News and stories
Covid-19 Financial update
Monday, 22 June 2020
Like many organisations, at the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis Woodcraft Folk faced financial insecurities. In April we predicted lost income of nearly £1.5 million as groups and centres closed and we were focused to postpone Common Ground, it felt that the best case scenario would see us make a £150,000 loss and struggle to meet the financial costs of adapting.
Since then many steps have been taken to improve and better understand the financial situation across the movement:
Updated Roadmap to Reopening
Monday, 22 June 2020
On Friday 19th June, Woodcraft Folk Group Leaders, District Contacts and Safeguarding Leads recieved an updated Roadmap to Reopening.
#DreamBigAtHome Activity Packs
Monday, 22 June 2020
Over 400 #DreamBigAtHome activity packs have left Folk Office in the last week. These have been distributed to young members, local Mutual Aid and Food Bank charities.
Each pack contains a range of activity ideas, colouring pencils, stickers a notebook and more.
You can place an order here.
Co-op Fortnight is Coming Up!
Thursday, 18 June 2020
Co-op Fortnight is organised by Co-operatives UK, sponsored by some of the UK’s most successful co-operatives and brought to life by co-ops across the UK.
Black Lives Matter
Thursday, 11 June 2020
“We’re not going to fight racism with racism, we’re going to fight it with solidarity.” Fred Hampton,
Centres to welcome households
Thursday, 11 June 2020
Woodcraft Folk centres and campsites are preparing to welcome household and family groups this summer.
At the moment all Woodcraft Folk camps and residential have been rescheduled as a result of Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions make it impossible to plan for group camps and overnight stays. We know that many of our members have missed out on stays at our beloved centres.
Roadmap to reopening
Thursday, 11 June 2020
This week General Council approved Woodcraft Folk's Roadmap to Reopening.
Whilst Covid-19 restrictions mean that many Woodcraft Folk groups and activities can still not take place, now is the time to plan future activities.
At this time many Woodcraft Folk groups continue to engage our youngest members through:
How to apply for Coop Good Causes
Thursday, 11 June 2020
Woodcraft Folk groups are enouraged to apply to the Coop Local Community Fund to become a Coop Good Cause.
Supporters webinar
Wednesday, 10 June 2020
On June 6th, members and supporters joined Woodcraft Folk's Pip sayers (Chair of General Council) and Debs McCahon (Director of Development) to celebrate some of our movement's achievements of 2019 and to explore some of the strategic changes General Council are looking to implement between now and our centenary in 2025.
During the session Debs and Pip shared some of the highlights of 2019, including welcoming:
- Over 31,000 overnight stays at our residential centres
- Nearly 8,000 young people participating in outreach activities
- 20 new groups
Pip and Debs also shared the impact of and our response to Covid-19. Within two days of closing groups online programme was being provided, and we are pleased to report that engagement in our online programme is increasing every week. We ask all supporters to share www.dreambigathome.uk to reach more children, young people and families.
Pip and Debs also shared the 12 strategic changes agreed by General Council in February 2020, which included:
- Testing new approaches to delivering Education for Social Change to support our ambition to increase and widen participation, which has already started with online and remote programme and will be further tested this summer with holiday clubs provided to Coop Academy Schools in west Yorkshire
- To invest in greater levels of volunteer support and training in response to the increased regulation of the sector
- Relocating to Manchester and aligning ourselves more strongly with the co-operative movement
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