funfactorydundee.com

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factoryskatepark.com

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funfactorydundee.com Social Impact Business of the Year 2014

Annual Report2014/2015

facebook.com/funfactorydundee

factoryskatepark.com

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15 Balunie Drive, Dundee, DD4 8PS

Telephone: 01382 509 586Email: info@factoryskatepark.com

Website: factoryskatepark.comFacebook: facebook.com/factoryskatepark

The Factory Skatepark is a charity which was set up in April 2004 with the aim of engaging with and supporting primarily young people through the means of extreme sport. In December 2004 a purpose build complex was opened; the fi rst of this type of Skatepark in the country.

In the early years as the youth and community work was developed it was greatly dependant on grants. We realised that this was not a sustainable model and we set out along the route of a Social Enterprise and have developed several businesses to support the youth and community work, with the grants now being less than 10% of our annual budget.

Our businesses at present are The Skatepark, The Fun Factory - Douglas, a purpose built children’s soft play area, opened in December 2012 and a second one, Fun Factory -Camperdown acquired in December 2014. Within the Skatepark we run a sports shop and also rent out offi ce space and a café.

The Factory Skatepark has received several awards:

Scottish Social Enterprise of the Year 2012 Scottish Social Enterprise “One to Watch” 2013 - Fun Factory Courier Business Awards Best Social Impact Business of the Year 2014Volunteer Friendly Award 2014

The Factory SkateparkCompany No. SC266261Scottish Charity No. SC035397

The Factory LTDCompany No. SC188084

The Factory ll LTDCompany No. SC235408

The Factory lll LTDCompany No. SC2415994

The Factory lV LTDCompany No. SC465185

Factory V LtdCompany No. SC486606

The Factory Vl LTDCompany No. SC490596

Telephone: 01382 501 725Email: info@funfactorydundee.com

Website: funfactorydundee.comFacebook: facebook.com/funfactorydundee

Also at:99 Camperdown Road, Dundee, DD3 8RF

Telephone: 01382 828 230Email: info@funfactorydundee.com

Website: funfactorydundee.comFacebook: facebook.com/funfactorydundee

Where to Find Us

The Factory Skatepark and Fun Factory are situated in the Douglas & Angus area of Dundee on Balunie Drive, close to the Odeon Cinema.

15 Balunie Drive, Dundee, DD4 8PSTel: 01382 509 586

Email: info@factoryskatepark.com

Fun Factory - Camperdown is situated in the Ardler area of Dundee on Camperdown Road, just off the Kingsway.

99 Camperdown Road, Dundee, DD3 8RF

Tel: 01382 828 230Email: info@funfactorydundee.com

Sponsors and Funders We acknowledge the support given to The Factory Skatepark from a wide variety of funding bodies, statutory agencies and individuals. We are confi dent that the support that has been shown through these funding contributions is refl ected in the services we are providing.

Alexander Moncur Trust Cruden Foundation

Dr Guthries Association Dundee Partnership

Garfi eld Weston Foundation The Moffat Charitable Trust

Nine Inc Trades of Dundee Northwood Charitable Trust

Peoples Postcode Lottery Tay Charitable Trust

The Rank Foundation The Robertson Trust

The Russell Trust Scottish Book Trust

Social Investment Scotland The Soutar Trust

ContentsReview 4

Youth Work in Sport Initiative 5

Our key aims 6

Youth Programme 7

Youth clubs 8

Homework clubs 8

Holiday clubs 8

Beginners sessions 9

Friday night free skate 9

Volunteers 9

IT for the Elderly 10

Fun Day 11

Skatepark Revamp 13

The Fun Factorys 14

Statistics 16

Sponsors and Funders 17

Review2014, a Year of Growth and New Opportunities.

Here we are again at the end of another year in the life of the Factory Skatepark when we get an opportunity to look back with gratitude at the achievements of the past year and any lessons we need to learn and at the same time to look forward to another year and to dream of what might be!

2014 has seen further growth and expansion of our businesses with a second full year of trading of the Fun Factory and the acquisition in December of Pirates Island, one of our competitors in the soft play market within Dundee, thereby firmly establishing ourselves within the sector by securing our second facility including its 11 staff. The past 12 months have seen the Factory Group winning the “Best Social Impact” business award category of the Courier Business Awards 2014 adding to the growing achievements and recognition which the Factory Skatepark has received over recent years. All this would not be possible without the significant contribution made by our great staff across all the businesses and of course the highly talented and committed management team, thanks guys, you’re the best! This past year has also seen a full revamp of the Skatepark to celebrate our 10th anniversary in December 14, thanks to the financial support of the Moffat Trust, The Peoples Post Code Trust and the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee.

So where from here, what’s next on the agenda........! We have a number of plans and business opportunities at the development stage including a new business venture in the realm of Community Transport inpartnership with Mid-Lin Day Care Centre and Dundee Social Enterprise Network (DSEN) and are also looking at the possibility of expanding the soft play businesses into other areas of Scotland, so watch this space! Opportunities like this will help to increase the spread and diversity of the Factory Group and aid us towards the long term viability andsustainability of the group. We never want to lose sight however that the businesses exist in order to make further social impact on both the local community and Dundee as a whole both in terms of diversionary youth engagement, a community anchor and also now in the field of youth employment and training.

All of the above awards, recognitions and achievements would not be possible without the hard work, support and dedication of our loyal staff, volunteers, funders and of course the many thousands of young people who continue to use our facilities and services. Without all of your help and support we could not have made the impact which we have as a social enterprise and the positive impact which we have had on many hundreds of young lives with whom we have worked over this past year.I thank you all most sincerely for your help, support, encouragement andof course business over the last 12 month and look forward to workingwith you all over the coming year and seeing a continued expansion ofthe work and many more life’s impacted for good.

Derek MarshallCEOThe Factory Skatepark

Annual StatisticsThe statistics for our youth and community programme for the year highlights the relevance of the programme to the targeted users and the great work that is done by our youth team.

StatisticsThe Skatepark Statistics this year show that the scooter trend is still going strong with numbers still rising, especially with those under 12. With the new layout on the Factory Skatepark in December we hope to see the other forms of activity rising again in 2015

THE YOUTH WORK IN SPORT INITIATIVE

This project, funded by The Robertson Trust and The Rank Foundation, aims to equip staffworking in community sports organisations with the skills and knowledge they need to engage with hard to reach young people. Such young people are often excluded from participating in sports and physical activity in traditional sport centres.

Having successfully completed his fi rst year Diploma on the YWIS initiative, our youth worker Peter Hine is now on his journey towards his four year degree in Youth Work in Sport initiative. Peter has a strong leader alongside him at the Factory Skatepark Tracey Ellwood, who is the head of our Youth and Community work, and gives him great guidance on a daily basis. The funding means that since September 2013 Peter has been studying towards a Degree in Youth Work and Community Learning Development, Social Pedagogy, and Education and Learning. The funding runs until Summer 2018 and alongside his studies Peter is working full time as part of the youth team at The Factory Skatepark.

He is involved in the planning, delivery and reporting of all of our youth programmes, such as our Homework Club, Youth Club, Holiday Programmes, etc. He also maintains regular contact with and provides support for those who volunteer here either on the youth team or on our stewarding programme.

There are many benefi ts to having a full-time youth worker within our organisation but the key advantages have to be long-term stability both for the young people within The FactorySkatepark and for the whole organisation to be able to plan and implement long termstrategies in relation to our Youth and Community programmes.

We are grateful to both funders for their immense contribution and continuing supportthroughout this programme.

The Factory Skatepark Project has been growing and evolving over the years. The sports activities, skateboarding, scootering, BMXing and inline skating, which are

the big draw to the Skatepark continue to be very popular. The youth clubs now involve diverse activities like swimming, outdoor activities, mixed martial arts, street dance etc. We are open to trying a wide variety of activities if there is a recognised need and it

will fi t in with our overall aims and objectives.

Our Key Aims: Throughout the various strands of our Sports Provision and our Youth and Community Work, which make up our overall project we strive to fulfi ll the following aims:•To improve educational attainment •To develop responsible communities•To develop parental and family involvement •To improve young people self-worth•To develop responsible citizens •To promote healthy lifestyle choices

Fun Factory -CamperdownIn December 2014, with the support ofSocial Investment Scotland (SIS), weexpanded the Fun Factory brand withthe acquisition of Pirates Island onCamperdown Road. The new premiseshouses an adventure play area,basketball and football area, partyrooms and a café .

The Camperdown building has beenrefurbished with party roomsredecorated, building repainted, playequipment brought up to standard, anew party booking system, a new menuand party menu, bringing the wholebuilding under the Fun Factory Brand.

The building is located within the centreof 4 housing schemes and offers motherand toddler groups and easy access forthe disabled, providing a safe haven forparents and carers to spend fun timewith the children .

Fun Factory - DouglasThe Fun Factory is a purpose built indoor softplay centre which has now been open foraround 2 years. We have a programme ofactivities that take place twice a day duringMonday – Friday term time. These are asfollows: Teddy Bears picnic Fun Bear Aerobics Sensory Time Story TimeWe also run an offer Monday to Friday afterschool, where the parents can bring thechildren along and have a discountedplaytime. This benefi ts the local communityand gives the parents a safe environment inwhich to spend quality time with their youngones.

There are child-minders & mother andtoddler groups who visit us on certain daysthat all take part in our daily activities, and allhave said that it is a great idea as the smallerones love it and so do they.

We also have a Sensory room for children,young people and adults with or without adisability. The Sensory Room is a place wherechildren and adults can explore and developtheir senses and skills. The Sensory room hasmany different features ranging from softplay areas, padded fl oors and walls andinteractive equipment which make dramaticchanges to the environment using sound andlighting.

Youth ClubsThe youth clubs are held on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6.00—8.00pm and take the form of 5 or 6 week blocks with a different club on each evening

The Youth Clubs

The Youth Clubs run twice a week during school terms, we try to offer as much variation of topics over the course of the year. These have ranged from Circus Skills, Inventors Club Street Dance to Mixed Martial Arts. We try to encourage all the participants to develop their full potential and make a positive contribution to the group. All the activities are popular and we encourage early enrolment to ensure classes are full, often with a waiting list.

The Homework ClubsThese are run 3 times a week during school terms. We are seeing many new members, not only joining the homework club and sticking with it but also joining the youth clubs. It means we get to see them regularly as are the other young people and they form good friendships very quickly. We provide a suitable learning environment with appropriate resources and adult help if necessary, which takes the pressure off the parents.

The Holiday Clubs These have been a great success again this year. We ran 6 weeks throughout the year providing Sports Coaching in the Skatepark in the morning and Youth activities, run by our youth workers, in the afternoons.

Skatepark RevampIn December for our 10th Anniversary in the current building (Factory Skatepark) and with the support of our funders we were able to proceed with the revamp of the Skatepark layout as 10 years on the initial layout was becoming somewhat tired and dated with skateparks having moved on immensely. The new layout utilises the whole of the ground space allowing a continuous fl ow through the park. It has already proved to be popular with the regulars and enticed a few back to give it a go.

We celebrated the new layout with an offi cial re-opening competition “Skate Jam” held on 21st December 2014, this event attracted 150 skaters from all over Scotland, over and above the spectators who came along. Alongside open sessions there were events specifi cally for inline skates, skateboards, scooters and BMXs and each sport had a high level of standard. There were a huge number of prizes handed out throughout the day with almost everyone leaving with something.

It is so much better, I like the boxes and the fl yout

next to the boxes because it gives you more air to do tricks and it has a lot

of landing space

Love it becasue it’s much better and fl ows

The new layout is better because I can learn new

tricks

I think staff at the coaching

programme are fab, really understanding and help each child with their own needs

I am a single parent and the cost for my

children to come has been a great help, all the staff have been

great role models for them

My child looks forward to coming to this activity and has

gained confi dence on the park

The youth workers are available to

talk to before and after coaching, and will give individual

attention of requiredThe Youth Workers helped me and I now feel

more confi dent

Beginners SessionsThese are run three times a week during school terms to encourage the young people to participate in a healthy active fun sport. Some start as young as 5 and the parents appreciate the well supervised environment and make the most of the opportunity to have a coffee in our café whilst being able to view their child from the large windows or viewing area.

Friday Night Free Skate This is run as part of our youth programme during school terms, we allow 10 people from the local post code area in for free. We have often found that this can be the first contact many of the young people have with us. Once they get to know the Youth Workers many of them return to try out the other activities on offer. Due to funding ending during the course of this year the amount of young people allowed in has dropped from 15 to 10 and we are now funding this ourselves rather than offering nothing in the interim. We also see this as a safe environment and family friendly environment. Volunteers

Opportunities are available and we have some of the young people who have been with us for some time being volunteer stewards when they reach the age of 14. They help within the homework club, youth club and holiday coaching programmes. Many of the students that have come in as volunteers have consecutively been offered employment within youth work. It is good to have these young volunteers as they help to inspire the younger users at the Skatepark.

IT for the ElderlyOur IT for the elderly project (silver surfers) allows people from all backgrounds to be given the opportunity to take part. Computer classes for the elderly are crucial, as aging is associated with physiological changes that may impair perception, cognition and other social aspects; this is why touchscreen technology has become more relevant in the last few years. A signifi cant majority of older adults say they need assistance when it comes to using new digital devices.

Having spoken to the users who attend the classes they all stated that it was of great benefi t to them both socially, mentally and helped them immensely with the use of online banking, shopping when weather was bad etc and all felt it was very much needed.

Due to the speed technology is changing, older people feel they are being left behind, and many businesses and companies now rely on paying bills on the internet, banking , record keeping etc. Many of the older people feel they cannot keep up and are falling behind which could lead to feelings of isolation and upset. This kind of group also allows them to come along and meet new friends who are having the same issues and gives them more confi dence to try new things in a surrounding where they can have help when needed.

Fun Day July 2014We held our 9th Annual Fun Day on Saturday the 19th July. Despite the indecisive weather we had approximately 500 people through the gates on the day. The organisers were in early to prepare the layout for all the stalls and activities.

As with previous years there was a varied mixture of stalls being manned by various organisations and individuals who used this opportunity to publicise their work.

With a full line up of activities for all the family to enjoy, thanks to the funding from Dundee Partnership, we were able to provide a good number of free activities mainly for the children.