Ordination
Revd Jonny Gios and Revd Jen Blake
At the recent Annual Assembly of the British Isles North District of the Church of the Nazarene, two of our staff were elected to what we call ‘Elders Orders’, that of the act of ordination. Now entitled to be known as Revd Jonny Gios and Revd Jen Blake, they were both ordained at the hands of Revd Dr Jesse C Middendorf one of the six General Superintendents of the worldwide denomination. This was a great occasion, very moving for the candidates and a significant step on their journey of service in the ministry.
First Gold Asdan’s awarded
The Trust was pleased to announce that our first students had reached the level of the Gold Asdan Award. This is an amazing achievement for them to obtain and represents considerable hard work on their behalf aided only by the skill of the Trust’s staff in guiding them to this point in their education. Considering these students were designated a being ‘unteachable’ by the educational system, this demonstrates how easily people can be written off in life when all of the ability is there and simply needs to find the correct route to be expressed.
Centre awarded Arts Award status
As part of the continuing development of the Alternative Curriculum the Trust is pleased to announce that it is the first Centre in Carlisle to be awarded the status of an Arts Award Centre. This opens up a new avenue for education as it provides an opportunity for GCSE equivalence in art to be made available to students. Congratulations to the staff who worked hard to achieve this.
New venue for Education department
Having shared premises with the Family Centre in Raffles, the Alternative Education department has been able to secure its own dedicated premises. This is to be within the property known as Community House on Raffles Avenue which is currently being converted and refurbished ready for occupation in late Spring 2010. The dedicated venue will enable the department to take on additional pupils as more space is available to them in the new location.
Residential at Brathay
A very successful weekend away was planned by the young people and held at Brathay near Ambleside. The young people underwent a series of challenges and team building exercises and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So much so that they are looking to plan their next residential.
Two Youth Work Trainees join team
The Trust has taken advantange of a new youth worker training programme to obtain the services of, and provide the practical training for, two trainee youth workers. Rachel Lyons, who is from Raffles, and Jonathan Fraser, also from the area, both joined the Trust in February on the 15 month programmes. Rachel is focusing on general youth work with a view to developing youth work with disabled young people and Jonathan is focusing on sports outreach as his main means of engaging with and working with young people.
American Gap Year worker
Rachel Pomeroy, an American from Prescott Arizona is working with us in the Belle Vue area. Rachel is here on a gap year project after completing her undergraduate degree at Point Loma University in California. What is surprising is that out of a country the size of American, we have two staff from the same small town in Arizona, who graduated only four years apart from the same University who end up in the same small city in the north of England!
John Glos and Brian Downie
on the vandalised bus.
Thieves trash Raffles youth club bus
Thieves cost a Raffles charity thousands of pounds when they trashed a bus and stole TVs and computer games.
It was the fifth attempt to break into the Living Well Trust's mobile youth club and this time it was successful - despite the fact equipment was nailed down. The teenagers who use the bus are devastated. It is off the road and the Shady Grove Road charity cannot tell them when it will be running again... Read More
Cabins Project 2009
Plans are afoot to site cabins on vacant land to the rear of Raffles Community Church. These cabins will be used as a dedicated space for local young people in order for them to have a safe, supervised environment where they can meet together. This space will allow youth workers to spend quality time with the young people, developing deeper relationships with them and in turn providing stabilising influence in the young people's lives. This will not only improve the quality of life for young people but also for those in the local area that the young people interact with on a daily basis... Read More
Artists tap in to kids' creative talents
The creative juices of youngsters in Raffles have been flowing thanks to a new project.
With help from artists Jimmy Johnston and Rebecca Mellor, young people attending Raffles Family Centre have been bitten by the art bug and created a series of 15 boards which now adorn the side wall of the Shady Grove Road site... Read More