Life Chance Trust

The future’s bright…

Our new Head of Trust, Ben Feasey, has been in place since December and has really hit the ground running!

His first update below details our achievements so far and some of our plans for the next 12 months:

As a organisation we are reviewing our processes and procedures and streamlining our approaches to enable us to be more effective and efficient.

Over the next 12 months we plan to concentrate on our programme delivery across three main areas of work; Life Skills Workshops, Mentoring, & our Every Chance Board programme.

Life Skills Workshops:

Our Life Skills programme comprises six two-hour workshops delivered over six weeks on the topics of Wellbeing, Cooking on a Budget, Teamwork, Life Admin & Finance, Transport Training and CV & Employment Skills.

100% of young people have said they found these workshops extremely helpful and a further 90% would go on to use what they learnt in everyday life.

We will deliver 6 full workshop programmes this year, to support 52 young people.

Mentoring:

We’re currently working with 13 young people through our 1:1 mentoring. We offer 12 weeks of face-to-face mentoring with one of our dedicated mentors – working on goal setting and helping them access other areas of help or support they may need, whilst navigating the complexities of life.

We have currently recruited 8 mentors to deliver this work and aim to support a further 31 young people this year via this programme.

Every Chance Board:

This is our youth board, where young people use their voice to shape our direction and offer. They will continue to offer support and be the youth participation group for the Trust, ensuring our Trustees maintain a relevant and youth-friendly approach in everything we do.

To add extra value, we’re now developing a programme to further support these young people with skills such as public speaking, organisation and planning, alongside potential work experience.

‘I am really happy to be in post at LCT and am eager to develop an effective charity that has transformation and benefit to young people at its heart.’
Ben Feasey – March 2024

Help transform Young People’s lives in South Devon!

We’ve been lucky enough to secure 2 places in this year’s London Marathon, and who better to take up one of those places than our Listening, Advocacy and Mentoring Co-ordinator, Chloe.

Community fundraising is extremely important for small and new charities like Life Chance Trust, and donations can contribute towards enabling us to run workshops for young people on Life Skills, or towards mentoring a young person 1:1.

Help us by getting behind Chloe as she takes on 26.2 miles around London this April – any donation is much appreciated!

https://localgiving.org/fundraising/chloe-life-chance-trust

Onwards and upwards

Happy first birthday to us! This month, we’re celebrating the first anniversary of our official registration with the Charity Commission. Lots of hard work went on ‘behind the scenes’ to make this happen, and since then it’s been full steam ahead to offer our support to young people.

You can check out our Annual Review here to catch up on all we’ve achieved.

Our Head of Trust, Chris Keeling-Rowe, will be moving on at the end of this Summer, but here she reflects back on the highs and lows of our first fantastic year!

Chris says:

“It’s been an honour to lead the development of the Life Chance Trust, and stepping away from such a wonderful role – especially after all the hard graft of set-up – isn’t easy, but my family commitments have had to take precedent. From an interim leadership perspective, with foundations laid and initial plans well underway, now’s the perfect time for a new helm to guide the team and move ahead with service development and expansion.

I’m looking forward to being able to hand over a well-founded organisation, with passionate young people, highly skilled staff, committed volunteers and experienced and supportive Trustees.

My top moments:

Receiving the registration certificate from the Charity Commission after many months of preparation (pic above).
Seeing the whole team come together at our first annual awayday – the energy and passion in those four walls was something special!
Every time I speak with mentors about the huge steps forward young people make with their support, we onboard a new volunteer, or are awarded funding (to help us reach more young people.
Life Chance Trust being selected from a field of over 120 charities nationally as one of 8 new Listening Fund partners.
Joining Every Chance Board young people, friends and supporters at Exeter’s Great West Run – and running the Community Mile with my 7 year old daughter!
My amazing colleagues…
The commute – the railway stretch from Exeter to Newton Abbot is probably the most beautiful train journey in the whole of England!

The learning / the lows:

The need for patience, and to ‘trust the process’! Having to remind myself, daily, that Rome wasn’t built in a day – the need is so vast, and as a small charity we’re a drop in the ocean – but we’re also in it for the long-haul, and we’ll never give up, because young people shouldn’t have to give up their dreams!

If you’re reading this and considering applying to be the next Head of the Life Chance Trust – don’t hesitate, and we hope to meet you soon.”

Thanks to Persimmon

Life Chance Trust gifted £1000 by Persimmon Homes South West

The money donated by Persimmon Homes South West is part of the housebuilder’s Community Champions initiative, which donates up to £750,000 a year to local causes and organisations across the UK. The housebuilder is currently delivering new homes at its Bradley Barton View development in Newton Abbot.

The money received by Life Chance Trust will be used to support more young people as the organisation grows and develops.

Commenting on the donation, Head of Life Chance Trust, Chris Keeling-Rowe said: “The Life Chance Trust is a new Devon-based charity on a mission to transform young lives after childhood trauma and adversity.

“This generous donation means we can help more young people find their way to happy, healthy and safe adult lives.

“Thank you to the whole Persimmon team!”

The charity offers therapeutic support, mentoring, training, advice, advocacy and practical assistance so the young people can lead happy, healthy and safe adult lives. By furthering understanding of trauma, Life Chance Trust aims to break the cycle for future generations.

Persimmon South West Sales Director, Stacey Harris, said: “What we do is about far more than just building quality homes – we’re also committed to providing support and leaving a lasting positive legacy in the communities we build in.

“Our Community Champions initiative is all about supporting worthwhile causes in local communities, and with our strong local presence at our Bradley Barton View development, we’re delighted to be able to support Life Chance Trust.

“This new charity is doing wonderful work with the most vulnerable young people in our society here in the South West and with its support is helping them to transform their lives.”

For more information please visit www.persimmonhomes.com

Making Magic! Our first ever Trust Awayday

“My eyes have been opened; I’ve learned lots as well”

On 21^st February, we brought the whole Life Chance Trust team – Young Advisors, Trustees, staff and volunteers – together to share ideas and shape our plans to 2025.

It’s hard to find the words to express how life-affirming and energising it was seeing it all come together after many months of research, planning and set-up to reach this point in our journey as a new charity. It really was a case of goosebumps (and fist bumps!) all round.

Here are a few of the words others used, from our post-attendee survey:.

“The best thing? Bringing everyone together and getting stuck into the important questions as we move forward”
“Realising how much I’ve got to learn from young people, and how much there is to give”
“Life Chance Trust is ‘creating a clearing’ for young people to step into”
“I’m really looking forward to seeing where the charity goes, moving forward with such a great team around us”.
“A very welcoming feel, everyone’s moving in a similar direction.”

Our Magic Little Grant of £500 in start-up funding for our Young Advisor’s panel was funded through the partnership between Localgiving, the UK’s leading membership and support network for local charities and community groups, and Postcode Local Trust, a grant-giving charity funded by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Their support has helped to set the right course as we work to transform 25 young lives by 2025.

Bestseller raising funds for charity

Life Chance Group proprietor Mark Escott has pledged all proceeds from sales of the latest edition of his book ‘One More Life Chance’ to benefit the work of the Life Chance Trust.

The book details how Mark’s own troubled childhood gave him a unique insight into childhood trauma and inspired him to enable better life chances for young people. Despite this turbulent start in life, he went on to carve out an impressive career as a child and adolescent behaviour specialist, working therapeutically with young people and families within the Social Care, Health and Education sectors.

‘One More Life Chance’ was a bestseller on its release in 2019, and has been revised and updated for the second edition in 2023 – and is already an Amazon Bestseller once again! You can support our fundraising (and enjoy a great read) by purchasing the book here!

In 2014 Mark set up School for Inspiring Talents, an independent day school where specialist educational, therapeutic and support staff work together to create a nurturing environment, working with young people and families who have experienced trauma. The school now has sites in Newton Abbot and Ashburton, supporting nearly 70 children who travel from areas across South Devon to attend our specialist provision, including Plymouth, Ivybridge, Exeter, Torbay and Dartmoor.

Meet our Lead!

We’re pleased to introduce Chris Keeling-Rowe as Head of new independent charity, the Life Chance Trust.

Driven by a determination to help every young person to reach their full potential, Chris (she/her) brings a blend of experience from the youth, wider charity and corporate sectors in the South-West and London.

Chris is based in Bristol, from where she’s run a funding research, bid-writing and editorial consultancy for children, youth and health/medical charities while raising a young family.

Previously, Chris led communications, development, programmes and policy teams at Leap Confronting Conflict, World Animal Welfare, and the British Youth Council.

Chris also has experience of grant-making (BBC Children in Need, Quartet Community Foundation) and employee volunteering, corporate partnerships and communications (Barclays).

Chris knows first-hand how finding the right opportunities, and getting some support, can transform lives. A young carer who often felt excluded at secondary school, it wasn’t until the age of 20 that she found the confidence to get involved with student-led groups. By 21, she was helping to run a youth-led organisation and was able make her ideas a reality as part of a diverse team. Chris has worked to bring the best of those values, and her own recipe for transformation, to each and every team she’s worked with since.

Originally from North Devon, Chris still craves time by the sea, and takes every opportunity for new adventures with family and friends.

Recycle & Raise

We are delighted to be one of this year’s chosen charities for Devon Contract Waste’s Recycle & Raise scheme. It’s a fantastic initiative which collects unwanted plastic containers, recycles them into sturdy garden furniture and then donates the proceeds of sales to local charities. What a completely brilliant idea!

Use the QR code below or click to find your nearest drop-off point!