THANK YOU

From all of us here at Kids Company we would like to thank our friends for the fantastic support you have given us both throughout 2011 and with the Kids Company Christmas campaign.

With your incredible help Kids Company were able to support thousands of children, young people and families over the Christmas period.

On Christmas Day Kids Company picked up children and young people from all over London and brought them to The Kia Oval in South London, which had been transformed into a magical Christmas space. Staff and volunteers came and offered their skills, creating and running activities from face painting and football to massage, karaoke and a Santa’s grotto. At lunchtime Christmas dinner was served and everyone sat down to eat together. Food boxes were given out for families to take home for Boxing Day. At 4pm we handed out presents which were carefully and individually wrapped for each and every child. Finally, after a fun-filled day of activities and festive treats, taxis and minibuses, collected the children and dropped them back at their homes and hostels.

We would also like to say a big thank you for the hard work of volunteers over the Christmas period, who helped Kids Company with all sorts of events from shaking a collection tin on Oxford Street during the VIP AMEX Weekend to coming down and helping out on Christmas Eve with last minute wrapping and tinsel hanging.

Our Christmas would not have been possible without all of the generous donations, hard work and support that our amazing supporters and friends have given us, so a huge thank you from everyone at Kids Company!

PETER BLAKE

This month you have the chance to own a unique print from renowned English pop artist Sir Peter Blake. Lucky Strike x3 recently appeared in the Payne Shurvell’s Your Garden is Looking a Mess Could You Please Tidy it Up exhibition alongside work from a host of other contemporary artists.

The aim of the exhibition was to take as its starting point an icon of twentieth-century design: the Marlboro flip-top cigarette box, first introduced by Philip Morris in 1955, and explore ‘print’ in this period of reinvention, dismantling and possible cultural renewal. The Marlboro pack has a long history of visual appropriation, but as logos and advertising are increasingly removed, will an activity fueled by visual desire survive without the image?

Historically, magazines, record sleeves, CD cases, book covers and other printed visual ephemera acted as a coded visual display of how we thought. As the decline of the printed visual landscape continues and we become increasingly consumed by a sanitized digital (and in many cases virtual) one, how will the individual define him or herself in this shifting environment?

Lucky Strike x3 encapsulates the ideas behind this exhibition and acts as a springboard for other work that explores notions of printed material in a shifting and visually unpredictable landscape.

This is a fantastic opportunity for collectors or first time buyers to own a unique piece of work by Peter Blake that is also part of a wider display of cultural images. The one-off print is available for the same price as his limited edition prints (of which 100 or more have been created.) The net proceeds from the sale will be donated to Kids Company, which equates to two thirds of the final price – making it a perfect guilt-free investment!

If you are interested in the piece please contact Joanne Shurvell at jo@payneshurvell.com or your Kids Company contact.

DATE FOR DIARY

ARTS FOR HEART’S SAKE

Join us on Thursday 9^th February at 20 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8RS for a preview auction night of photographs and artwork in aid of Kids Company.  Please email Imogen.lovell-smith@kidsco.org.uk if you are interested in coming along and we’ll add you to the guest list!

TEA WITH CAMILA

On Wednesday 8^th February at 4.30pm Kids Company will be hosting 2012’s first Tea with Camila. The event will be a brilliant opportunity to hear Camila speak, find out more about Kids Company and how your company can get involved and engage with us whether it is through volunteering, fundraising or mentoring.  Please contact suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk if you wish to attend.

COMING UP

Run the adidas Silverstone Half Marathon for Kids Company

Are you feeling the need to get fit after the festive period? Why not take part in the adidas Silverstone half marathon for Kids Company, lose pounds for you, gain £’s for us!

The adidas Silverstone Half Marathon takes place at the historic, world famous Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit and is a great race for those of you who want to take the step up from shorter races or as a part of your training for a Marathon.

Why not join in with colleagues, friends or family and make a day out of it!  You could even make it a competition to see who can raise the most sponsorship!

Registration deadline: Monday 13 February 2012

Race day: Sunday 11 March 2012

For more information on how to register, see attached PDF or email suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk or call 020 7202 2700.

IN THE PRESS:

Christmas 2011 saw the Archbishop of Canterbury give his New Year speech at Kids Company’s Camberwell centre with interviews with some of Kids Company’s staff and young people. Watch here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTV7-yIycms

With the Kids Company 2011 Christmas campaign now launched we are looking for everything from toy donations to food hampers to present wrapping volunteers in order to make this year’s Christmas party for 3,500 vulnerable children and young people even more spectacular than the last. Speak to your Account Manager or e-mail christmas@kidsco.org.uk to find out how you can get involved in this year’s activities.

For those of you that weren’t able to make our Christmas themed Tea with Camila last month we are hosting another one on the 16th November 4:30-6pm. This is a great opportunity to hear Camila speak and meet the various teams over tea and cake, as well as find out more about our Christmas plans. More details to follow but you can e-mail your Account Manager or suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk if you missed the last one and know you would like to attend.

Coming Soon

With Christmas quickly approaching it will soon be time to dust off the trainers, get those santa suits on and join the hundreds of other santas running around Greenwich Park for charity on Sunday 5th December. If you would like to take part in this festive £5K fun run please e-mail you Account Manager or suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk who is co-ordinating the event.

Registration is £20 (plus £100 sponsorship) and you will be met with mulled wine and minced pies on the finishing line! Friends, family, colleagues and spouses are also welcome…

Date for the Diary

Over the weekend of the 10th and 11th of December American Express and the New West End Company are staging a special Christmas collaboration in aid of Kids Company, and we are inviting our supporters to come and join the festivities.

Oxford Street and Regent Street will be returned to shoppers for a traditional, magical West End Christmas celebration and traffic-free shopping weekend.  The main event will be a 30 hour Christmas Carol-A-Thon to raise  money for Kids Company, with the nocturnal leg of this great musical feat taking place in the window of House of Fraser’s flagship store on Oxford Street. American Express will also be donating £1 to Kids Company every time a card is used over the course of the weekend (up to the value of £50,000), so a great time to do a spot of Christmas shopping! For further information please contact  jody.halstead@kidsco.org.uk.

In the Press

A huge thank you to Grazia, our media partner for the Gladrags and Handbags designer fashion sale that took place last week. Their support of the event brought in the fashion crowd and enabled us to raise vital funds for the Kids Company Christmas day party. Make sure you pick up your copy of Grazia next Tuesday for their review of the event’s exclusive launch party.

THIS MONTH

Christmas Party Facebook App

Every year we create a magical Christmas day for thousands of children who would otherwise go without, and we need your help in making this happen, which is why we’ve created our ‘Christmas party’ app on Facebook. Through this unique app you can donate lovely gifts towards the Kids Company Christmas day party – everything from brussel sprouts to Christmas tree decorations! Every donation made will help us make it a Christmas to remember for over 3,500 vulnerable children this year.

Kids Company Album Launch

This December also sees the launch of the Kids Company music album in partnership with Pendragon Recordings. Join us in celebrating  by coming to the live launch event at the Barbican centre on Tuesday 13th December from 12-1pm.

The album showcases the inspiring musical talent of some of Kids Company’s young people. With collaborations of music industry artists, it is set to be an amazing hour of live music.

West End VIP/Amex Event

This weekend Oxford Street and Regents Street will be completely traffic free for the annual West End VIP event, sponsored by Amex. Not only will there be plenty of festive activities, including a 24 hour carolathon, but we will be raising  money for Kids Company over the course of the weekend.

Amex are donating £1 for every transaction on an American Express card from participating stores (up to £50K), so why not come down to enjoy the festivities and do your Christmas shopping, all whilst helping us raise vital funds for the Kids Company Christmas appeal?

We hope to see you there…

DATE FOR THE DIARY

Charity Concert

KIDS COMPANY MUSIC PRESENTS – HIT ME WITH TALENT

Monday 19th December @ 7pm
The Monto Water Rats
328 Gray’s Inn Road
WC1X 8BZ

Hit Me with Talent is a charity concert highlighting the musical achievements of the incredibly talented young musicians and performers of Kids Company who have overcome severe challenges in their lives to reach their goals and dreams.

Music plays such an important part in our young people’s lives, whether using it as a form of therapy, helping to re-engage with education, or initialise structure that has been absent from their everyday lives. By giving young people these opportunities we discover so many talents that would otherwise go unnoticed.

This is a night not to be missed as supporting the young people are some very special guest artists: Emmy the Great, Young and Lost Club, Babeshadow and Hares.

You can buy tickets to this extra special event here.

Please show your support for these inspiring young people by purchasing a ticket and passing on the details of this event to your friends, family and colleagues.

IN THE PRESS

Coldplay speak of their support of Kids Company and their benefit concert, Under 1 Roof, taking place at the O2 on Saturday 10th December.

Camila tells the Metro how the Iranian Revolution helped shape her outlook on life.

PICO ANETO

A huge well done to the 22 participants, including teams from Logica, Ten Lifestyle and PSD/Portfolio, who ventured to the glaciers of Pico Aneto to take part in one of Kids Company’s gruelling overseas challenges! They completed an exhausting three day hike covering an altitude of 3404 meters to the highest point in the Pyrenees. To see some of their fantastic photographs go to the Kids Company facebook page.

COMING SOON

Kids Company still has some places left for the festive DIFC Annual Santa 5k around Greenwich Park on Sunday 5^th December.  Enjoy a Christmas themed run around Greenwich with 2000 dressed Santas, followed by some well deserved mulled wine and mice pies at the Kids Company stand afterwards.

Registration is £20 and we want everyone to raise at least £100 in sponsorship. Please contact your Account Manager or Suzie Curran (suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk) who is coordinating the event for more details. Friends, family, spouses and clients are also welcome to take part.

DATE FOR THE DIARY

GLADRAGS AND HANDRAGS

Bag yourself a bargain at this year’s Kids Company hosted ‘Gladrags & Handbags’ fashion sale event.  Kids Company has teamed up with Grazia magazine and fashion’s hottest names to bring you an exclusive designer sale on Friday 4th and Saturday 5th November @ 20^th Century Theatre a 10 minute walk from Notting Hill.  We will be selling everything from shoes, handbags, clothes, accessories and beauty products all donated by leading designers and high street retailers and all at affordable prices. All money raised will go towards the Kids Company Christmas campaign and enable us to host a  magical Christmas for over 2,000 vulnerable inner-city children. Shopping has never been so guilt free!

Event details

Gladrags & Handbags Designer Fashion Sale – Friday 4^th and Saturday 5^th November 2011

291, Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2QA a

Nearest tube: Notting Hill & Ladbroke Grove Station

Opening times:

Friday 4th November

Saturday 5th November

Admission: £2 on the door

More info at www.kidsco.org.uk

IN THE PRESS

Read a Q&A interview with Camila from the Guardian -

SOCIAL MEDIA

Are you our friend on Facebook and following us on Twitter? If not please check out our pages. We have over 6000 friends on Facebook and would like to make it 7000 by October, so spread the word! 

Coming soon:

JOHNNY ENGLISH: REBORN

Kids Company have been given the unique opportunity of selling a number of tickets to the premiere of Johnny English: Reborn, taking place in London on Sunday 2^nd October. The film stars comic actor Rowan Atkinson, who once again plays an improbable secret agent in this comedy-thriller.

More information on this invitation-only event and ways to purchase tickets will be available soon.

KILIMANJARO

Kids Company are offering you the opportunity to climb to the summit of Africa’s highest mountain between February 19th – March 1st 2012. Enjoy amazing tranquility and panoramic scenery away from the masses on the less travelled Northern Circuit route. Starting at the north, this route traverses nearly the entire mountain before the summit push. This route also allows trekkers optimum acclimatisation to reach the summit. Why not join us on this inaugural, once in a lifetime trip?

Registration fee: £495.00

Minimum sponsorship: £3000.00

Costs NOT included: flights, insurance (circa £30) and any kit that needs to be purchased.

To book a place or for more information please contact suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk  

Date for the diary:

TEA WITH CAMILA

On Tuesday 11^th October at 4.30pm Kids Company HQ will be host to the next Tea with Camila event, but this one has a festive twist! We will be using the event to launch the Kids Company Christmas Campaign, and guests will receive information first on the various ways they can support Kids Company this Christmas; from volunteer present-wrapping to collecting for our Christmas gift and hamper appeals. Registration information will be available soon.

GLADRAGS AND HANDBAGS

Kids Company will be hosting its fourth fabulous fashion sale this November at 20^th Century Theatre in Notting Hill. Over Friday 4^th and Saturday 5^th November  a whole range of vastly discounted high-end and designer brands will be on offer to the public. Watch this space!

In the press:

Camila on BBC Radio 5 Live being interviewed on the recent riots in London.

Camila’s article in the Independent, Caring Costs – but so do riots.

Read the last instalment from Allie’s Blog on her experience of the fantastic Grazia/Reiss fashion mentoring scheme.

 COMEDY NIGHT

Join Adam Bloom, Ed Byrne, Jon Richardson and the cream of the comedy circuit on Monday 11th July for a night of laughter in aid of Kids Company. This fantastic event will take place at the Comedy Store in Piccadilly from 7:30pm with tickets on sale from their website at only £20 each (plus £2.50 booking fee.)

PROMS

Kids Company are delighted to be colaborating with the BBC Proms and the Horrible Histories to create a choir to perform at the family prom on July 30th at the historic Royal Albert Hall. The choir, made up from 10 Kids Company schools, have been working flat out to rehearse songs from the CBBC series, including Charles II King of Bling, and will be joined by The Aurora Orchestra on the evening.
This promises to be an auspicious debut and serves to reinforce the fact that the Proms are, as Henry Wood intended, for everyone.

Free tickets available from 8th July online, by phone and in person at the Royal Albert Hall box office.

Coming soon:

EXTRA PLACES AT ROYAL PARKS

Kids Company has received some last minute places for The Royal Parks Half Marathon taking place on Sunday 9th October 2011. If you’re interested in taking part please contact suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk. There is a minimum sponsorship of £300 and registration fee of £50.

KILIMANJARO

From February 19th to March 1st 2012 Kids Company have a fantastic opportunity for you to reach the summit of Africa’s highest mountain. Enjoy its amazing tranquility and panoramic scenery away from the masses on the less travelled Northern Circuit route. Starting at the north, this route traverses nearly the entire mountain before the summit push. This route also allows trekkers optimum acclimatisation to reach the summit. Join us on this inaugural, once in a lifetime trip.

Registration fee: £495.00

Minimum sponsorship: £3000.00

(Costs NOT included: flights, insurance (circa £30) and any kit that needs to be purchased.)

To book a place please contact either your Account Manager or suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk  

Date for your diary:

July 27^th 2011 will be exactly one year until the 2012 Olympics begin, so why not mark the occasion by kick starting your Gold Challenge!

Follow in the footsteps of the Gold Challenge Ambassadors  Konnie Huq and Chris Hollins and sign up to this fantastic charity challenge where you take on 5, 10, 20 or 30 Olympic and Paralympic sports and raise money for charity whilst doing so. You can choose from all 30 of the Olympic and Paralympic sports, and must complete your challenge before the end of 2012. Get your friends and family to sponsor you to take on new sports or really push your boundaries and do an endurance event such as a marathon or triathlon.

In the press:

Read a recent interesting article in the Guardian by Kids Company’s Young Person’s Ambassador Dawn Howley titled ‘Foster carers cannot take the place of parents’

Kids Company supporters have been invited to the exclusive VIP Preview of the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair.

Now in its 38th year the Fair remains one of the most established events in the arts and antiques calendar, enticing enthusiasts from around the world. With Kids Company as this year’s chosen charity we have a limited number of complimentary tickets up for grabs. If you would like to attend this event and explore the inspiring treasure trove on offer please contact imogen.lovellsmith@kidsco.org.uk.

The Kids Company conference, What STILL Matters to Every Child, will take place at the Church House Conference Centre on 28th June. This conference will engage, inform, challenge and inspire – a blend of contemporary theory and practice from the frontline, interspersed with young people’s views & theatrical performances. For more information and to register click here.

Gemini Poets appeared in 1972 when the contributors were in their late teens and early ‘20s. Gemini Four appears 39 years later: the poets are now in their late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The world has changed profoundly and they have led different lives and faced different challenges.  They react to these in equally different ways – through formal and informal verse, wry humour and deeply felt thought. Yet this variety touches real concerns they have in common.

If you want to support Kids Company by buying the book for just £10, or are interested in ordering some copies to sell at an event, please contact zoe.wilkinson@kidsco.org.uk.

COMING SOON

Join Adam Bloom, Ed Byrne and the cream of the comedy circuit on Monday 11th July for a night of laughter in aid of Kids Company. This fantastic event will take place at the Comedy Store in Piccadilly from 7:30pm with tickets on sale from their website at only £20 each (plus £2.50 booking fee.)

Join Kids Company at the Mazda London Triathlon on 30th and 31st July. Combining swimming, cycling and running all in one day at the Royal Victoria Dock in London, this is an incredible spectacle, let alone challenge, with over 8,000 entrants! Whether you want to do the Sprint or full Olympic distances, take part as an individual, or with a couple of friends in the team challenge, come and join the Kids Company team. Contact suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk for more details.

Join us on the Pico Aneto challenge on 30th September – 3rd October; our inaugural attempt to conquer the highest peak in the Pyrenees (3404m). A two-day early autumn ascent will ensure plenty of ice and some snow cover on the glacier, meaning ice axes, crampons and ropes are essential. The final ascent will begin by torchlight as we head for the snow gullies and then on to the eventual steep, airy traverse to the peak. (No previous climbing experience necessary). If you’re interested in the challenge please contact chloe.hill@kidsco.org.uk or your Kids Company Account Manager.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Our next Tea with Camila event will be taking place on Tuesday 5th July – an opportunity for supporters to learn more about Kids Company and meet the various teams over tea and cake. More details coming soon…

IN THE PRESS

Read about the amazing achievements of 4 of our young people on the Grazia/Reiss fashion mentoring scheme by following their blogs.

It’s that time of year already when hundreds come out to cheer on the London Marathon runners, so if you fancy turning up this Sunday to cheer the Kids Company runners, just email benson.spiers@kidsco.org.uk to receive free t-shirts, badges and balloons.

Coming soon:

Why not sign up to a run this summer, with all this lovely weather there is no excuse not to dust off those trainers and hit the road.

Kids Company has places left on the Superhero’s 5k fun run on Sunday 15^th May in Regents Park or for those of you that fancy something a little further there is the Bupa London 10,000 10k on Monday 30^th May. Why not sign up as a team? Please contact either your account manager at Kids Company or Suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk .

Date in your diary:

Join the DLA Charity City Chase event on Wednesday 8th June 6-8pm and pit your wits against rival teams across the City.

 The event is a monopoly-style race around some of London’s most famous landmarks including St Paul’s Cathedral and Monument (all locations are within the Square Mile.) The more places on the Charity City Chase board that you visit, the more points you receive; and each team will be required to take a photograph of themselves at each location in order to prove that they went there! There will also be the chance to earn bonus points by uncovering cryptic clues and completing additional challenges.

 You can enter in teams of 5 with a minimum registration fee of £100 per team, which includes entry into the race and refreshments at the DLA office by St Paul’s afterwards. All teams will convene at the DLA office at 5:30pm to receive their starter packs and instructions. For more information ask your Kids Company account manager

In the press:

Thanks to our friends at M&C Saatchi we have recently won an advertising competition. The prize was free advertising space on the London Underground for two weeks starting from the 24th March, when our advert Smile will appear in stations throughout the city. Keep your eyes open!

Kids Company No Bulls*t Conference
What STILL Matters to Every Child
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Church House Conference, Westminster, London

Kids Company is organising its second Kids Company No Bulls*t Conference, to be held on 28 June 2011 in Westminster, London after a sell out conference in 2007, where we did what the title said – cut out the excess, the nonsense fluff, the conceptualising without the doing. It was a joy for us and for the delegates who attended!

Three years later, Kids Company has grown to support over 14,000 children and young people per year, as well as successfully launching several research projects into the effects of trauma on the developing brain.
This conference will look to share our learning with colleagues and bring to you cutting edge understanding of the effects and implications of maltreatment during childhood. In true Kids Company style we’re not just going to describe the problem, we’re going to offer you solutions.
The day will be a blend of contemporary theory and practice about emotional crisis in children and young people. A wide selection of speakers are confirmed from the fields of neuroscience, mental health and education.

The day will also be interspersed with young people’s views, theatrical performances, art installations and delicious food – a true Kids Company production!

For more information, a full programme and prices, contact Yvonne Siegel at Kids Company
Email: Yvonne.siegel@kidsco.org.uk. / Tel 020 7202 2700

Photographer/director Alisa Connan and artist Karl Anthoney, who together make up Ant&Co, are holding an art exhibition on behalf of Kids Company at the Cielo in Mayfair throughout the month of March. The exhibition will feature portraits of famous people from the world of arts such as Jason Isaacs, Sue Tilley and Remi Nicole, and all proceeds from the sale of art work will go to Kids Company. Powder Train is a truly unique exhibition showcasing a host of raw images from today’s most influential faces in the arts, music and film industries, so get yourselves down to the Cielo from the 3rd March to check out the exhibition.

For the more serious art collectors there is also a sit-down dinner and auction on the 13^th April where for the reduced price of £30 Kids Company supporters can enjoy a 3 course meal from head chef Claudio Illuminati and wine for the evening whilst bidding on your favourite artwork. For more information contact zoe.wilkinson@kidsco.org.uk.

Coming Soon

Watch out for the launch of the new Gemini Four book of poetry, which is being released in aid of Kids Company. The contributors are Ian Florance, Jane Hitchcot, Eleanor Nesbitt and Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury.)

Gemini poets appeared in 1972 when the contributors were in their late teens and early 20s. Gemini Four appears 39 years later: the contributors are now in their late 50s and early 60s. The world has changed profoundly and the poets themselves have led different lives and faced different challenges. They react to these in equally different ways – through formal and informal verse, wry humour and deeply felt thought. Yet this variety touches real concerns they have in common.

To pre-order your copy for £9.99 or for more information contact zoe.wilkinson@kidsco.org.uk.

Are you a running novice who wants to take part in their first challenge? Or a running expert who simply wants to raise money for Kids Company and have fun dressing up whilst doing so? The Superheroes 5K Run around the lovely Greenwich Park will take place on 15^th May this year and is the perfect opportunity to dress up as your favourite childhood superhero. Contact suzie.curran@kidsco.org.uk for more information and to register.

Date for the Diary

Our next Tea with Camila event will be taking place in Kids Company HQ on Thursday 7^th April. This is a brilliant opportunity to find out more about Kids Company, hear Camila speak and listen to some of the young people talk about their experiences at Kids Company.

In the Press

Camila writes a letter to Ken Clarke on Valentine’s Day to let him know that legal aid is loved.

The Daily Telegraph run an article on our Peace of Mind research.