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Category: Thank You So Much

Celebrating National Teacher Appreciation Day at Brian Jackson College

Posted on by Aimee Webb

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day, and at Fresh Futures, we’re taking a moment to shine a light on the remarkable team at Brian Jackson College, our alternative education provision.

A group of people cooking in a communal kitchen setting. In the foreground, a woman is peeling mushrooms over a metal bowl, while others are busy with food preparation along a counter lined with ingredients and utensils. A mirror reflects the activity, and posters and kitchen supplies are visible in the background.
Food technology at Brian Jackson College

At Brian Jackson College, our staff do so much more than deliver lessons — they create safe, supportive, and inspiring environments for young people with social, emotional, and mental health needs. Their work is transformative, sometimes challenging, and always deeply impactful.

Two people sit in a relaxed setting on black cushioned chairs. One person, a young man in a black hoodie and shorts, appears quiet and thoughtful. The other person, an adult with visible tattoos and glasses, is speaking and gesturing with one hand. A scenic photograph of a wooden dock over water with mountains in the background hangs on the wall behind them.
Staff and students at Brian Jackson College

On this special day, Jacqui Green, Headteacher at Brian Jackson College, shared a heartfelt message of gratitude:

“On this National Teachers’ Day, I want to extend my deepest gratitude and admiration for the unwavering dedication, compassion, and resilience you bring to your work every single day.
Supporting young people with SEMH needs requires not just skill and expertise, but an immense amount of patience, understanding, and kindness. You are more than teachers—you are mentors, advocates, and champions of hope. You provide stability where there is uncertainty, encouragement where there is doubt, and a safe haven where there is struggle. Your presence and perseverance make an immeasurable impact, shaping lives in ways that may not always be visible but are always deeply felt.

Please remember that your efforts are seen, valued, and appreciated. Every breakthrough, no matter how small, is a victory. Every moment of connection you foster is a step toward a brighter future for the young people in your care.

Today, and every day, we celebrate you—your commitment, your passion, and the difference you make in the lives of those who need you most.
Thank you for all that you do.”

Three individuals in a workshop setting engaged in a hands-on activity. One adult, wearing a beanie and overalls, appears to be instructing or demonstrating something to two teenage boys. One boy is wearing a blue sports jersey and apron, while the other, in safety goggles and a blue hoodie, looks on attentively. Various tools, wooden pieces, and copper piping displays are visible in the background.
The construction workshop at Brian Jackson College

We are incredibly proud of the work being done every day at Brian Jackson College. The staff are not only changing lives — they are opening doors to brighter futures.

To all our educators: we see you, we thank you, and today, we celebrate you!

Back in the Ring: A Comeback Fuelled by Purpose

Posted on by Aimee Webb

On the 12th of April, Holly stepped into the boxing ring to raise funds and awareness for Fresh Futures as part of an Ultra White Collar Boxing Event in Huddersfield.

Holly managed to raise an amazing £1,218.75 and we are very grateful for her support towards the work we do at the charity!

Holly (in the red) during her boxing match

After seven years out of the ring, Holly made her return – not for titles or trophies, but to stand behind a cause she truly believes in. In the lead-up to the event, she dedicated herself to eight intense weeks of training to make sure she was ready when fight day came.

On the day of the event, Holly was nervous but felt ready, all thanks to the training and support of those around her. Holly didn’t win her fight, but for her, it was never about the victory—it was about proving something to herself, and she did exactly that.

the picture shows a boxing ring, next to the near ring side are the two fighters, two women, one of them wears blue gear and is leaning to the right to avoid a punch, the other woman in red is throwing a punch to her head. There is a man who is the referee looks on from the left of the fighters. There is a white banner that reads UWCB.
Holly (in the red) during her boxing match

Holly says: “We raised money. We raised awareness. And we reminded people that every effort, even after setbacks, can still create impact. I didn’t get the win on the scorecards, but I gained something much more valuable — a sense of what I’m capable of, and a reminder of the community that stood behind me.”

Well done Holly!

If you would be interested in supporting Fresh Futures in ANY way, please contact us at [email protected], we would love to hear from you!

Teeing Up for a Good Cause: Crosland Heath Ladies Raise £2,800 for Fresh Futures!

Posted on by Aimee Webb

Fresh Futures was honoured to be chosen as the Charity of the Year for 2024–2025 by Gail Harris, Lady Captain of Crosland Heath Golf Club in Huddersfield. Over the year, Gail and the ladies of the club raised an incredible £2,800 through a variety of fundraising events, including fashion shows, raffles, golf tournaments, and sale stalls, to name just a few.

Two women smiling and embracing each other warmly. The woman on the left has short grey hair and is wearing a colourful patterned dress. The woman on the right has blonde hair, is wearing a green and white patterned dress, and is holding a notepad with writing on it. They are standing indoors, in front of a window and a cabinet.
The ladies at Crosland Heath during their fundraising
Four women standing together on a golf course, smiling at the camera. They are dressed in sporty golf attire, with a golf cart visible in the background. The setting is lush and green with trees and grass surrounding them, and the atmosphere appears cheerful and relaxed.
The ladies at Crosland Heath during their fundraising

Gail Harris shared with us:

“I am delighted to have been able to support the work done by Fresh Futures to help individuals and families in West Yorkshire.
Many of the members of Crosland Heath Golf Club are generous in giving their time as well as money to raise funds for local good causes.
Throughout the last year we have held several fun golf events, raffles, a prize draw, an open house with afternoon tea, second hand clothes sales, book sales, donated Christmas presents and held a very successful Fashion Show.
I wish you continued good luck in raising funds to maintain the excellent services Fresh Futures provides in West Yorkshire.”

Five women standing indoors, wearing medals around their necks and holding gift bags, smiling proudly at the camera. They are dressed in casual and sporty outfits, suggesting a celebratory event, possibly after a golf tournament. Another woman is seated in the background near a window, observing the scene. The room is bright with natural light coming through large windows and columns decorating the space.
The ladies at Crosland Heath during their fundraising

Aimee Webb, Income and Engagement Officer at Fresh Futures added:

“It has been a pleasure to work with Gail and the ladies at Crosland Heath over the past year, we have had lots of fun attending and hearing about the events they have put on to raise funds for Fresh Futures.

We are very grateful for the money they have raised that will help us continue to support disadvantaged families and young people in the Kirklees area.”

A group of women stand smiling at the camera, they are stood in front of two display cabinets of trophies. Two women at the front hold a big cheque that reads £2,800 being donated.
The cheque handover at Crosland Heath Golf Club

If your golf club might be interested in choosing to support Fresh Futures as Gail has, or supporting Fresh Futures in ANY way, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

Celebrating 50 Years of Impact: Fresh Futures & Leach

Posted on by Lynne Haigh

As we mark an incredible 50 years of Fresh Futures, we’ve had the pleasure of celebrating this milestone in a truly special way – through a powerful collaboration with local creative leaders, Leach, who helped bring our story to life.

Thanks to their generosity and expertise, a stunning visual timeline now proudly showcases our journey and the positive impact we’ve made across Kirklees and beyond since our founding in 1974. This beautifully designed piece now sits along the ground floor of Brian Jackson House, offering visitors and staff a vivid reminder of the progress and partnerships that have shaped us.

a group of people pose for a picture, in front of a wall decorated with colourful birds and trees. The people all wear orange and yellow hi-vis jackets.
the picture shows a big printing machine, the artwork coming out of the printer is red, but it is not visible what is on the artwork.
Staff and Students from Fresh Futures watching the printing at Leach
the picture shows a woman holding something next to a piece of machinery. There is a man on the left explaining to the woman what to do. In the background, there are a few more people wearing hi-vis jackets and watching the woman.

But this wasn’t just about design and print, it was also a hands-on, inspiring experience for students at Brian Jackson College, who had the chance to visit Leach HQ in Bradley to see the printing process up close. Watching our story literally unfold before their eyes was a moment of real inspiration and curiosity for our young learners.

“Having this timeline displayed at Brian Jackson House is more than just a celebration of our past—it’s a reminder of the values and vision that drive us every day,” said Katie Shephard, Head of Engagement at Fresh Futures. “Our students loved visiting Leach and seeing how design and technology come together. It sparked so many conversations about creativity, careers, and confidence – it was a fantastic experience for them.”

Leach, who kindly donated the design and print work, expressed their pride in being part of this meaningful project.

the picture shows a long hallway, with a window at one end and double doors at the other. It shows the wall which has a red artwork showing different time points like a timeline, with writing and pictures. There is a white radiator in the middle of the wall, the carpet is grey.

“It was an honour to collaborate with Fresh Futures and to help commemorate such an incredible legacy,” said a representative from Leach. “Welcoming the students to our HQ was a highlight – they were curious, engaged, and asked brilliant questions. It reminded us how powerful creativity can be in inspiring the next generation. Supporting this project was our pleasure.”

As we look to the future, this timeline serves not only as a celebration of what we’ve achieved – but as a symbol of the partnerships and passion that will carry us forward.

Here’s to 50 years of Fresh Futures, and the many more to come.

Fresh Futures Gains Incredible Support from Local Café – Here’s How You Can Get Involved

Posted on by Aimee Webb

Unity Yard Café at Holmfirth

Unity Yard, an arty café based in Holmfirth, has been supporting Fresh Futures since the end of 2024. The café supports over 140 local artists and makers, selling art; plants; gifts; clothes and more in their café. You can find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Comfy sofas and chairs that customers can sit on whilst they visit Unity Yard Café
The seating area at Unity Yard
A member of the Unity Yard team posing with a cup of coffee by the till in the Unity Yard Café
The inside of Unity Yard

The café has kindly supported the charity over the festive period by selling our very own Christmas Cards that were designed by students that attend Brian Jackson College during their art classes.

Unity Yard also have a Fresh Futures collection tub, collecting funds that goes towards supporting disadvantaged children, young people and their families. Fresh Futures looks forward to continuing this partnership into 2025 and beyond!

A member of the Unity Yard team has also given up their own time to volunteer as a Community Friend during the pandemic in 2020, making a weekly phone call to her matched friend every week for years to follow.

Interested in Volunteering:

If you would be interested in volunteering in Huddersfield or Batley, for a limited time we are running three Community Friend training sessions to the public!

Sessions at Brian Jackson House, Huddersfield will be taking place on:  

  • Wednesday 26 February, 9:30-11:30
  • Thursday 27 February, 17:00-18:30

And at Jo Cox House, Batley:

  • Wednesday 12 March, 10:00-12:00

After the session, the final steps will be completed including a DBS check and a short application, so you’ll be fully ready to start befriending and make a real difference!

For more information, please contact us today [email protected]!

a poster depicting the dates for volunteer training in Huddersfield and Batley.

Local business Langricks Chartered Accountants raise £1,550 for YCC!

Posted on by Katie Shephard

On 14th September, local business Langricks Chartered Accountants hosted their 6th annual charity golf day at the iconic Woodsome Hall Golf Club in Almondbury and raised an incredible £1,550 for Yorkshire Children’s Centre.

This year, Langricks who combine their team’s love of golf with raising money for charities, chose Yorkshire Children’s Centre as one of their charities, with special thanks to Camilla Langrick who is Langricks’ Business Development Director. Camilla is a Community Friend volunteer at Yorkshire Children’s Centre and has therefore seen first-hand the difference we make in the community to disadvantage children, young people and families. 

Once the big day was announced earlier this year, 80 players eagerly signed up to secure their place to attend the memorable annual event. As part of the day and to boost their fundraising, the team held a big raffle.

Camilla said “When a call out for raffle prizes was shared with the businesses in the Holmfirth Business Community, we were overwhelmed with the number of raffle prizes that were donated, including jewellery, beauty salon vouchers, a glamp at the Holme Valley Camping site, and even an MOT. The Holmfirth Business Community really delivered in the name of charity.”

“It is important to us that each year we give something back to the community that we live and work in, we were delighted to raise £1,550 for Fresh Futures this year, we know it is going to a very worthwhile cause.”

Fresh Futures would love to say a huge thank you to Camilla and the team at Langricks’ for choosing to support Fresh Futures this year.

Are you a local business looking to support a charity this Christmas and in 2024? Why not get in touch with us today to find out more about Fresh Futures and the work we deliver in Kirklees and surrounding areas.

This Christmas, we are running a Christmas Bauble campaign where we kindly ask businesses to sponsor a bauble for £50, and in return we will display your logo on a bauble which will be displayed on our Tree of Wishes in the Brian Jackson House.

Next year, we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary and to mark this special occasion we would like to connect with local businesses to support our exciting upcoming community initiatives and events.

To discuss how Fresh Futures could work with your business, please get in touch with us at: [email protected] or call: 01484 519988

#WeAreYCC

Thank you so much: Volunteers

Posted on by Katie Shephard

Here at Fresh Futures we are so grateful to each and every one of our volunteers who dedicate their precious time and expertise to support Fresh Futures. During Volunteer’s Week (1st – 7th June), it was important to us to let our volunteers know how much they mean to us, by organising events where we could all come together to share our stories, our favourite volunteering moments and to make some new friends.

Fresh Futures Community Connections team held a variety of events during the week including a ‘Walk and Lunch’ at Greenhead Park in Huddersfield and Batley Park, a Drop-In at Jo Cox House in Batley where volunteers could pop in for a cuppa and cake, and a Summer Afternoon Tea at Brian Jackson House for Fresh Futures Community Friends.

Volunteer Development Manager, Lucy Martin, said: “Thank you to everyone who attended the events over Volunteer’s Week. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! The contribution of our volunteer’s often goes unseen, but the impact they have in the lives of the children and families they support through their volunteering role is HUGE. We couldn’t do what we do without you, and we’d like to give our thanks and show our appreciation, not just during Volunteer’s Week, but all year round. We’ll look forward to doing it all again next year 😊.THANK YOU.”

We are also very excited to announce we now have 200 volunteers supporting YCC!

Thank You So Much: Kirklees Family Fair

Posted on by Lynne Haigh

In March, Fresh Futures and Kirklees Family Together, hosted the Kirklees Family Fair in Batley. This was a free event for children and families with refreshments, entertainment, information and advice. On the day there was face painting, balloon animals, parenting and early childhood support, child safety support and much more.

Samantha Latchayya, Leadership Team Coordinator at YCC, who helped organise the event said “We are delighted with the turnouts to our Family Fair events, with hundreds of families reached across our communities receiving advice, support and a really fun day out for all! We would like to thank all of the local groups for their participation. Following the success of the partnership, Fresh Futures are planning to continue the Batley & Spen, and Dewsbury & Mirfield partnerships for the next 12 months.”

The event took place during Ramadan so we ensured we supported the holiday by not having food or drink on display, no having any pork or alcohol on site and quiet spaces were available for reflection and prayer.

Maryam Kazi, a member of the local community said “I loved todays event it was really good, my little one has really enjoyed it as well. There was quite a lot of information that I didn’t know was offered in Kirklees, the home start activities were especially useful for a healthy start, and I’ve taken all the leaflets.”

Jo Cove, Community plus said “It’s a lovely event, a brilliant setting, its quite central in town and its been a really good turnout for this area, because it’s not always easy to engage people in Batley I find. I’ve got three people here pebble painting and one person doing stickers. It’s just coming together and doing an activity and having a chat about the services we provide helping people connect with what’s going on within their own communities. After COVID I think people are a little bit more reluctant to go out and about, there’s a lot of people struggling with anxiety and depression, so we can help people with that.”

Thank You So Much: Safety Rangers

Posted on by Lynne Haigh

For over a decade Fresh Futures has been leading Safety Rangers which is a multi-agency, interactive, accident prevention scheme aiming to reduce and prevent childhood accidents, increase awareness, and improve child health and wellbeing through a variety of fun teaching methods and scenarios.

Since 2017 when we partnered with Thriving Kirklees, we are so proud to have supported 4390 Year 5 pupils from 91 local schools, during 157 sessions.

We recently held a lovely celebration event at Huddersfield Fire Station to thank all our long-term partners that have worked with us to deliver Safety Rangers throughout the years:

  • West Yorkshire Police
  • West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
  • Northorpe Hall
  • Safer Kirklees
  • Kirklees Road Safety
  • South & West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust and
  • Huddersfield Town Foundation

We have received amazing feedback from those that have taken part in Safety Rangers over the years:

“Many thanks for organising Safety Rangers for us again this year. The children learnt lots and have taken away some really important information and messages” Teacher

“I liked learning about all the different things and I thought it was fun” Year 5 Pupil

“Talking to all the different services helped me learn how to keep myself safer. We talked about trusted adults with the police and this is really important” Year 5 Pupil

Katie Lockwood, Service Manager at Fresh Futures said “Without the continued support and time our partners have dedicated to the initiative, Safety Rangers wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been. All our partners have been invaluable, and without a doubt enhanced service delivery to ensure each session is as informative and enjoyable as the last.”

Thank You So Much: Bail Me Out

Posted on by Lynne Haigh

In March we ran the first ever Fresh Futures Bail Me Out event and it was a great success!

The aim of the day was to raise both awareness and funds for Fresh Futures by ‘locking up’ local businessmen and women who had to raise their bail money of £999 to be released from Harvey’s Bar/Kitchen, Huddersfield. Those involved raised an amazing £2,424 which will go directly towards supporting disadvantaged children, young people, and their families across Kirklees.

Our seven ‘criminals’ really got into the spirit of the event, which along with raising funds, was a great way for them to network with other local individuals.

THANK YOU, Christine Rhodes, Lucy Jackson, Helen Athey, Michelle Smith, Gareth Ewing, Sam Duffy, and Mark Duffy.

YCC’s Bail Me Out participants L-R: Michelle Smith, Helen Athey, Christine Rhodes, Lucy Jackson, Gareth Ewing, Mark Duffy and Sam Duffy

Lucy Jackson, who was ‘locked up’ on the day said “It was wonderful to support Fresh Futures with their Bail Me Out event. It’s almost 40 years since my dad, who set up YCC, died running in a fun run in Huddersfield to also raise money for the centre. It was great to see so much commitment from local people to keep all the great work Fresh Futures does going. Thank you again to everyone involved – even West Yorkshire police for arresting us!”

Th event was supported by several local businesses. Thank you Aura Print for supplying props, Harvey’s Bar/Kitchen for letting us take over their Westgate venue, Sam Teale Productions for filming on the day (video to follow) and PCSO Jordan Booth, from West Yorkshire Police, who came to Brian Jackson House to ‘arrest’ and transport our criminals to Harvey’s.

PCSO Jordan Booth of WYP
Lucy and Helen being ‘detained’

If you would like to donate towards this event you can visit our active Just Giving page HERE.

For more information on how to become a corporate supporter for Fresh Futures or if you would like to carry out a similar event to raise funds for Fresh Futures please contact [email protected].