ROKT F O l Fl Fi REPO 2022-23 11
CONTENTS: ANNUAL REPORT 2022-23
Notes from trustees, director and founder Impacts for 2022/2023
Highlights and 2022/2023 timeline in brief Financial summary & fundraising achievements Looking forward
TRUSTEES & PATRONS
Lidia Shinwell (trustee) Jason Costello (trustee) Gary Byrnes (trustee) Bob & Carol Bridgestock (patrons) Sean Jarvis (patron) Sinead Sopala (trustee)
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
ROKT Foundation goes from strength-to-strength and its reach is all encompassing, helping increase a person’s health both mentally and physically. We are proud to support such an inspirational charity and delighted to report how well the Foundation has performed over the last 12 months.
As an organisation, we are reaching out to support new clients of all ages and abilities, seeing first-hand how clients have thrived in the setting and achieved more than they thought possible. Our objectives for the short to medium term are to grow as an organisation, to support new and varied audiences, develop strong and meaningful partnerships locally and across West Yorkshire so that we can continue to engage, empower and inspire.
WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL REPORT 2022-23
The last 12 months have been transformational.
We have taken our work based around the positive fear of climbing and urban adventure to new heights.
Lives have been changed, families suported and children inspired. Real change, real difference.
Our ground-breaking Climbing For All Families programme has seen mums, dads and guardians be given the chance to take part in the activities their children with additional needs enjoy - from climbing to caving to team games.
No longer is it just one or the other - it’s all. Our UK-first Moving Through Menopause project put climbing and holistic support at the heart of a new 10 week course that women taking part have said has changed their lives.
It attracted TV coverage which in turn helped spread the word. This year saw us whisk our charity - and our service users - into the great outdoors and taking our experiences and impacts to a new level. In winter 2022 ROKT Foundation was nominated as a finalist in the Community Spirit Awards for ‘Best New Charity’ and it was great to receive recognition so early on. It gave us a chance to increase our profile and celebrate our success, whilst forging new partnerships. Partnerships have been critical and we understand the power of working together to help more people in bigger ways.
It’s why we say everything we do is to engage, empower and inspire ! And we will.
Katie Kinsella, Director for Community & Business Engagement
A major highlight for this year was the launch of our ground-breaking new project to use climbing to help women transition through the menopause.
We used the Olympic sport to help women tackle the effects of menopause alongside other key therapies ranging from an expert GP to pilates and nutrition.
Bouldering, rope climbing and caving were all on the agenda for the 16 women on the pioneering pilot course which ran for 10 weeks last spring thanks to a Sport England Jubilee Grant. We secured regional coverage on ITV Calendar and Yorkshire Post, attracting an unprecedented number of course enquires.
WATCH OUR FILM
1,285 people engaged 6 8 7 kids from 29 schools 6 9 kids with additional needs
4 5 refugees supported 3 3 Climbing For All Families 1 9 0 climbers on courses
We are immensely proud of our Climbing for All Families which really took off this year. From working with children with additional needs we discovered from their parents/guardians how difficult it can be to find activities for the whole family to do together. We decided to change that!
With money from the National Lottery Community Fund we have created a safe space for children, their siblings and the wider family to come and enjoy the experience of active urban adventure.
Sessions include team games, bouldering, harness swing, rope climbing and indoor caving. We extended this to two specialist schools and offered families the opportunity to come see their amazing kids in action - and their new found confidence and skills.
WATCH OUR FILM
WATCH OUR FILM
FROM THE FOUNDER
When I first built ROKT Climbing Gym inside this old disused flour mill over a decade ago I already knew the effect sport had on wellbeing. Climbing makes you focus with such intensity.
As we evolved what the climbing at ROKT offered, it became clear that climbing enabled people from all walks of life to escape, mostly upwards, and to experience mind and body working together, increasing that connectedness with time and experience. More obvious was the impact on children and families where neurodivergence and/or physical challenges meant accessing environments that delivered for their needs was hard,
ROKT Foundation was created with the goal of providing access to a place where everyone is welcome, that inspires change, growth and ultimately combines excitement with challenge and experiences that shape positive perspectives.
So after years of planning, we finally launched this charity only to be hit with a global pandemic. But in reality, the timing could not have been better because what the ROKT Foundation offered was what people needed the most. And the stats in the last few pages - and the pages to come - show just how much of an impact we have had. Thanks to Katie, who has built the foundation, and our awesome climbing team and partners, we have made a difference.
By working together with others, we have reached a huge group of people and used climbing to make a difference in their lives - not just when they are on the wall but for days, months and years after.
It’s why the plans for the future are so exciting and together we can support even more people, get even more people active and leave a lasting legacy using the power of climbing. Onwards and upwards, as they say.
1 AWARDS FINAL £119K GRANT FUNDING SECURED 300K+ PEOPLE REACHED THROUGH MEDIA COVERAGE
Dr Euan Noble, Founder of ROKT Foundation
OUR MISSION & SUCCESSES
At ROKT Foundation our mission is to engage, empower and inspire, supporting those that would not normally partake in physical and wellbeing programmes.
We want to provide opportunities to help stop the negative upward trend in physical and mental health of all ages.
CHARITABLE PROJECTS
Over the last 12 months we have delivered 14 different charitable projects in line with our mission to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing. We continue to gather vital evidence to make sure we are best supporting those we are here to help.
We know that climbing is an amazing way to improve and synchronize body and mind. This is something we are strengthening with a considered and carefully managed outdoor offer.
Yet ROKT Foundation strives to be more than climbing and urban adventure.
We are utilising the amazing facilities at our base to develop other enrichment opportunities. This has included things like music development programmes to support children’s mental health and grassroots karate masterclasses for children from more deprived communities as part of the Healthy Holidays programme.
CHILDREN’S MUSIC PROGRAMME Climbing is a huge part of what we do to support physical and mental health and wellbeing, but our aim since we reopened our doors in 2021 was to develop a broad ranging offer to support more vulnerable groups of all ages. In winter 2022/2023 we started our new music programme supporting children and young people struggling with emotional health and wellbeing.
The three-session programme supports children to create their own piece of music.
Over the course of their journey they discussed music genres and what appeals to them. They developed a piece of music with vocals that were thoughts, feelings or messages they want to share.
Funded by Creative Minds and supported by Rex Reebo music producer, we have worked closely with the Calderdale Police Intervention Unit and Newsome Academy girls so far. Take a listen to their engaging, empowering and inspiring music. LISTEN HERE
CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Around 100 children from across Kirklees were helped through our partnership programme with Invictus Wellbeing.
The challenge of climbing combined with Invictus Wellbeing’s group sessions to tackle worries such as selfharm,
social media pressures, body image and transitioning to secondary school had a great impact.
ADULT MENTAL HEALTH
Adult mental health continues to be a priority for us and since April 2022 we have supported 44 new climbers through our dedicated courses. Importantly, 18 that joined us in 2021 have been helped to continue their climbing journey, which is amazing and shows the ongoing positive impact of our work.
This has included working with a small group to develop lead climbing skills and support the start of outdoor climbing activities, something which will grow during the next 12 months. Partnerships are vital to our work and we teamed up with with expert referral organisations including EIP Insight, Recovery College for Calderdale & Kirklees and Andy’s Man Club.
This enabled us to reach the right people and help even more in need of support.
Our work in the mental health field also led us to the menopause project which you can read about and watch earlier in this document,
IMPACTS
ROKT Foundation is dedicated to supporting physical and mental health and wellbeing. Across our programmes, we research how to support our client bases and get vital feedback from them to make sure we are best supporting them.
By measuring and evaluating we can understand how our interventions have had a positive impact on both our participants and those connected to them, including carers, teachers, and wider families.
The ROKT Foundation mission is to engage, empower and inspire, we work with groups that would not normally come along to climb, whether this is because of low income, low aspirations, lack of awareness, anxiety or even fear. We then support them to improve their confidence and self-value.
From the beginning of a course to the end of a course, confidence is raised, self-esteem is built and the challenge to do more and do it better is encouraged by us and welcomed by those we support. Our approach works because climbing is an activity that appeals to our human nature, physically, mentally, and emotionally
Climbing regulates and stimulates emotions and is a mindful activity. When climbing, clients can feel fear or anxiety when challenged with a new route, they can feel frustrated when trying to achieve what seems unattainable, they feel elated and confident when they achieve and get stronger throughout their climbing journey.
Importantly they also learn how to manage frustrations when things don’t go their way on the wall. All such emotions translate into everyday life and help people to become more resilient.
Climbing develops problem solving and communication skills
Problem solving is at the very heart of what climbing is all about. As the sport requires the visual analysis of a given route to determine the best possible path to reach the top, it is very usual to conduct this analysis in pairs or groups.
We find this is particularly important to our clients managing their mental health and wellbeing. Often nervous about speaking to others, having a focus for communication, and speaking about a climbing route and how to navigate it helps participants to have a reason to be heard. This massively supports their confidence.
Climbing will take you to nature
The longer people stay climbing, the more likely it is they will end up outdoors within nature. This is something as an organisation, we are keen to explore and develop with our client bases, offering them the opportunity to engage in outdoor climbing and adventure experience.
We started this in summer 2022 through our Healthy Holidays programme and look to develop the outdoor experience in years to come.
“This was great for him... he wants to look into an apprenticeship as an activity instructor.”
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Phil and Paul for the session they held for Lewis and Hayden today. Their encouragement and enthusiasm pushed Lewis out of his comfort zone and for Hayden, as the older sibling, they often miss out of things.
“So this was great for him, so much so he wants to look into an apprenticeship as an activity instructor. We will look out for the next sessions. Thank you to you all.” Donna - Climbing For All Families parent
“Had a brilliant time...feeling proud of themselves.”
“Thank you for the boys’ session with you. They both had a brilliant time and were feeling very confident and proud of themselves after.
“Dad, Craig, wanted to leave some feedback about the session. He said the staff were very professional, really good with the children and had very good SEN knowledge. With thanks” Claire - Climbing For All Families parent
“I really enjoyed...pushing through my fear of heights. This has helped improve my selfesteem and confidence.”
“I just wanted to say a massive thank you for the opportunity to engage with the moving through menopause course. I really enjoyed challenging myself and pushing through my fear of heights to be able to reach the top of the wall ( Which I never thought I would be capable of! )
“This has helped improve my self-esteem, confidence and has had a positive impact on my anxiety and mental health. Once again, a big thank you and I will continue to promote this to other ladies! Thank you.”
Moving Through Menopause participant
“Climbing outdoors..really tests your body and mind.”
Climbing outdoors. is a completely different experience.
“It really tests your body and mind, in a good way! Thanks to ROKT Foundation for making this happen.”
Health & Wellbeing participant
TIMELINE 22-23
MAY 2022 Invictus Wellbeing sessions launch APRIL 2022 JUNE 2022 JULY 2022 Summer Healthy Holidays First SEN Healthy New Police early featuring refugee kids Holidays intervention starts NOV 2022 Finalist for New Charity of the Year OCT 2022 DEC 2022 JAN 2023 Staff attend outdoor Healthy Holidays for ROKTAGON school climbing instructor training sessions 95 kids at Xmas training
AUG 2022 Outdoor climbing for 65 kids JULY 2022 SEP 2022 Summer Healthy Holidays Adult refugee featuring refugee kids development starts
FEB 2023 Moving Through Menopause launch MAR 2023 SEN kids parents open day
WATCH OUR films...
FINANCIALS
2022/23 has been a positive year for fundraising and delivery.
FUNDING STREAMS
Capital Funding has kindly come in from various key funders.
April 22-Mar 23
Total income Grant Funding Local Gov Commissions £119,099.00 £90,487 £9,240
Educational Fundraising Commissions & donations £18,329 £320
April 21 – Mar 22
Total income Grant Funding Local Gov Educational Fundraising Commissions Commissions & donations £114,582.00 £86,189.84 £10,050 £17,643 £699.16
Expenditure
Project Delivery Core Costs Staff Instructor costs and Utilities and equipment Training partner delivery costs subscriptions £74,722 £15,733 £2,456
March 2023 year end balance: £89,396
“The largest proportion of our funding income comes from successful applications to grant giving trusts and foundations. During the financial year 2022-2023 ROKT Foundation secured £90,487 in grant funding.”
These include: Boshier Hinton The Toy Trust
Community Foundation for Calderdale Tesco Small Grant Hedley Foundation
They have all provided funding to help us develop a sensory space for children with special needs to be enjoyed with their families. We aim to have this completed in September/ October 2023.
With NHS Creative Minds funding we have been able to develop a fantastic new music programme to support children’s mental health and wellbeing by using music as a way to tap into their anxieties and emotions.
But importantly, also inject positivity into their thoughts through sound creation and teamwork. We have run three successful Healthy Holidays programmes with financial support from the Department for Education.
This has included an SEN programme too. The funding supports children primarily on free school meals to have opportunities to engage in active urban adventure whilst learning about the importance of good nutrition. It is an amazing programme with hundreds of children supported each year.
Our Climbing for All Families programme has been a huge success, supported by National Lottery Community Funding.
With funding from Sovereign Health Care Trust we have been able to support more than 40 adult refugee and asylum seekers to climb. These people are often living within hotels and with very little money.
Our free activity has allowed our climbers to become focussed, learn a new skill and find out more about what exists in their new communities.
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SUPPORT
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COMMUNITIES
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SUPPORT IMPROVE ACTIVE WORKHEALTH & CARE PLACE AGENDA FOR WHO WE SUPPORT
Throughout the next 12 months we will continue in inspire people to get moving and create more enrichment programmes to support the body and mind. We know that adults with long term health conditions and learning disabilities are twice as likely (43%) to be inactive compared to those without. Our work with specialist schools and our support for the SEN agenda means we will continue to challenge this head on, encouraging and engaging children to try new forms of sport which we hope will broaden horizons, increase aspirations which will support them into adulthood. Children’s and adult mental health remain a key focus in what we do as a Foundation.
Engagement and integration is key. With an increasing refugee and asylum seeker population, we will play our part to support them alongside partner organisations. As always we will continue to engage, empower and inspire. From 2023 -2025 ROKT Foundation will aim to continue to do the following
ENGAGE EMPOWER INSPIRE EFFECTIVELY MARKET & PROMOTE WHAT WE DO SUPPORT THE ACTIVE SCHOOLS AGENDA
ENSURE WE’RE INCLUSIVE, SAFE & ACCESSIBLE
OKT ENGAGE
| ROKT Foundation Statement of Financial Activities Including Income & Expenditure Account |
|
|---|---|
| For The Year Ended 31-March 2023 | |
| Income from: Total 2023 Unrestricted funds Restricted project funding |
Opening Balance April 2022 |
| Grants 90487 Donations 423.49 Commissioned projects 9240 Fundraising activities 620 Subsidised educational activities 18329.5 |
|
| Total Income 19372.99 99727 119,099.99 |
|
| Expenditure on: | |
| Project delivery 74722.15 Core costs 15733.07 0 Staf training and development 2456.02 0 Charity events 0 |
|
| Total Expenditure 18189.09 74722.15 92,911.24 |
|
| Closing Balance 31 March 2023 89,396.93 |
Unrestricted Restricted Funding Project Funding Total 13543.16 49665.02 ###
updated 31.03.2023
updated 31.03.2023
updated 31 03.2023
Note PDF so have updated info from previous submission (2022 yearend)� Audited year end 2022/2023 and all in order - delay in submission until Jan 2024 because of changes to submission by Charity Commission.