We've had a great time over the last few weeks with Hull FC coming into our boys session and playing rugby with them all. They've practiced drills, played tag rugby, knock on, kick tennis, and  more! 

The lads have said themselves that they've learnt a ton working with Hull FC over the last couple of months and have really enjoyed the sport sessions. Even the young people that wouldn't usually get involved with sports have joined in more and more, and had a great time developing their skills and making new friends during the different games. 

The young people have been enjoying playing and learning how to play some of our old board games, specifically chess. We were surprised at some of the young people's enthusiasm since this game is often ignored and thought of as slow paced and strategic; but the young people have been using this game to exercise their minds for last few sessions! They've found a great use for the long pauses and slow pace of the game as they use this time to tease each other competitively and have loved the challenge of trying to beat the staff. Some of the young people were helping and teaching each other ways to improve and make the game more fun. The young people, no matter the level of mastery of any of the games we play, have found it fun as these games have helped some get out of their shell and given others the opportunity to share their knowledge and start a fun conversation! ​

We've been busy on the parks continuing to give out free sports equipment to the young people we see, only this time we've also been inviting them to play a bit of badminton, archery, football and rugby with us too! We've also been able to offer out our very own HeadStart craft bags full to the brim of great bits and bobs to keep them occupied at home over the summer. It's been a great success on each park we've gone to and the young people have been very grateful and loved taking part! 

After asking the young people how they would like the one to one room decorated, they settled on a bright orange for the walls. Thanks to a pot of funding we were able to afford two sofas, coffee tables, shelving, bean bags, a lamp, a rug, a chalk board, a blind, some toys, and paint & wallpaper to completely revamp our 1-2-1 room so it was comfier for anyone to use it. 

During lockdown it had become our unofficial 'charity shop storage room', so when we got back to doing one on one, as well as group, sessions again, we knew we needed to tidy it up and get started. We had some doubts of the colours chosen at first, and a few bumps in the road as we were decorating, but by the end, we were very chuffed with how its turned out and so are our service users!! 

The young people had a great time making sweet potato brownies, almond milk milkshakes, hair masks, healthy protein snacks,, homemade pizzas and ice cream, fruit kebabs, and so much more in their Boys Bake Off/Girls Pyjama Pamper Sessions! The boys loved spending time in the gym too, going against staff in some great challenges on the equipment. 

After asking the young people and community what they'd like to change about Network, we had quite a few people mention the spray painting outside in the allotment. We looked into a few different local artists and organised to have Skeg come in to help the young people paint it, funded by the Healthy Holidays Hull fund. He went over designs with them and incorporated all of their ideas before sketching it out on the wall for them to fill in with spray paints. 

The young people had a blast getting involved and learnt a lot from Skeg, and were surprised and inspired by the idea that they could be paid if they became an artist in the future too. We're very happy with the bright and colourful result and all the little added extras just shout 'Network'!! 

Have a look below at some before photos of the allotment to compare! 

We were lucky enough to be given funding to take our Outreach group on a trip of their choice during the summer and they decided they wanted to go to York for the day for some great food, an escape room and a walk around the shops!  

Sadly, not all of the group were able to go due to some of them testing positive for Covid, but we'll be planning another trip for them as soon as possible. 

We had a fantastic day at Wheeler's Children Centre making stressballs, doing temporary tattoos and giving out activity bags to the young people that attended. We were very grateful to be able to provide the activities and packs for free and had great feedback from the families and young people that spoke to us. 

An absolutely fantastic event and the first we've been able to do in some time! Everyone had a blast at the Family Play Day with activities ranging from massages, milkshake/smoothie making, water fights, soft play, water & sand pits for little ones, a bit of sport on the field for some of the older kids, and all food and drinks provided. 

We've missed being able to host events like this for our community and hope that we'll be able to do bigger and (somehow) better ones in the future, providing it follows government guidelines. It's great to be able to help the parents have a few hours to let their hair down and relax for a few hours during the summer and to be able to see their kids have a great time with the activities we planned. 

We packed the instructions and resources for over 30 activities in our Care Home Play Rangers Packs to keep the kids occupied and busy over the summer! From salt jars, to water bomb games, to rainbow bread baking; they definitely wont be bored of what we packed inside for them. We also made sure to deliver them the next day before the summer holidays started so that the carers would have the resources ready.