Wheatsheaf is very excited about two new major projects for which we have just secured funding.

We have substantial backing from the Youth Sector Development Fund to develop an innovative project to provide support for some of the most challenging young people in the more deprived areas of Southampton, Portsmouth, Havant and Gosport.

The project will be run in conjunction with two partner charities, Motiv8 and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Youth Options , and  will work with assistance from local residents, police and councillors. The creation of an exciting range of activities will aim to encourage young people away from involvement with risky and anti-social behaviour and progress them on to training or into employment. The scheme will also involve the participation of parents and families who in many cases are from areas where two or more generations have been out of work for long periods.

Fast Forward is an exploratory project introduced to trial a new advice and guidance service for adults. The funding for the scheme is ultimately sourced by the Advancement Network Prototype funded by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills, and Wheatsheaf will run the service from our existing centres in Southampton and Havant, and from our newly opened facility at The Old Chapel, St George’s Barracks in Gosport.

Further details about the projects will appear on the website shortly, but in the meantime if you would like more information, please contact Jonathan Cheshire, Wheatsheaf’s Chief Executive, on 023 8023 7662.

At the meeting of the Wheatsheaf Trust Board held last week Peter Church resigned as Chair.

Peter was involved with the original set up of Wheatsheaf Trust and served as Chair for ten years. He was Principal of Itchen College before retiring in 2002 and is currently a magistrate on the Southampton Bench and a member of the Youth Panel, a director of Solent Skills Quest, a governor of Treloar College, and Chairman of the Joe Homan Charity. He will continue as a Trustee at Wheatsheaf Trust.

At the same meeting Mary Siddall was elected as Chair.

Mary is a solicitor specialising in employment law and has worked in Southampton for nearly 15 years.  She is now employed as an in-house lawyer within Higher Education.  In addition to being a Trustee, Mary also works as a volunteer at Wheatsheaf Trust, with previous volunteering experience including work with law centres and the CAB.  Mary qualified as a mediator in 2005 and has experience of both community and workplace mediation.

Wheatsheaf’s Chief Executive thanked Peter for his dedication and welcomed Mary to her new role: ‘Peter has been involved with Wheatsheaf Trust and its predecessor agency from the earliest days and has put a huge amount of time and commitment into developing the Trust. I am personally grateful for his support during this exciting period. Mary has been on the Board for three years and we are very pleased that with her skills and experience she has agreed to take over as Chair.’