It's awards season in Manchester

Each year we work with over a thousand young people in London and Manchester combined, and the only way we are able to reach so many people is through our dedicated volunteers. Our annual volunteer awards ceremony is a chance for us to give back to all our hard working mentors.

The evening began with the quaffing of copious amounts of Schloer before we settled in to award ceremony proper. We had 6 categories this year, each with a short list of nominated volunteers: 

Club volunteer of the year

Charlotte Burgess 

Sonia Jeyaseelan (winner)

Chris Murphy 

Chloe Needler

Molly Smythe

Joe Stead 

Academy volunteer of the year

Hannah Behague

Will Guest 

Yousiff Saxon

Molly Smythe

Halima Shah (winner)

Junior Mentor volunteer of the year

Gabe Cayley 

David Cadwalladr (winner)

The ReachOut character trait award

Tommaso Busolo

Naomi Daniel

Ethan Du-Crow 

Gita Ekaputri

Jade Ledgister

Doxi Misatziou (winner)

Fatimah Nazir

Amina Tumi

Katie Webster

The ReachOut Mentor of the year award

Phoebe Connolly 

Jack Hollis 

Catherine Millar (winner)

Dominic Rouse

Halima Shah

Jonny South

Joe Stead

The ReachOut volunteer of the year award.

Jake Flavell

Chris Murphy

Martha Rawlings

Molly Smythe

Fatimah Nazir (winner)

Congratulations to all the winners. Each award was richly deserved as was each nomination. We would also like to thank every volunteer who invested time in ReachOut this year. You have made a contribution towards a young persons development.

Hackney Half in Numbers

29 ReachOut Runners
13.1 Miles
58 Sore Legs
6 Blister Packs
14 Bananas
5 Water Stops
1 Lucozade mistaken for water and squirted in face
87 High Fives with random supporters en route
32 Jelly Babies
1 Missing Running Vest
An amazing £8049.42 raised (so far!)

Okay so I made a few of those up, but the important ones (first and last) are spot on!

It was a beautiful day and the ReachOut Runners were out in force. Mentors, Project Leaders, office staff, a team from UBS and several individuals woke bright and early on Sunday for the long anticipated Hackney Half Marathon.

Nervous "before" photo

In only it's second year, the Hackney Half is one of the best events of it's kind. It was well organised and the supporters en route cheering, high fiving, handing out sweets, extra water and even vaseline (yes - that actually happened), along with live music from steel drum bands, gospel choirs and tribute acts made for a festival like atmosphere.

Nervous smiles became jubilant grins as each of our runners crossed the finish line with cheers of encouragement and congratulations from the crowds.

Proud "after" photo!

Thanks to all our fantastic runners who took part and all those who sponsored them. We're incredibly grateful for your support.

We’d like to say a special thank you to our brilliant team from UBS. 13 employees joined together to run the race, raising a staggering £4,543.17 in the process – one of the largest team totals we’ve ever seen at ReachOut. This is enough to pay for all of the activities and trips which we provide for young people who attend both the ReachOut Club and the ReachOut Academy. Thank you, Team UBS!

See you next year!

Xavier moves on after 20 years at ReachOut

It is with a heavy heart that we report that Xavier Bosch, is moving on from ReachOut after twenty years in his role as CEO. Xavier was at ReachOut from the very beginning, overseeing twenty years of growth and prosperity. As of 2015 we are working with over 1000 young people a year in London and Manchester combined, helping them to overcome the obstacles of disadvantage and helping them to reach their full potential.

Xavier has left an indelible mark on both Manchester and London, a mark consisting of community action, altruism, and educational equality. The work Xavier has done to build ReachOut to what it is today is just the beginning. There is still a lot of work to do, and we are determined to build upon the rich heritage Xavier has left, and to build a charity that the young people of Manchester and London deserve, and one that Xavier would be proud of.

So on behalf of all our young people, volunteers, staff, and stake holders: thank you Xavier, for everything.