Directors Report July 2009

(This material is drawn from the Director's Report given at the AGM in July 2009)

Having completed my first year as Director I have welcomed the chance to come and meet with many people within your Deaneries, I have attended some notable events and shared some very pleasant moments with you.

Since the beginning of 2009 we have now welcomed four new staff:
Rebecca Carter for Arun and Bognor Deanery
Sarah Richardson-Cornish for East Grinstead Deanery
Christine Field for Petworth and Midhurst Deanery
Lydie Badcock for Worthing Deanery

We have also had phenomenal help with the log basket appeal and ‘yellow card’ scheme for food. At the end of last years school summer holiday our families were ‘out of food’ and children were hungry. It was the beginning of the wonderfully termed ‘credit crunch’, affecting all of us in different ways. We asked you to help us with food collection and the response was truly staggering. At a rough guess at least 11,000 items of food have been distributed via Knowles Tooth. Much more goes out as Eastbourne delivers directly as do other Deaneries.

Having attended the Changing Childhood Conference in July I listened to the Chief Executive of the Children’s Society (Bob Reitemeier) speak about their research which has formed the book ‘A Good Childhood’. They surveyed over 30,000 children to find out what matters to them; what makes them happy:

Family:- loving supportive parents, not surprising, also parents that get on together.

Friends:- children like someone of their own age to play with, brothers and sisters are great but unless you are a twin you wont have ‘a peer’ to play with and talk to. Children wish to play outside, parks, play grounds and in the street where they live.

Lifestyle or Health:- Children want to be well and the people around them to be well and able to look after them.

School:- most children like school and most children walk to school, not what the Government statistics say, but most, 80% or more walk with an adult, children rarely walk together to school.

We recognise that times have changed, currently 20% of the population is under 16 whilst 40% and more are over 60 years of age. The majority of children are being born into lower income families and face a world where they will have less, less money at home providing fewer opportunities and potentially less resources within Society as budgets shift away from the reducing numbers of young people to support the aging population.
Children will be facing hard times.

So what can we do? Well many of you are already doing it. You recognise children collectively, they are not somebody else’s, they’re ours. In supporting FSW you place children and families high on the agenda taking responsibility for their well being.

This Association is active within the Diocese and is part of every Parishes conscience. Founded in 1890, here we are 119 years later; larger, stronger, growing and developing and very importantly we are still ahead of the game.

Thank you for your continued support, FSW needs you as Sussex families continue to need FSW.

Maggie Simons.