AIMS                                               

The Martians have landed

To encourage children and young people to live a healthy lifestyle through physical activity and healthy eating.  To educate and enable them to use their leisure time in a positive way.

How these were met

We now have a new pitch with Futsal markings, which is similar to 5 a side football. It is the first outdoor Futsal pitch in the U.K., so we will be setting up a Futsal league for different age groups, including girls and women’s teams. With obesity being a big issue now, it is important that children and young people get as much exercise as possible.

We now have a new play structure. It is a ‘bedrock’ style climbing structure that introduces ‘Risky Play’. This is really good for building children’s confidence.

In our organic food growing area, children can grow produce food from seed, cultivate and harvest the food to cook in our kitchen. This year the theme was ‘History of Food’.  The children had their own ‘Dig for Victory’ plot , so they used produce that they had grown throughout the summer in cooking sessions.  WWII was on the primary school curriculum this year.

Many of the children that use the Calthorpe during the school holidays and at weekends are local children that stay for the whole day.  The’re often given money to get lunch at the local fast food outlets. We try to educate them about the health benefits of eating good food and the dangers of eating fast food as a staple diet.  Working in the garden is also part of our physical exercise aim. We have found, that children will eat vegetables that they have grown themselves and learn to cook them in ways that are interesting to them.

We have many trips out in the school holidays, including family coach trips. These are designed to get parents spending more leisure time with their children. They can also bring younger siblings along, so the whole family can spend a day together away from the city. These trips also bring local people together, thus reducing isolation. This year we have been to Leeds Castle in Kent and Broadstairs and to local venues like Museums and swimming pools.

Throughout the holidays we ran a merit point system, where the children could earn points by joining in an activity, helping out in the garden, picking up litter or just doing a kind deed for somebody else. The children with the  the most points went to Stubber’s Adventure Centre where they did raft building, archery and rock climbing.

We would like to thank all of the Trusts and Funders that have supported us throughout the year. They are as follows:

Big Lottery Children’s Play, Henry Smith Foundation, John Lyons Charity, Camden’s Children Schools and Families, Awards for All, Help a London Child, The Hedley Foundation, The St Pancras Welfare Trust and the Fitzdale Trust.

Niki Barnett-Henry – Children’s Programme Co-ordinator

QUOTES FROM SOME OF THE CHILDREN THAT USE THE CALTHORPE PROJECT:

“Me and my Brother love the Calthorpe. It’s like our second home”

Shakil & Shahel.

“I’ve been coming here since I was three and really miss it when I don’t come. I come mostly to use the pitch. I was spotted here for my football skills, now I play for Brentford”

Christian Forino Joseph.

The Calthorpe Allstars have been competing and representing the Calthorpe Project for the last five years, winning trophies and teaching young people how to use their energy in a positive way through dedication, commitment and team work, as well as enjoying learning new skills in dance, cheer, stunting ans tumbling.

The team meet every friday evening at the Calthorpe Project at 4.30 pm.

Call if you are interested in joining the team. (5 years and over)

Activities for Children start at 11.15 during winter. 12.15 during British summer time.