HULL KINGSTON ROVERS COMMUNITY TRUST
Location: Hull
The Project: Hull Kingston Rovers Community Trust began in March 2008 and has a long-term vision to inspire people through sport and physical activity. We do this using the power of the Hull KR brand to work with a range of partners to deliver enjoyable, inspirational initiatives which make positive changes within our communities.
We first learnt about Efficiency North in 2016 through an e – newsletter which had information about their EN:Able Community Investment Fund. There was an information event at a local community centre and our Trust Manager attended to find out more. From this we submitted a bid to the fund. At the event it was mentioned that Efficiency North also supported local back to work schemes. The Trust was delivering a scheme called Learn with the Robins so the Trust Manager began to have conversations with Paul and Caroline about this.
We were successful with our bid to the EN:Able Community Investment Fund and we were awarded £4800 to deliver a dance project to clients from Case Training, a local organisation who worked with young people and adults with learning difficulties.
Case clients participated in weekly dance sessions which took place at the stadium. We used some of the funding to subsidise their transport costs.
12 months on and the participants have learned a full dance routine and performed in front of small and big audiences. One of them was the lead in Case’s Christmas pantomime. The staff tell us that they are always practicing their dance and have become fitter because of it. They have had lots of fun and become firm friends. The Dance Coach has also learned Makaton to be able to communicate more effectively with them. They can now all touch their toes (something none of them could do at the first session) and they love to come to their dance lessons.
As a result of this, in 2018 the Trust submitted a bid to The National Lottery’s Awards for All fund and has been awarded £10,000 to continue the work with Case and expand it into local special schools.
Alongside this, the relationship between the Trust and Efficiency North developed further. EN agreed to fund our Learn with the Robins scheme. This meant we could continue to provide meaningful back to work support to local people. A service level agreement was put in place for 12 months from April 2016. Due to this we could support over 100 people with a range of issues which were stopping them from finding a job. We achieved our target of 15 people obtaining sustainable, long term employment.