Reflecting on 2018

No post about looking forward would be complete without starting from where we’ve come. 2018 was a big year for us. The ambitious target we set ourselves to respond to 2018 requests for help was exceeded; we were able to respond to a massive 2276 requests from our referral partners, which were made on behalf of the local families they support.

We estimate that the total value of these new and pre-loved items which have been passed onto the local community this year is over £600k.

Targets for 2019

We KNOW that the demand for our services has been rising since we started in 2013. And this is now truer than ever, with the introduction of Universal Credit and the issues it brings, benefits being frozen, and living costs and unemployment increasing. See our blog for further evidence.

Contrary to misconception, this is happening right on our doorstep, with 10% (22640) of children in Surrey living in poverty and two thirds of these being from working households (source: www.cfsurrey.org.uk).

The target we have set ourselves this year is to respond to 2500 referral requests and we are currently gearing up for the challenge. The area we primarily serve is East Surrey – this is where we are located, where we have fantastic support from the local community and where we have built a reputation with the referral sources who have come to depend on our services.

But, we can do more!

We have a great opportunity to ‘expand our village’ even further to other parts of Surrey. Such areas have been identified as being in desperate need and are drastically under-served at present. Establishing and building partnerships with referral sources in these areas is a key focus for 2019, and the groundwork for this has already been laid in 2018.

A number of projects are also underway which are looking at our operational processes and infrastructure, to ensure that we can meet the promise of expanding the area we cover.

How to get involved

As well as the usual but crucial volunteering and donating items from our monthly wish list, we also have a list of many, sometimes less obvious, other ways you can help.

We have a calendar of events planned for this year, so here’s our quarterly campaign dates for your diary:

#Mum2Mum – 31st March is Mother’s Day

We want to let all the Mums that we support know what a fantastic job they are doing, under what is sometimes the most difficult of circumstances. We are aiming to provide gift packs and cards for 300 Mums who would otherwise be unrecognised.

There are numerous ways to get involved and you can read all about how in our recent Mum2Mum blog. From donating just £5 via Localgiving towards a mini pamper pack, to organising a collection of gifts amongst your friends or colleagues.

#Stripes4Stripey – 20th June

This is the day of the stripes, where we ask everyone far and wide, or local and small, to make a statement and dress in their favourite stripey attire in return for a donation to our ‘new socks, underwear and nightwear’ fund. Stripey people will be encouraged to share their photos on social media using #Stripes4Stripey2019 to help spread the fun and create awareness. Inspire your friends, work colleagues or children’s school to get involved. The more the stripier, the more the merrier is what we say!

Run Reigate 2019 – 15th September

If you’re setting your personal goals for 2019, then why not go for the ultimate and start with taking part in Run Reigate this year? You’ve probably heard about all the fuss so now it’s time to find out for yourself. There’s plenty of races to choose from; 5km, 10km, the award winning 1/2 marathon, or even the kid’s race for the little people in your life.

Whatever your ability, we’d love to have you on #TeamStork. You can run as an individual, team or family. Either way you won’t be on your own. We’ll be with you every step of the way; providing lots of moral support, working with you on fundraising, covering your adult race fee and supplying you with our branded running kit. It’s a great community event and our biggest fundraiser of the year, so pencil us in!

#SantaStork2019 – 2nd December

Our popular Christmas campaign provides brand new (and often specially requested) presents for those most in need in our local area. In 2018, 1517 children and 828 parent/carer presents were distributed in the run up to Christmas, estimated to be a huge £50k in value. There are lots of ways to help with our biggest seasonal campaign; donate online, buy from our special Amazon wish list or take your children shopping for an item from our suggested gift list – more information when the campaign is launched mid-October. All presents are collected by 2nd December, ready for our Santa Stork Giving Day in mid-December.

If you think your work may like to get involved, then we can arrange for a bespoke Amazon wish list or company gift list. We will support you with posters, graphics and any other marketing materials which you may need, and we always give a shout-out of thanks on social media to our corporate partners.

New for 2019

Virtual Challenge

If the Run Reigate date or the idea of an organised race doesn’t work for you, then hot off the press is Stripey Stork’s virtual challenge. This is ideal for those who prefer to challenge themselves at their own pace and in their own time – your race, you way! More details coming soon, but we are very excited about giving you the opportunity to #EarnYourStripes with us and thus a bespoke Stripey Stork medal, all for a little fundraising for your favourite local charity – us!

Reigate Manor Hotel Quiz & Curry Night

Another date for your diary is Thursday 21st March at 7:30pm – with all profits from this event going to Stripey Stork. So, start thinking about your ‘dream team’ as we’d love to see as many of you there as possible to show everyone that when we get behind an event, we mean business! You can download a poster to display at work or on any community noticeboards you are associated with. Tickets can be purchased here.

And Not Forgetting…

Match Funding

If we are lucky enough to have you fundraising for us for a particular event or challenge you are undertaking, then please enquire with your employer on whether they have a match funding scheme; where they match, up to a certain amount, the funds you raise. This is often a missed opportunity so it’s always worth asking the question. A prerequisite will be that the charity you are supporting is UK registered, which we are: charity number 1161613.

Gift Aid

If you are kindly donating money to us via one of our online appeals, always add gift aid if you are a UK tax payer. This will ensure an extra 25% is added to your donation, at no extra cost to you.

Have an Idea?

Keep your ears to the ground and eyes wide open for any potential opportunities or partnerships for us to be involved with. It doesn’t always have to be about parting with your own hard-earned cash, but more about thinking ‘outside the box’ and seizing opportunities as they arise. If you have an idea, or any questions about the above, then our door is always open – please email partnerships@stripeystork.org.uk.

And finally, all that’s left to say is a huge thank you for your continued support. We couldn’t do what we do without our supporters, volunteers and partners. It’s because of you that we are entering into 2019 with a ‘can do’ attitude and the capability to achieve our goals – keep up the smashing work #TeamStork!

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With half term upon us and Christmas spirits running high with the recent launch of Santa Stork, we thought now would be the perfect time for those Christmas craft activities. We encourage all of our ‘storklets’ to get involved in making decorations for what promises to be the best Stripey Stork Christmas tree yet, something for us all to be proud of and which truly represents what Stripey Stork is about. So, we are thinking lots of orange and turquoise (forget the standard red and green Christmas colours), our mascot Stripey, recycling, children and babies. What comes to mind when you think of Stripey Stork and how can this be represented in a Christmas tree decoration? If you have an answer to this, then get crafting!

The Christmas Tree Festival is being held at the Reigate Community Centre (High Street) on:

• Friday 7th December (from 12-6pm)
• Saturday 8th December (10am-6pm)
• Sunday 9th December (12-4pm)

We’d love to see as many of you there as possible, enjoying Stripey’s tree and all of the other fantastic trees on display. We are also one of the chosen charities being collected for this year, so do come and show your support. In order for us to have our tree Christmas-ready and for it to be enjoyed in its full glory at our offices, we ask that you drop your decorations off at our HQ by Friday 23 November. Here’s some inspiration to get you started.

Stripey goes Pixel

Thank you to Dylan (age 9) for inspiring us with this fantastic Quixels version of Stripey. So, it got us thinking, this would look great turned into a Christmas decoration.

We made versions using Hama beads (iron well on both sides to make sure that the legs stick together), plastic canvas and cross stitch.

What other materials can you make Stripey from? Here’s a pattern you may want to use.

A Star Reader

We love books here at Stripey Stork, in fact we try to include a bundle of age appropriate books for every child we help as we recognise how important they are for development. If you have books at home which are too well-loved to pass onto a new family, then why not make them into decorations and give them a different purpose?

Using an old annual, we made some origami lucky stars. Simply cut the pages into strips about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, stick them together with tape to get a long strip about 22 inches (55cm) long.

This tutorial shows you how to fold it into a 3D star shape. Adults may need to help here as it’s a little fiddly, but well worth the effort.

Once you’ve made your star, use a needle and thread to add a hanging loop through one of the star points. Beads can be added to the hanging loop to add some extra sparkle.

Here’s a tutorial for making different shaped baubles from book pages, where you can choose squares (like we have here on the right), circles or stars. And here’s another tutorial for making a different type of star. Who’d have thought you could do so much with just some old books?

Felt the Halls

Felt decorations can be nice and easy to make. For a traditional Christmas icon (snowman, holly, present etc.) all you need is the outline of the shape, you’ll be able to find lots of templates online – clip art is always a good source. Stick to simple, unfussy, designs.

If you want to make something more bespoke, you may need to design your own. For example, we wanted to make a baby vest decoration (orange and turquoise of course) to represent all of the bags of clothes we give out at Stripey Stork. Did you know that last year we gifted 633 clothes bags to local families in need? Using a piece of paper, fold it in half if the shape is symmetrical, draw the outline and cut it out. Then cut out two layers of felt using the shape as a stencil.

Decorate the front with embellishments, buttons, beads, ribbons and/or bells (we particularly like bells as they jingle). Pin the front of the decoration to the back. At this stage add a ribbon loop to hang on the tree later. Sew the front of the decoration to the back using either a double strand of sewing or embroidery thread. Just before you get to the end of the stitching, add a little stuffing. Then voila, finish off and it’s all ready to hang on the tree.

A Toy’s Story

Did you know that last year alone we donated 376 toys and book bags? And that’s not even including Santa Stork! At Stripey Stork we make sure every preloved puzzle that we pass on is complete, otherwise imagine the disappointment for a child when they get to the end of the puzzle only to realise that there’s a piece missing! These incomplete puzzles make great Christmas decorations.

Simply paint the puzzle pieces a colour of your choice (no pressure, but orange, blue and yellow are our firm favourites here), glue together in a snowflake shape and add a ribbon. We recommend adding some Christmas sparkle with embellishments or glitter. A little tip – we found it much easier to paint the cardboard back of the puzzle pieces, not the shiny front.

Have a think about other toys you could use? We thought some old, battered toy cars painted orange would look great.

Fabulous Fabric Decorations

At Stripey Stork we get so many great donations, but occasionally some of the clothes don’t pass our quality checks. We always like to say that if it’s not good enough to pass onto a friend, then it’s not good enough to pass onto any of the families which we support. We want our recipients to feel like they are receiving a gift and not a hand out.

So, if you have any baby clothes which are at the end of their life, then give them another life. Like we have here, by making mini fabric Christmas trees using this tutorial.

Other ideas for using fabric scraps can be found here and here.

If you are short of fabric, then you can always swing by our office (after half term of course), and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Let the Crafting begin…

We hope you’ve enjoyed our designs. If you have any ideas of your own then please share them in the comments below. One of our volunteers (Sam West) has already been busy as you can see.

Now, all you need is a day chilling at home and it’ll be the perfect excuse to set to work. We can’t wait to see all your creations on our Stripey Stork tree, we know you’ll do us proud, you always do! And don’t stop at our tree – make some keepsake decorations for your own tree too, and let us know how you get on.

Speaking of keeping the kids entertained, here’s our Stripey Stork colouring sheet too for them to enjoy this half term.

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So, in conjunction with it being Penguin Random House’s 5th birthday since their merger, and in celebration of Stripey Stork going 5 years strong, we thought we’d write some tips on summer reading with your kids and tell you a little bit about each of these books. Then, we thought we’d throw in a competition for good measure, since Penguin also managed to get hold of an autographed book of ‘The Racehorse Who Disappeared’ by Clare Balding. A prized possession for any young fan. You can enter the competition below.

Summer reading tips

Just because school’s out, doesn’t mean to say that learning and reading should stop. To prevent what’s referred to as ‘summer slide’, try keep up the momentum. Or, if you have a child starting school in September, get ahead. It will make the transition easier for everyone. Here’s our handy tips to encourage your little bookworm.

1. Love your library

Everyone loves a trip to the library. They certainly aren’t the places they used to be when I was a child. Where you could hear a pin drop and the scary librarian would give you one of those looks if you dropped that pin! With the introduction of children’s activities like rhyme time, libraries have worked hard to encourage children to think of libraries as fun places from an early age.

And, of course, there’s the library’s Summer Reading Challenge. This happens every year, where children are encouraged to read six books of their choice and then collect rewards for doing so. This year it runs from 14 July until 15 September and is aimed at ages 4-11. The theme this time is Mischief Makers, which is inspired by the much-loved children’s comic Beano.

2. What sparks their interest?

It makes sense that if you have an interest in something then you try harder at it, want to learn more and go back to it time and time again. It may sound obvious but discover what excites them and look for age appropriate books about the subject. And we guarantee, there’ll be a book out there!

3. Mix it up!

This one could be tied in with the Summer Reading Challenge. Introduce different themes throughout the holidays, a theme per week. Involve them in choosing the topic, it could be fiction, fact, comics, magic, the list is endless, but again, play to their interests and you’ll get more enthusiasm.

4. Holiday – it’s all in the planning

Do you have a holiday coming up this summer? Look for guidebooks, brochures and leaflets about where you’ll be going, they won’t be able to resist. We were lucky enough to take a trip to Disney and my kids could not get enough of looking through the guidebooks and discussing our plans as a family. And, don’t forget to pack them a book for the journey and whilst you are there. It’s the perfect opportunity for them to lose themselves in a good book.

5. Spend time together reading

Put some special time aside every day to read with your child, taking on different characters from the book yourself and discussing what’s happening in the story and the pictures, how you think the characters feel, what you think will happen next? Pick a time that works best for you and your child, this may not always be the end of the day, it could be outside enjoying the fresh air after your summer picnic.

Summer reading recommendations

Here‘s an introduction to Penguin’s top picks.

All About the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Age: 2+

Price: £7.74 (Board Book)

Description: The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a beloved classic and this stunning chunky caterpillar-shaped book is the perfect first introduction to this timeless story. As they turn the pages, young children will learn all the words from the world of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, from ‘egg’ to ‘strawberry’, ‘lollipop’, and, finally, ‘beautiful butterfly’! I still know this book off by heart. Find out more…

Baby Animals: Baby Sparkle by DK

Age: 2-4

Price: £3.99 (Board Book)

Description: Suitable for children’s early learning, introducing simple rhymes and funny animal noises, this title engages young babies with sing-song rhymes and more. Find out more…

Pass It On by Sophy Henn

Age: 2-5

Price: £6.99 (Paperback)

Description: A joyful and uplifting picture book about finding happiness in the smallest of things, from picture book star Sophy Henn – World Book Day illustrator and shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Find out more…

Happy and the Dinosaurs have a Happy Birthday by Ian Whybrow

Age: 3-5

Price: £5.99 (Paperback)

Description: Harry and his dinosaurs love birthday parties, so Harry’s disappointed when big sister, Sam, says she’s going to one – alone. Not only is it Mr Oakley’s birthday, but Harry finds out that it’s the dinosaurs’ one hundred millionth birthday too! Harry decides to throw a surprise birthday party and soon even Sam helps to make the party treats. Mum invites Mr Oakley over and he is very surprised when he arrives; in fact, everyone agrees that it’s the best birthday party ever! Find out more…

The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith

Age: A tale which relates to all ages

Price: £6.99 (Paperback)

Description: This is the moving story of a fox, a star and an eternal friendship, written and beautifully illustrated by the award-winning Coralie Bickford-Smith – chosen as Waterstones Book of the Year and selected in Time Out’s 100 Best Children’s Books. Find out more…

George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl

Age: 5-7

Price: £4.99 (Paperback)

Description: George Kranky’s Grandma is a miserable grouch. George really hates that horrid old witchy woman. One Saturday morning, George is in charge of giving Grandma her medicine. So-ho! Ah-ha! Ho-hum! George knows exactly what to do. A magic medicine it will be. One that will either cure her completely . . . or blow off the top of her head. Find out more…

The Racehorse who Disappeared by Clare Balding

Age: 7-9

Price: £3.49 (Paperback)

Description: Life is slowly getting back to normal for Charlie after her reluctant racehorse, Noble Warrior, won the Derby and saved her family from financial ruin. But drama soon returns to Folly Farm when thieves break into the farmyard in the dead of night and kidnap Noble Warrior! With the police baffled and no trace of the prizewinning thoroughbred to be found, Charlie launches her own investigation… Find out more…

If you like the sound of this book, don’t forget to enter our competition below for your chance to win a signed copy.

A School Like Mine (Children Just Like Me) by DK

Age: 7-9

Price: £11.34 (Hardback)

Description: An amazing children’s book exploring schools around the world through the eyes of pupils. A modern take on DK’s classic children’s book reveals the lives of children as they learn at school in their own words. See school activities, classrooms, and playtime in photographs that will appeal to all children curious to learn about the lives of other schoolchildren on every continent. With classic DK design and text, using children’s own words, children will take a journey around the world to discover A School Just Like Mine. Find out more…

Doctor Who: A History of Humankind: The Doctor’s Official Guide by BBC

Age: 7-12

Price: £9.99 (Hardback)

Description: Over billions of years of time travel, the Doctor has run into his fair share of important people – and he’s formed opinions on most of them too. Now the Twelfth Doctor has got hold of a history textbook from Coal Hill School, and he’s decided to improve it with notes of his own. From Nefertiti to Robin Hood, this essential Doctor’s guide gives us his unique take on Earth’s most famous historical figures. Through annotations, scribblings and his trademark snarky humour, the Doctor has plenty to say about the pudding-brained humans he’s met on his travels. It’s history . . . but perhaps not quite as you know it! Find out more…

Hilo: The Great Big Boom by Judd Winick

Age: 8-12

Price: £7.74 (Paperback)

Description: When we last saw our INTREPID TRIO, Gina had been sucked into a mysterious portal to who-knows-where. But friends don’t let friends disappear into NOWHERE! It’s up to D.J. and Hilo to follow her! Will there be danger? YES! Will there be amazing surprises? OF COURSE! Will Gina end up being the one to save them? DEFINITELY! With the help of Polly, the magical warrior cat, the friends will have to battle bad guys and face disgusting food, an angry mom, terrible knock-knock jokes, powerful magic, and more! Will they survive and make it back to Earth before the portal closes again? Find out more…

Do you have any children’s reading suggestions, we’d love to hear them, let us know in the comments below.

Entering the competition

To win a signed copy of Clare Balding’s ‘The Racehorse who Disappeared’, all you have to do is answer the following question:

Up to what age of kids clothes do Stripey Stork rehome?

And we give you a clue, so you can’t go wrong. Enter using the Rafflecopter entry form below. Only one entry per person and UK residents only please. The competition opens on Tuesday 17 July and closes at 12am (midnight) on Wednesday 25 July 2018. The winner will be chosen at random, notified and announced shortly afterwards. Prize can be collected from our Redhill office (RH1 2LJ) or posted to a UK address. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you

We’d like to thank Penguin Random House for their generosity in donating this lovely bundle of books and the competition prize. If anyone has any good condition or new books which they’d like to donate to our cause then please email donate@stripeystork.org.uk. We include books with every donation request and give brand new books with every Christmas present for our Santa Stork appeal.

Thank you #TeamStork.

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Rachel’s Top Tips

You can also download the printer friendly version here: Top Tips Smartphone Photo Guide

1. Make sure your lens is clean

If your phone is anything like mine, it’s usually in the hands of my children, and quite probably sticky! So before you load up your camera app, give the lens a wipe, this will help keep your images looking as sharp as they can.

2. Get their attention with a sticker

When my boys were small, I struggled to take pictures of them looking at my phone. So I put a silly sticker on the back of it to encourage them to look at me. It captured their attention in the direction of my phone for just long enough to take the picture!

3. Think about what you want to capture, and what you don’t

You want a lovely picture of your little one in their new outfit, but you probably don’t want to remember the mess that might be lurking in the background! Look through the viewfinder and check if there is anything in the frame that you don’t want to show, and either move it or get closer to your child so that these things aren’t in the frame causing a distraction.

4. Choose where to focus

Most smartphones allow you to select a focus point for your picture. For example, if you were taking a picture of your child at the park, you want to make sure your child and in particular, their eyes, are in focus. When you have composed your shot, tap the screen in the area you want to focus on before you take the picture.

5. Think about the light

I know that there are certain places in our house that are great for taking photos, and usually they are when the children are facing windows. If your images are coming out dark, instead of using the flash, try turning on the overhead lights, as children often react in wacky ways to a flash. And if you have lights in the background, these can confuse your smartphone and give you a dark image, so try moving slightly and then focusing on your child’s face so that the smartphone can do it’s magic.

6. Get down or climb up

When I’m on a family shoot, you’ll often find me lying on the ground. That’s because I want to get down to a child’s level, and to capture the world from their perspective. A higher perspective looking down on your child can capture them from your point of view, so experiment with both, and see which you prefer.

7. Keep the phone as still as possible

This is often easier said than done, but especially in low light, any movement can result in blurred images. If this happens, see if you can lean against something, perhaps a door frame or a table. And if you are getting blurry pictures because your little one won’t keep still, try giving them a toy to hold, or asking them a question, they may just stay still for long enough for you!

8. Look after your memory

Isn’t it annoying when you go to take a picture and your phone says out of memory? That could be because your phone is full of pictures that you don’t realise you have kept and you don’t actually want to keep. I’m guilty of this myself, my phone has 11,629 images on it right now, and I’m guessing at least half of them are not worth keeping! So try to remember to delete photos on your camera roll that you don’t want, every week or so, and check that they are actually deleted and not sitting in a deleted items folder still taking up space! Images taken with features such as live view are a lot bigger than normal images, and video clips bigger still, so I’d recommend checking back, and for videos, trim them to just the good bits. If you are really struggling for space and have a computer, you can always move your saved pictures from your phone onto your hard drive.

9. Check your backup

The second reason I mention memory is to check you’re backing up your phone. I checked a month or so ago and despite having automatic cloud backup, it hadn’t been running for a few months for some reason. Thank goodness I noticed! You can back up your phone to a computer if that’s easier, but just set a reminder to yourself to do so once a week or month.

10. Print out your favourites

You probably have some favourite pictures of your kids on your phone, so why not print them out to enjoy everyday? There are lots of different companies online that print everything from magnets to postcards, so pick a few of your favourite phone pictures and stick them up on your fridge for everyone to enjoy. They’ll be sure to make you smile. And this will remind you how quickly the children are growing, and encourage you to take more! Perhaps even similar poses or places, and once you print new ones, put the old ones away in a memory box. Your children will love looking back through them in years to come.

So that’s it! Go forth and take photographs!

A huge thank you to Rachel for writing these tips, you can see more of Rachel’s award winning work here.

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