forward to 2022 MOVING into a more hopeful new year, CatZero’s diary began filling up early as the restrictions eased and everyone began to look at the ‘new normal’. Children in Need have for the first time commissioned CatZero to deliver programmes on their behalf. We will see young people between the ages of 10 and 18 undertake group and family activities in Hull and Grimsby. A spokesperson for Children in Need stated: “It’s Great to be involved with CatZero as we have no project like it within our portfolio.” The funding is for 45 young people over three years, and will be delivered in the Full Families teams in Grimsby and Hull. DWP are in the final stages of commissioning a pilot programme, to work with 30 unemployed people in Grimsby. This programme will be evaluated by the DWP to look at the impact of CatZero’s work on workless families. This has resulted following consultations between Dave Bertholini, Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions Therese Coffey, and Government DWP Under Secretary, Mims Davies. This could lead to our approach being adopted more widely nationally. We have a fantastic partnership with The Fishmongers’ Company and another charity based in London, called Beyond Food. The partnership will see groups from CatZero and Beyond Food deliver a replica of the Fishmongers’ Charter to the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre, as well as two teams instigating a pop-up seafood restaurant at Grimsby Town Football Club, for a day, in June. This is a partnership which we hope will grow into the future. Across the Humber, we have our veteran support programmes, which have been commissioned by the Armed Forces Covenant and the Veterans’ Foundation. We also have ongoing individual support from the Soldiers’ Charity and the RAF Benevolent fund. CatZero is proud to be embedded within the veterans’ network of the region, and delivering to a specific group of participants. We will be working hard in 2022 to offer more
employment support, as part of our partnership with employers. Our teams will be hand-holding participants through full or part time employment opportunities, across the region. ‘The Progressions Team continues to develop, nurture and maintain strong working relationships with a range of local and national employers, and to generate interest from and establish links with new companies throughout the Humber Region. A lot of work is currently taking place in Grimsby with emphasis on the seafood and hospitality sectors. In line with this, and as part of the CatZero guarantee to our participants and to employers and training providers, we offer ‘Ongoing, In Work Support’, when required. This helps to ensure a smooth and successful transition into work or training, especially after a participant has experienced a period of unemployment, combined with the Covid pandemic. Our current Humber Learning Consortium (HLC) programme to support 16 female past participants under the ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ warranty has been extended until May 2022. The Progressions Team is undertaking intensive job search and 1:1 employability activities with participants who live in Hull and Scunthorpe. We have a target to achieve six positive outcomes into Employment or Further Education and Learning’. The Hull CLLD employment programme is aiming to support 128 people into work. Participants are predominantly from the Preston road area of Hull, which enables us to offer additional wrap around family support where it is needed. The programme is designed to increase employability skills, improve confidence and create links to local employers. If you would like to support CatZero, there are many ways you can do this. Businesses can sponsor our programmes supporting vulnerable people across the Humber, or donate funding that we can use to match fund against other funding applications. For individuals, you can join our fantastic team of volunteers, purchase one of our exciting sailing challenges, or create your own fundraising challenge. For details, call 01482 333303, or visit the website at www.catzero.org
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Supporters Funders, supporters, partners ABF Soldiers Charity Andrew Jackson Solicitors Aquavista ARCO Armed Forces Covenant Trust (Pathways Programme) Associated British Ports (ABP) ASTO B Cooke & Son Beal Homes Beerhouse Self Drive Big Lottery Awards for All Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund Broome Family Trust CG Gibson Charitable Trust Community Grants 5 Enrolled Freemen of Grimsby Fishmongers’ Fisheries Charitable Trust Fishmongers’ Philanthropy and Grants Committee Garfield Weston Foundation Hawerby Family Trust Hesslewood Children’s Trust HLAS Chartered Accountants Hull Community Led Local Development (ESIF) Humber Learning Consortium Hutton Medical IT@Spectrum J F Brignall Charitable Trust J Marr (Seafoods) Ltd James Reckitt Trust Joseph and Annie Cattle Trust Joseph Rank Benevolent Fund JR Rix & Son Jupiter IT Solutions Kildale Marine KCOM Lord Hanson Foundation North East Lincolnshire Council North Lincolnshire Council Pipers Crisps Point Engineering Rank Foundation Royal Airforce Benevolent Fund SCMS Scunthorpe Community Led Local Development (ESIF) Sewell Group Souter Charitable Trust Tribune Trust Trusthouse Charitable Foundation UNITE William Jackson Food Group Youth Development Fund (Sail Training International) Youth Futures Foundation And many more individual supporters and fundraisers. Thank you.
CatZero is very cost effective in comparison to any other service and has consistent, excellent results. We rely on possible funding streams to enable our critical work to take place. It costs £3,500 per person to deliver each life-changing programme.
Become a partner Our programme partners are top level professional and corporate supporters who provide funding for programmes. They are offered fantastic opportunities in return, including yacht and media branding, programme involvement, corporate sail and land team building and/ or hospitality packages tailored to different requests.
Sponsor a young person At £3,500 per participant, you could provide a truly lifechanging opportunity for a young person. Could you be a sponsor and a mentor?
Be a friend Grants, fundraising, discounted services, individual fundraisers. Our friends are recognised on our website and are welcome to support participants on our programmes.
To discuss the above opportunities further, please email: pete@catzero.org
Donate For direct donations, visit www.catzero.org/support-us and click the DONATE NOW link.
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CatZero’s O-Zone magazine is written and produced by Block Five Media, Grimsby. Copyright 2022.