Author: Lynne Haigh

As part of our campaign to showcase 50 Faces of Fresh Futures to celebrate our 50^th birthday, we’re shining the spotlight on Lucy Jackson.

Brian Jackson founded the charity in 1974 and Lucy is Brian’s daughter. Lucy continues her involvement in the charity to this day – she has recently joined the Board of Trustees at Fresh Futures and also sits on the Income and Partnerships committee.

Tell us about yourself and your involvement in Fresh futures?

In 1974 – when I was 11 – my father (Brian Jackson) founded what was then called ‘The National Children Centre’. We had just moved back to Yorkshire, and being a very proud Yorkshireman he was really keen to develop something in his home town of Huddersfield that would make a difference to the people of the town (especially children under 5) and also have a wider impact on national policy and research.

I have a clear memory of going to busy sessions at Longroyd Bridge (the first home of the charity) and seeing lots of colourful activities, toddlers from all different communities, laughing and running around. I used to help empty vans of resources which dad had managed to convince people to give us. It was always a happy place to pop into, which we seemed to do regularly…

Tell us about your dad, Brian Jackson – why did he establish the charity and what was his vision? 

Dad was very passionate about working class communities, and also multicultural communities. He saw the impact that education and wider social, emotional and practical support could make to the future of children from all communities living in poverty. He was also very passionate about Huddersfield (including Huddersfield Town) and Yorkshire (especially the cricket)!

In 1974, when we moved back to Yorkshire from Cambridge, I think he saw an opportunity to bring his passions together. At the time he was working on a study about childminders – the world they lived in and the influence the registered, but mainly unregistered, childminders had on very young children. He was also looking at the lack of support childminders received. For him, supporting childminders was critical to supporting the future development of young children from working class communities.

As with everything dad did, he never wanted to leave it as ‘an interesting research project’ to have published in relevant journals – for him the prize was always making a difference to and seeing action within the lives of children and communities. For him the vision of Yorkshire’s Children’s Centre (as was) was to have somewhere that could both provide both practical support for childminders, parents and others supporting children, and provide somewhere for young children to develop and flourish.

Why do you think Fresh Futures is so important in West Yorkshire?

I don’t think I ever consciously went into my profession of Public Health, because of my dad’s legacy  – but for me my public health values, beliefs and ethics are exactly why Fresh Futures is so important today (as much as it was 50 years ago) to the present and future communities of West Yorkshire.

Child poverty is at its highest level for over 20 years. Families are experiencing a range of issues from poverty to housing crisis, and facing increased physical and mental health issues. All of which impact significantly on future generations. There is a need for practical and emotional support for families, children and young people to support them to reach their full potential which Fresh Futures’ can provide.

The Charity has been established for 50 years, what are the most significant events from your perspective?

Securing Longroyd Bridge was obviously the first significant event. The play bus and taking the vision out into the streets was significant – the charity’s focus of going out to communities is high in my memory in the early days.

I remember as things developed, and as I became a teenager, dad also brought support for young people more into focus. 

However, once we moved to Bristol and my visits to Yorkshire became less I lost touch with what was happening at the charity. – although it was a household joke of how often there were still calls between dad and Hazel (the CEO at the time). I had just completed my A levels and was at a David Bowie concert the day that dad and my younger brother ran the charity race in Huddersfield to raise money for the charity . It was only when I returned from the concert that I received the phone call to say he had collapsed on the run and died.

From there, my connection to the charity over the next years was intermittent – I remember being invited to the opening of Brian Jackson Centre (now House) and feeling really proud of dad’s lasting legacy. I also went to memorial lectures the charity organised each year with Huddersfield Polytechnic, aimed at keeping the cause in the national eye with high profile speakers.

The launching of the Charity’s first alternative provision college for young people was for me the next significant event that I became aware of. Thinking back to the days of the ‘Youth Opportunities Programme ‘ – this felt very much in line with dad’s vision.  Again my own life took over with 3 young children and a career, so it wasn’t until a few years ago when social media connected me to another walk (rather than run) in aid of the charity that I once more became aware of the brilliant work happening 50 years later. Although these events are about the physical buildings – its dad’s ethos has remained which for me is most significant – Fresh Futures today is about people working together can change the future of children and young people, just as it was 50 years ago when it was launched by dad.

Lucy has recently starred in a documentary aired on YouTube, interviewing famous sociologists wives to better understand the support they gave to their husbands work over the years, you can watch it here.

Fresh Futures is celebrating its 50^th birthday year by launching a new Patrons scheme to enable companies from across Kirklees to support our work. Companies are being encouraged to donate £500 to the charity and every penny generated by the campaign will be spent supporting our work with disadvantaged children and young people.

The charity is thrilled to have secured early support for the campaign with two new Patrons announced this month: Brewfitt and Zest for Print.

James Paxman, Operations Director, at Brewfitt says: “We’re delighted to become one of Fresh Futures first ever Patrons. As a local company, the cause is very close to our hearts, and I’m personally committed to supporting Fresh Futures. I’m hoping to take part in a wing walk over the summer and I am hopeful I will secure sponsorship to support the charity’s life-changing work.”

Chris Woodhead, Director at Zest for Print, says: “Fresh Futures runs so many vital projects supporting children and families and we know that the money we’re donating will make a significant difference to the charity and the local community. We’re proud to become one of their Patrons to help them celebrate their 50^th birthday year.”

Fresh Futures was launched in 1974 by education visionary Brian Jackson, and has become an established way for disadvantaged children, young people, and their families from across Kirklees to access support. We run several services including child contact centres, domestic abuse perpetrator programmes, young adult employability services and alternative education provision for young people aged 13 – 16.

Katie Shephard, Head of Income and Partnerships at Fresh Futures, says: “We’re delighted to welcome both Brewfitt and Zest for Print on board as our first ever Patrons. This year, we’re seeking 50 Patrons to come on board – this support would make a significant and lasting impact on the services we can deliver across Kirklees. We’d urge all local companies to get in touch today to find out more about how to support us and build a lasting partnership making a difference to children and young people.”

For anyone interested in finding out more about the Patrons scheme, email [email protected] and one of the friendly Income and Partnerships team will get in touch with more information.

We are delighted to announce that our Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme (DAPP) at Fresh Futures have been awarded £39,990.56 from the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund.

This was part of a joint bid with EdShift, a community group who provides a space of safety, belonging and community, using the arts to transform the lives of children affected by domestic abuse and violence.
The Safer Communities Fund is part of an initiative by the Mayor of West Yorkshire, and has seen £1 million awarded to support victims of serious violence, hate crime and trauma and help promote community safety and steer young people away from criminality.

‘Little Nests’ will a rolling programme running over 12 weeks, supporting six children who are victims of domestic abuse. The sessions, run by Edshift will provide a safe and creative environment for them to reconnect with peers, encourage them to socialise through play and creativity and improve their resilience.

A key priority of this initiative is to hear and empower the child’s voice through the art program in order to achieve behaviour change in the perpetrators. The learnings from the Little Nest programme will be included within Fresh Futures’ domestic abuse perpetrator programme – their feelings and experiences will be fed directly into sessions with male perpetrators to help them understand the impact of their behaviour.

“This funding is key and will further build on Fresh Futures’ goal of challenging beliefs around abuse. Children are often the ‘forgotten victim’ in domestic abuse cases and this programme puts children at the heart of the intervention and also supports children to disclose the impact their home life has had on them.

The support EdShift offers will create a safe space to develop safety plans and confidence in children. This work, which incorporates art, drama and music therapy, is then presented back to the abusive parent within the programme to hopefully give them the message that their behaviour has been impactful. “

Jonathan Fell, the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme (DAPP) Service Manager.

The programme launched last month and will be running until October 2024 thanks to the funding secured through this vital initiative.

Find out more about DAPP here.

This year is Fresh Futures 50th Birthday and to celebrate, we’re launching our 50 Faces of Fresh Futures campaign. Over the course of the year we’ll be focusing on 50 people who have impacted on Fresh Futures over the past 50 years – showcasing their incredible involvement in the charity, which has helped us grow and develop over the years. 

To kick off the campaign we spoke to Mark Farmer, CE at Fresh Futures…

• Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work at Fresh Futures.

I joined Fresh Futures as CEO in November 2020 – and we went into lockdown on my third day!  I’ve been a charity leader for over 30 years, at national and regional charities, and the great thing about my role at Fresh Futures is that I can, with the Trustees and Leadership Team, steer the charity strategically whilst still being close to service delivery and see the impact we make.

• Why do you think Fresh Futures is so important in Kirklees?

The communities across Kirklees face wide range of challenges  – it is a very diverse area with significant deprivation and inequalities,  and we need to play a part in addressing the challenges of today and raising aspirations for tomorrow   –  and our vision that all young people have opportunities for a better life, now and in the future is at the heart of all we do to enable Kirklees communities to realise their potential.

• The charity has been established for 50 years, this year. What are the most significant events in the history of Fresh Futures from your perspective.

Top of the list would be the inspiration and vision of Brian Jackson,  that education should be the route to addressing inequalities,  and the services that have been developed to realise that vision over the past 50 years continues to drive what we do.  I grew up in the 1970’s and  Britain was very different then to the 2020’s Britain, but the inequalities and challenges in society in many respects have got worse over that time  – and demand for our services continues to grow.   I would also highlight the lease then purchase of Brian Jackson House  – to give the charity a central base and a key part of our financial sustainability;  and the opening of Brian Jackson College as an Ofsted registered independent special school.

• How do you see the charity growing over the next 5 years?  

We will expand our school provision,  providing alternative education for pupils with additional needs from age 13 -18,  and will open new schools in other areas of West Yorkshire.  Our unique holistic offer of vocational, functional and life skills is recognised by Ofsted, local authorities and schools as delivering for pupils for whom mainstream schools are not equipped to provide for.  We are also investing in research and development of new services  –  very much going back to our beginnings of leading thinking in addressing needs and challenges of our communities faced by some children, young people and families.

• If you were asked to describe the charity in one word, what would you say?

Passionate (to support and help our service users)

Fresh Futures are aiming to break a world record and thousands of children across Kirklees are being urged to get involved by simply donating a rubber and 50p. The World Record attempt is part of our 50^th birthday celebrations running throughout 2024.

We want to break the World Record for the largest collection of erasers and it will need a massive community effort to achieve it. The existing record is currently over 17,000 and Fresh Futures wants to beat that figure by collecting over 18,000 rubbers.

The campaign, in partnership with by TRU West Alliance and sponsored by Ecofficiency, begins on Monday, April 15, which is National Rubber Eraser Day. Children and families from across Kirklees are being encouraged to visit Brian Jackson House in central Huddersfield to donate their rubbers and 50ps. The collection of rubbers will also be on show for people to view.

Mark Farmer, Chief Executive, says: “The project is a great opportunity for any youth organisation to get involved to support the charity. All you need to do is bring an eraser to Brian Jackson House and you’ll be part of a World Record attempt and play a key role in helping us put our Eraser Collection on the map! The project is being run as a fundraising campaign for Fresh Futures and every penny received will be used to support our work with disadvantaged children, young people, and their families from across Kirklees.”

Schools, nurseries, sports clubs, and other youth organisations can take part in the project. Any organisation signing up will receive a free bumper pack of resources including stickers for children, a participation certificate and activity sheets.

For more information on Fresh Futures please contact Lynne at [email protected]