Christmas Gift Fayre Over 150 people attended the Christmas Gift Fayre on Wednesday 9th November, experiencing the festive atmosphere and selection of market stalls selling unique gifts, seasonal treats and Christmas bargains.

People of all ages enjoyed the Fayre, with a choice of over fifteen stalls such as House of Fraser, Sugar and Spice, Usborne Books and Cupcake Revolution.

The evening was organised by Forum’s very own Business Development and Innovation Manager Kate Shone, and went down really well with the local businesses and the community raising just over £290.00 for the Associations ‘Can Do fund’.

Thank you to all of you who attended we look forward to seeing you again next year.

Visit from Mr Frank Field Mr Frank Field MP visited Forum Housing Association on Friday 23rd September to gain insight into services offered to young people accommodated with the Association that have been progressing over the past twelve months.

The meeting began with the launch of a new programme called ‘Get into Reading’ which encourages people to read aloud as part of a group. This new and exciting programme created by the ‘Reader Organisation’ will help develop communication skills, create opportunities to get back into education and encourage young mums to read to their children.

Mr Field was then introduced to the ‘Open Talent’ programme that gives young people the opportunity to develop individual working assets which could lead to future employability. Rory McGowan, just one of the young people using the programme, shared his experiences and success of his Sunday League Football team which he has formed from the programme and now manages.

Mr Field was then given a tour of the new Bridge Project, which is currently being refurbished and will accommodate 26 young homeless people. A new floor has already been added to the build with each room containing bathroom, kitchen, lounge and bedroom. The new project is due to reopen in January 2012 and will support young homeless people from the Wirral.

Mr Field had this to say about his visit to the Association

“Can I convey my thanks to the inter-reading group; it’s such a good initiative. Can I also thank Rory for his presentation. I was likewise, much impressed by his confidence and joy at giving so much to the football team he organises”

Resident Stakeholder Event The Resident Stakeholder’s Event took place on the evening of Thursday 23 November, and the Engagement Team would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the young people and staff who attended. The evening was a fantastic success and the team got some great feedback about what you guys think about Forum’s services.

Entertainment was provided from Mark, Rhiannon, and George who all gave stunning performances. It was also a great opportunity to meet the new Engagement team who strutted their stuff down the catwalk to ‘moves like Jagger’.

The evening also celebrated your achievements from 2011 and presentations included all the events and programmes that young people have participated with this year. Well done to the Leyland Road Project who won this year’s consultation and took away £50.00 for a project activity.

Congratulations also to The Market Wells Foyer who won this year’s Peter Keane Trophy.

Charity Golf Day Steve Fogg, one of Forum's Service Managers, organised a charity golf day on Sunday 7th August to help raise awareness and funds for the Association.

The 36 golfers made their way to Wychwood Park Golf Club which was chosen to build on the excellent relationships we have with De Vere through their academy programme.

The day involved coffee and a bacon butty on arrival, 18 holes on a PGA tour course followed by a 3 course meal and prize giving presentation.

Fashion Rocks Residents and staff from Forum Housing Association, put on a spectacular performance last Thursday evening with their first ever fashion show.  ‘Fashion Rocks’ was held at the Williamson Art Gallery Birkenhead, the event showcased fashion from the 1950’s right through to the present day. Young people at the Market Wells Foyer spent months preparing for the event designing clothes, and putting selected pieces together for the show.

All clothes presented in the show were all recycled and the influence that both music and fashion have had on each other through the different decades, and represented youth culture. The event had been organised as part of the ‘Working Assets Toolkit’ which helps young people taking part in the programme develop skills crucial to their future employability.

Callum, one of the young people who took part in the event said “this project took a lot of determination and dedication but the end result was worth it, I have learned so much from this project and would love a job in fashion.”

Thank you to all the volunteers, staff and young people for all their appreciated effort and hard work, what a fabulous evening.

To see more images from the evening on please click here.

Race for Life A big well done goes out to staff and young people from the Market Wells Foyer, for completing the Race for Life event which took place at Birkenhead Park, Wirral on Sunday 10th July.  The 10k run was completed in less than 2 hours and helped to raise just over £200.00 for Cancer Research UK.

Joanne Dunn; Business Initiatives Worker from the Foyer, who helped to organise the young people taking part in this year’s Race for Life said “this was a great opportunity for our young people to get involved in an activity within the local community whilst also raising money for a well deserved cause”.

The BIG lunch On Saturday 4th June and Sunday 5th June the Big Lunch Event took place at two of the Association’s projects in Ellesmere Port and Birkenhead.

Staff, residents and the community joined together and enjoyed activities, food and sunshine. Young people from the Association supplied the entertainment and helped out with the catering and refreshments for the event.

It was a packed day, full of fun with children enjoying the free face painting and a bouncy castle. Both events were a huge success and it was great to see a variety of partners, friends, family and neighbours from the community all coming together for a day that can only cement friendships.

The Mayor's Event Young people who took part in the Annual General Meeting received a special invite from the Mayor in response to their amazing performances on the night. On Wednesday 29th June the young people attended Wallasey Town Hall for an informal meeting and a bite to eat with the Mayor of Wirral, Councillor Moira McLoughlin.

The evening began with the Mayor congratulating the young people on all their efforts and performances from the Annual General Meeting, and providing them the opportunity to audition for a showcase taking place at the Floral Pavillion towards the end of the year.

The Mayor then gave everybody a private tour around Wallasey Town Hall, paying a visit to the Council Chambers and the Round Room. Everyone got an insight into the history of the building and the opportunity to ask questions about the Mayor’s role. It was a fantastic evening and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Thank you to the Mayor for this wonderful day.

Clarins Beauty Party Ladies who came to the Clarins Beauty Party received an evening full of pampering treats, expert skin care advice and an insight into the latest make-up trends.

The event took place on Thursday 30th June at House of Fraser, Birkenhead and raised over £380.00 for the Association’s ‘Can Do Fund’.

All guests received a complimentary gift bag full of Clarins goodies and the opportunity to win some top prizes.

Thank you to everyone who attended. It was a lovely evening.

Wirral Coastal Walk Some Forum Housing Association staff joined together on the 22nd May 2011 to take part in the Wirral Coastal Walk. The 15 mile walk from Seacombe Ferry Terminal to Thurstaston Country Park took staff an average of six hours to walk

"The first seven miles were difficult due to bad weather conditions with one walker describing the weather as “the worst I have seen it in the seven years of taking part”. It was a huge achievement for the team who all completed the full 15 miles.

All proceeds from the walk has been put towards the Association’s ‘Can Do Fund’ and Forum projects around the Wirral, a big well done to everyone who took part.

Annual General Meeting On Tuesday 17th May 2011, the Association’s Annual General Meeting took place at the Life Centre, Wirral. The evening of events began with a welcome from the Chair, Mr Chris Drake who outlined the strides made by the Association in its work over the past year.

We were also joined by the Bishop of Birkenhead, Right Reverand. Keith Sinclair, who gave positive feedback about Forum Housing Association. Chris Allen gave a special mention about Peter Caine, an ex-resident of the Association who had died tragically.

Performances from some of Forum’s talented young people; Antonia Dyas, Georgina
Jones, Mark Thain, Jerome Harrison, Chris Edgley made the evening a great success. Also,
Birkenhead’s Millington Dance Group gave exciting and energetic performances. Staff got
their dancing shoes on and performed ‘Pick a Pocket or Two’ from the hit film ‘Oliver’
whilst the Resident Representatives performed the comical ‘Birdie song’.

A special thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of the Annual General Meeting.
The young people are very special, talented and are a credit to us all. Their commitment and
contributions to the shape of the Annual General Meeting and smooth running of the programme
will be a lasting memory.

Foyer Rocks A huge well done to the residents and staff from Market Wells Foyer, who put on another Foyer Rocks.

Over 200 people attended the sell out event at Oldershaw High School to watch bands ‘Static Vibe’, ‘White Heat, ‘We were Beautiful’ and ‘Hippies on the Hill’. The event which was put together by the young people as part of the working assets programme was a big hit with the local community and students from Oldershaw High School.

Well done and Thank you to everyone involved and bands who took part in this year’s Foyer Rocks.

The Bridge Project Refurbishment is underway! The Bridge Project in Birkenhead refurbishment is in full swing. Mellwood Construction Ltd have started gutting the Project and are looking forward to finishing the construction within the year long deadline.

During the construction period the Association has relocated the Project to Thorsway in Rock Ferry, Birkenhead to ensure the services to young people continue.

To see images of how the Project is getting on please click here.

Chinese New Year Within Forum, we want our young people to experience new and exciting things, so the opportunity to celebrate Chinese New Year was the perfect way for our residents to learn more about another culture and to interact socially with each other.

We took twelve young people from projects in the Wirral and Sefton to the Wirral Multi-culture Centre for a Chinese New Year lunch. The residents had a great day and all the different projects engaged well. When speaking to the young people, on reflection a resident said "I have learned it is not so hard to make friends and meet new people" and "‘Fish gets served with its eyes still in". Residents also said "I have learned how to say happy New Year" in Chinese, also tasting different Chinese food while learning the basics when using chopsticks. This opportunity lifted the mood and spirit of our residents, giving them a positive and happy memory.

The Chinese Multi-Cultural centre staff and visitors made us feel extremely welcome and invited us along to future events. 

To see images of the event please click here