CatZero end of year report March 2024

Reflecting on 2023

OUR end of year report reflects on 2023, as we celebrated our 15th anniversary and looked forward to the significant changes taking place in 2024.

Last year was a very successful year; as well as securing significant funds to reach our funding targets, we have worked with more people than usual and expanded our reach into new areas. This includes our newer Full Families programme in Hull and the beginnings of our work in Goole.

Securing funding is always challenging, particularly with a lack of Government funds and local authorities in difficulty across the country. We have balanced our fundraising between grant applications, commissioned work, sponsorship from individuals and businesses, and from our own fundraising activities.

We are currently working with more than 80 different funders. This in itself can be challenging as they all require different returns information and management. I am pleased to say that work on our ‘Lamplight’ IT system during previous years has enabled us to manage our contracts and delivery well, and has made it possible for us to work with so many individual funders.

Although funding is always challenging to secure, there is still a vast increase in demand for our service. Across the Humber region, we see the highest levels of deprivation, children living in

poverty, issues around mental health, poor school attendance, and unemployment. Many of these issues have increased due to the significant rise in the cost of living, and also the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and the lockdowns in recent years. There are encouraging noises coming out of Government relating to additional funding and priorities for children and families in the future, but as this is an election year it is difficult for these to be finalised or fully understood. We therefore eagerly await the announcement and the conclusion to this year’s elections, as we hope it will give us a clearer picture of funding support and service improvements across the sector supporting children, young people, and families.

Throughout 2023, the team has performed extremely well. We have invested lots of time ensuring our team members can work across all our client groups, we have improved our marketing and publicity across the region, and we also enjoyed an event to celebrate 15 years of CatZero (see page 13).

The year 2023 also saw us secure three years’ funding from the National Lottery, to support our work in Grimsby with families. This has been an extremely successful programme and we have learnt many lessons during its delivery. This has assisted us with new programmes in different locations across the Humber.

CatZero CEO Dave Bertholini looks back at the success of the organisation in 2023, as he prepares to hand over the reins to a new CEO in 2024 ...

Sailing has been very successful, and even though our yacht is now 25-years-old, our Director of Sailing Danny Watson has managed to keep it at the Category Zero standard, and we have consistently invested and maintained the vessel. We are reassured that it has many more years of sailing ahead.

We have also been able to use the yacht as a tool for match funding, when it hasn’t been in use for participants, enabling supporters, corporate partners, and individuals to sail with us.

It also needs to be noted that all of our work has been completed extremely safely, and our health and safety and safeguarding records are excellent.

Last year also saw us secure future funding to be match for programmes planned for 2024 and 2025, which is a great foundation to build upon.

We have successfully transitioned from our previous chair and trustee board, appointing Deb Oxley as our chair, with new trustees from quite diverse professional backgrounds. This has all bedded in well, we have a clear strategy in place, and have completed development plans which show our targets and implementation processes against the strategy.

The long term support of our former, long-standing chair, Jim Dick, remains as he took on the role as life-long president. We also thanked David Bishop

for his assistance with business development, and Charles Lewis for his great help and direction with managing financial processes and procedures. Emma Mathias and Nick Triplow, working on communications and fundraising respectively, have also been significant in raising the profile of the organisation, both having been with us in a freelance capacity for several years. They remain with CatZero going into 2024.

We are proud that Sir Robin Knox Johnston and Alan Johnson, former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom and former MP for Hull West and Hessle have been with us since we began, in 2009, and are still willing to be involved.

You will see in this document that we have had a significant impact on people’s lives, and there are a number of case studies to follow that show the effect our programmes have had on our participants.

Thank you to our staff and volunteers for their hard work and unwavering support for the charity.

Dave

Statistics

DURING the year, CatZero delivered eight different programmes, supporting 410 individuals. A total of 117 new participants took part in one of our six individual programmes, with 228 family members from 55 families receiving support through our two full families programmes in Grimsby and Hull. In addition, staff supported 65 individuals as part of our ‘Once CatZero, Always CatZero’ guarantee, offering in work support, help updating CVs as people advance their careers and supporting them with any issues they faced along the way.

2023 saw the sixth year of our families programme in North East Lincolnshire, primarily funded by the Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund, working in partnership with CPO (Creating Positive Opportunities) supporting children, young people and their families. The Big Lottery have confirmed tapered funding for a further three years meaning this programme will now continue until at least December 2026.

The families programme focussing on the Preston Road area of East Hull came to an end at the start of 2023 after three years. The Big Lottery agreed to

50% funding for a second programme focussing on the West Hull area to work with at least 25 families each year, targeting early intervention to deliver meaningful change to prevent them drifting to the point of crisis. This second programme started in April and runs until March 2026.

Thirty nine of the 55 families worked with in 2023 are already making demonstrable progress, with staff continuing to work with those who only joined us later in the year, providing ongoing support throughout 2024.

Community Led Local Development

The start of 2023 saw an end to our three-year community led employment programme. The last participants on this programme received support until 31st March 2023.

Staff worked with 81 unemployed or economically inactive individuals across the three years, with 32 successfully achieving a sustainable EET outcome.

Veterans

Our veterans’ programmes are bespoke programmes offering support to ex-service people to adapt to civilian life as well as supporting them with whatever challenges they face with veterans receiving meaningful support from our team. The focus of participants is their mental health rather than gaining employment or employability skills, with many activities being outdoors and for the benefit of local communities.

PCC Violence Prevention Programme

Funded by the office of the Police Crime Commissioner (PCC), a programme aimed at those who have experienced crime, are likely to become involved in crime, or individuals with a criminal record, started in January 2023. Individuals from the Grimsby area were supported over a four-month period, 10 of which subsequently moving into employment, training or further education.

PCC Community Safety Fund

Following the success of the above, a second

programme was funded through the office of the Police Crime Commissioner to work with individuals from Hull and the East Riding with a criminal record. This programme has just recently finished and work is now taking place to move the participants into EET. So far, two have gained employment, two others are undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh award and two others have enrolled with a local support programme, giving them continued support.

Children in Need

A school holiday programme for young people aged 10-15 selected from the families we are working with in Hull and Grimsby was run throughout 2023. Young people benefited from a range of team building activities which saw them develop friendships, decrease their anxieties and build their confidence, with most increasing their school attendance as a result. Private Counselling was also offered as part of this programme.

Seafood Programmes

Short bespoke seafood employment programmes were run throughout the year. These 3-day programmes supported people to increase confidence and improve their job search and interview skills.

Ten people so far have entered employment.

Statistics

The year 2023 saw 49 volunteers give up nearly 400 days to help staff support participants, not only at sea, but also on land and with boat maintenance, helping us keep our costs to a minimum.

Income Breakdown

CatZero received income from over 50 different places in 2023, including philanthropic donors, family trusts, local businesses, and individuals, as well as applying to grant-making organisations for funding. We also have some wonderful fundraisers and raise income from the utilisation of our yacht when it is not being used for programmes.

Expenditure Breakdown

The majority of our costs are staff costs as we work intensively with individuals and families on their personal development, supporting them through every step. Our core costs are kept to a minimum due to the generous pro-bono support of many local businesses.

Full Families

Humber-wide need for Full Families programme

LAST year was the busiest year we have had to date on our Full Families programmes across the Humber.

Running in Hull and Grimsby, this was our sixth year of the programme on the south bank and the third of the programme in Hull.

Grimsby

In Grimsby, we worked with 23 families during 2023, equating to 117 individuals. In addition to funding from the National Lottery we received funding from the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), which allowed us to work with 15 families within the programme. This was match funded to the Lottery.

The PCC funding ran for the calendar year, from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023. There were no restrictions as to who we worked with, which allowed us greater flexibility.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside, Jonathan Evison, joined us for a Christmas coffee morning before the funding came to an end, to chat about the progress we had made. It was nice for him to meet the families and to see how PCC funding had enabled us to work with people to make a real difference to their lives.

The town is seeing the effect of the cost of living crisis which is having a knock-on effect with CatZero.

We are seeing an increasing demand for support with mental health and debt. We are also seeing an upsurge in poor school attendance, as parents suffer from poor mental health due to their spiralling debt as bills massively increase.

With the poor school attendance, we have had more referrals directly from schools as young people cease to attend and their behaviour becomes erratic. Historically, most of these children have come from areas of deprivation across North East Lincolnshire but in 2023 we received many more from the suburbs and villages surrounding Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Hull

Although the Full Families programme in Hull has been running since 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was only running in the Preston Road area. Since April 1, 2023, we were successful in receiving a National Lottery bid to work in West Hull and East Riding.

The majority of our referrals in these areas are coming from the local authority, Early Help, or schools.

While the area we are covering in Hull is bigger, and a city, the social problems within each family are the same as those in Grimsby, with the cost of

CatZero skipper Danny chats to a young Full Families participant at our 15th anniversary event.

living, poor mental health, and family breakdowns often cited as reasons for needing the support of the CatZero team.

During 2023, we also began working with the families of serving members of the armed forces, at DST Leconfield. We were funded by the Veterans’ Foundation to work with five families, supporting three so far.

We have until May 2024 before the funding ends and hope to reach out to families of the forces’ reserves after this programme finishes. Families currently engaged with us feel that the programme is working well for them, which is positive news.

Hull Full Families participants have also had the option of family boat visits, where we have offered tours of the yacht, and hosted pirate and princess parties for the children. There are plans to book the older children (age 10 and over) onto family sails in the Humber, during 2024, which has been met with positive comments and much excitement.

Unfortunately, with the boat being moored in Hull it is more difficult for us to organise Grimsby family visits, but this is something we hope to address in the future.

Humber-wide

During 2023, all Grimsby staff took part in Solihull

training, which allowed the team to become familiar with the Solihull Approach.

The model is applied across many disciplines and professions, helping practitioners and people working with families to have a better understanding of child development, relationships, and family connections. They describe on their website: “The three concepts of containment, reciprocity, and behaviour management facilitate the understanding of relationships and how to apply this in different contexts.”

As the course was only available on the south bank, the team will be passing on their newly acquired knowledge to the team in Hull, so the same methods will be applied to the CatZero Full Families programmes across the Humber.

We were delighted to receive a substantial donation of children’s reading books from Waltham Leas Primary Academy, near Grimsby, which has encouraged the donation of other books from CatZero staff and other sources.

The books have been split between the Hull and Grimsby offices, and libraries set up in each. The families can now sign up for the library, taking books home or reading while they are visiting the offices.

Case study Mum works hard to alter future for young family

Please note, many of our case studies are anonymous to protect the identity of people taking part in the programmes.

RECOMMENDED through a friend who was a participant on another CatZero programme, the mother of the family in this review was in crisis when she first spoke to the Full Families team.

The mother’s eldest son had been removed from the family home by social services and taken into the care of his father. It had been revealed that a relative of Mum had physically chastised the child and left visible bruising on his body.

Mum was obviously distressed about the incident and didn’t know how to move things forward.

The family was known to social services and the mother was very worried that all of her children would be removed from the home and taken into care.

A child protection conference was held, and actions and a safety plan were put in place. CatZero subsequently arranged a family network meeting and identified Mum’s concerns, where it was noted that she was suffering from declining mental health. The Full Families team found support for Mum while looking at support with managing the children’s behaviour and working towards better conditions in the home.

The team broke all of these elements into manageable steps for Mum, with the goal of reducing the involvement of social services and getting the eldest son back into the family home. The steps included a cleaning and household schedule, and reward charts for the children.

CatZero also had a presence at the children’s school, attending meetings with teaching and support staff. They also worked with social services, as Mum was very frustrated at having had six social workers during a 4-month period.

Mum said: “CatZero was the only constant in my life, at the time. They were the only people who listened, didn’t judge, and explained in simple terms what I needed to do get my child and my life back.”

The family have seen many major changes since receiving support from CatZero. These have included the eldest son returning home on a permanent basis, and subsequently being settled within the family home.

As part of the CatZero intervention, the son had the opportunity to take part in a different CatZero programme, supported by funding from Children in Need. This ran during the school holidays and enabled him to make new friends and undertake a whole range of activities across the wider community.

The son also had the chance to take a trip on the CatZero yacht. Alongside the other activities, this saw his confidence grow significantly.

Since working with the Full Families team, all children in the family have been released from contact with social services, and Mum has done a wonderful job of implemeting boundaries at home.

Mum has also found a new partner and has recently given birth to a new family member.

Things are going very well for them all and CatZero continue to support them on an ad-hoc basis.

Children in Need

THE second year of our Children in Need programme across the north and south banks saw us work with 22 children, with funding running from January 2023 to December 2023.

The majority of the children going onto the programme cross over from the Full Families programmes, in both Hull and Grimsby. As they have generally been working with the CatZero team for a while, their needs and personalities are known to our staff, making it much easier to tailor elements of the programme to suit their requirements.

Sarah Coulson, Programme and Implementation Manager, said: “If we have been working with the whole family for a while, we are confident that we know the children and young people as well as we can.

“We have learnt that if we put them straight onto the programme, we won’t have a full relationship with them, and this has occasionally led to some of the activities not going as well as can be expected.

“After some re-evaluation, we concluded that it was better to be more aware of their personalities and needs, which only comes with working with them for a little bit longer in the Full Families programme.

“There was also an awareness that the age gap was probably not as suitable as we planned, with ages 10-15 years being grouped together in 2023. This was deemed too great. Going forward, we are looking more at the 10-12-year-old age group, during the transition from primary to senior, when many are struggling with Year 7.”

During 2023, the young participants enjoyed a whole range of activities, including llama walking, rock climbing, pottery painting, taster sails, a Halloween party, a Christmas party, mini golf, a beach day, and a trip to Go Ape at Normanby Hall.

Tweaks to age range will make a difference to young people

The programme is run across the whole of the Humber, so children from Grimsby will join children from Hull, and vice versa. This proves to be very positive as it encourages them to meet children from outside of their own towns or cities, in addition to meeting young people of their own age with similar lifestyle issues.

Throughout the programme, which runs for a total of 52 weeks, all children are offered counselling with an independent counsellor, through CatZero. We have seen several young people take up this option during the CIN programme period.

By the end of the 2023 programme, we had supported 23 young people of which 19 were empowered to make positive life choices, 19 developed a greater sense of self belief, confidence and resilience, and 19 had improved mental and physical wellbeing.

The CIN programme children at Rebound trampoline park, Hull.

Case study

A new outlook for young participant

OUR Full Families Hull team identified a young person suitable for the Children in Need programme, having worked with the family since May 2023.

At the time, K’s behaviour really wasn’t good, finding herself in daily detention at school, in isolation, or excluded. She also struggled with her friendship group and often spent her spare time alone.

The Full Families team completed a family network meeting with K, her two siblings and mum. We asked them what was going well, what was worrying them, what would they like to change, and from this we identified that K knew that she needed to improve her behaviour to make life easier for her mum.

She also wanted to do more with her spare time than spend it alone in her room.

Using this information along with issues identified by the other family members, we created a Family Action Plan, something we do with all of our participating families, across the Humber region.

Since starting the programme, K has been brilliant. Her behaviour has improved massively and her attendance has been excellent. She has only missed one session with CatZero due to illness.

She has been able to get out and do things with new people rather than keeping to herself, and has made some solid friendships with other participants.

K has learnt to be very respectful of staff and we have seen her self-confidence increase significantly. As her behaviour was so good over the summer she, alongside a handful of others, was given the opportunity for a treat day as a thank you from us.

They chose to go to Yorkshire Wildlife Park and while quite the rainy day, they all had a well-deserved, lovely time.

Due to changes in K’s attitude, her relationship with her mum has improved, as well as her behaviour at home. We have spoken to her a lot about how she could continue this positive change when it came to starting back at school.

Since going back in September, K has only had a handful of detentions compared to the daily ones last school year, and has not been in isolation once. She is aware that she still has some work to do but the effort she has been putting in, alongside our sessions, has been excellent.

K has been attending and contributing in our regular family meetings. She has become a valued ambassador for CatZero due to the impact of the work we have done together, and also provided us with a voiceover for our 15-year celebration video. Our PR person, who had not met K before, commented on what a lovely, polite, and articulate girl she is, and how patient and professional she was when doing the voiceover.

Of her time at CatZero, K said: “I have had such a fun summer with CatZero.

“Some of the stuff we did, I would never have done before and some of it I won’t do again, but I loved it.

“I think I have done really well with my behaviour and I am proud of myself. I think my mum is proud of me too!”

Stock image.

Anniversary Events marked 15-year milestone

IN OCTOBER 2023, CatZero celebrated its impending 15-year milestone by welcoming staff, volunteers, participants, and local dignitaries to two special anniversary year launch events.

Guests included the Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Kingston upon Hull and Admiral of the Humber, Cllr Calvin Neal, and Tina Cerutii, High Sheriff of the East Riding of Yorkshire. Also present were CatZero’s patrons, legendary round the world sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBE RD and former Hull MP and UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Alan Johnson. Both have been patrons since CatZero began in January 2009.

The Hull event was held at the Arco building, in Blackfriars Gate, while the Grimsby event was held at the Young’s building on Grimsby dock. Both conference suites were provided by the businesses, who are long-time supporters of CatZero.

Particularly moving were testimonies of past and current participants, all of whom gave glowing reports of CatZero’s programmes and support, and with each underlining the charity’s ethos: “Once CatZero, Always CatZero”. The phrase ensures participants are aware that the CatZero door is always open.

Since 2009, the team now offers a whole range of programmes, working with long-term unemployed, veterans, and people on probation, and the exceptionally successful Full Families programme, currently running in Grimsby and Hull. Having worked with 182 families since it began in Grimsby, in 2017, the Full Families team is not only becoming

a “go to” place for families in crisis to seek advice and support, but the programme has also been recognised nationally for best practice. It is hoped Full Families will soon be running in Goole.

Dave Bertholini, who has been CEO of CatZero since 2009, said: “It is difficult to believe that the charity has been running for 15 years! The events were a great opportunity to bring together the many supporters, funders, partners, volunteers, and some of our participants to tell the story of the past decade and a half.

“The organisation has evolved from working with NEET (not in employment, education, or training) young people to working with a broad range of participants that require personal development support.

“We took this opportunity to also inform everybody of our future plans of moving the organisation to work more broadly across the Humber region.

“I am exceptionally proud of everyone involved with CatZero over the years, from supporters and staff to volunteers and participants. It has indeed been a journey and one that we hope will continue for as long as is needed.”

Look out for details of any anniversary events taking place in 2024, including skipper Danny Watson’s ‘150km in a Day’ run, which he will be undertaking in May.

For a full gallery of images at the CatZero 15th anniversary events, visit https://catzero. org/2023/10/05/supporters-volunteers-and-staffgather-for-our-15th-anniversary/

PCC

Young people credited by PCC

STARTING in January 2023, 14 young Grimsby residents attended a new 12-week CatZero programme, funded by the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The group of unemployed 18-25-year-olds undertook a number of different activities during that time, with a focus being on motivation, confidence building and employability skills.

By the end of the programme, participants gained a total of 50 certificates of achievements, 334 attendances, and seven of the young people had immediate outcomes following the programme.

Personal Development Team member Fiona Daggett continued to support those without outcomes to implement their ideas, hand-holding each participant for as long as they required.

Of the 50 qualifications achieved, courses included food safety, health and safety, and first aid. The group came from a whole range of educational backgrounds, with some already having completed the first year or two of a degree course and some with a school education.

Participant Calum Dawson said: “I have really enjoyed this course and feel a lot more confident than when I started.

“I did bushcraft at Welton Water, Go Ape at Normanby Hall, I have done a lot of CV and employability work.”

Calum’s mum, Emma D’andilly, said: “I am so proud of what he has achieved. He wouldn’t come out of his room but now he is getting up on time, he seems really happy and he has made friends. He is beaming!”

Participant Lewis said: “I did the taster sail on the yacht, which was great, so I did the 8-day sail when it

came up – it was my favourite part! We went to Holy Island, visiting Blythe and Newcastle on the way, and it meant a lot to me getting to try the new challenges on this, and on the whole course.”

Lewis’ support worker Leanne said: “Lewis is a resident at the YMCA and it has been lovely to see the change in him. It has really improved his lifestyle; he has anxiety and low confidence and I have seen massive, positive changes in him.”

A highlight of the programme was a Café Day, attended by representatives of a number of local organisations, including the Mayor of the Borough of North East Lincolnshire, and PCC Jonathan Evison. The group planned the menu, cooked a delicious, 3-course meal, and served to guests as they practised their front of house skills.

At the Café Day, Mayor Cllr Beasant said: “It has been marvellous, they have laid on something really special. It’s always lovely to come to a CatZero event, and everyone has done an amazing job!”

At The Hub’s celebration event, a pack containing certificates and the participants’ new CVs were handed out to 11 of the attending participants by the Police and Crime Commissioner. Addressing the group, he finished: “You have made those changes to yourselves, and it’s an absolute credit to every single one of you and I wish you all the best for your future endeavours. I am sure I will hear some glowing reports.

Find out more about PCC Commissioning and Grants at https://www.humberside-pcc.gov.uk/Our-Work/ Commissioning-and-Grants.aspx

Case study

A positive future for participant

JOINING our PCC Hull programme last autumn, a young person - who wishes to remain anonymous - has discovered a very different future after completing the 12 weeks with the CatZero team.

‘D’ was referred through the Probation Service, and struggles with substance misuse issues, in addition to having exceptionally low self esteem, mental health problems, and a distinct lack of coping mechanisms. His problems mostly stem back to an inconsistent childhood and trauma relating to that period in his life.

Having attending the PCC programme presentation, explaining what it had to offer, he attended a 1:1 with a CatZero team member, in order to establish his needs.

During the programme, D managed to establish relationships with some of his peers, something he has historically struggled to do. It is understood that he formed a good bond with one particular participant and arranged to keep in touch. He has challenged himself and eventually enjoyed the routine of coming to CatZero.

CatZero personal development team member Fiona said: “Seeing the change in D from the beginning of the programme to the end has been amazing. His motivation to change his life and move forward has

been the biggest change, together with an increase in his physical health and better relationships.

“He is a very vulnerable young man.”

On completion of the programme, D said: “The biggest impact CatZero has had on me is being accepted and having an improved quality of life.

“It’s been great and I really appreciate the opportunity you have given me. It has changed me as a person and I won’t forget it.”

Overall, D had good attendance on the programme, went away with a new qualification and an updated CV, took on new experiences that challenged him, improved his diet and physical health, and he took part in the taster sail and a day sail on the yacht.

He has also signed up for the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, and registered with a recruitment agency to begin work as a port operative. He is also waiting for a start date for his CHiP (Cargo Handling in Ports) and Slinger Banksman training, which will hopefully give him a good chance at finding work.

As part of the CatZero guarantee we continued to keep in touch with D as we wanted to ensure that he moved on into something positive. He remains determined to carve out a brighter future.

PCC-funded Full Families a great success

The Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) funded us to work with 15 families in Grimsby, which was match funded to the Lottery grant we already have for the Full Families programme in the area.

The families were integrated with the main programme, which followed the same format and included support groups and personalised plans. We ended the year with a Christmas coffee morning, attended by Humberside PCC Jonathan Evison who was very impressed with the progress of group during the course of the year.

The Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison, left, with CatZero Partnership & Development Manager Pete Tighe.

Case study University student finds way following PCC success

THE first Police and Crime Commissioner-funded programme in Grimsby, held in spring 2023, was a great success for many, including 21-year-old Cameron.

Achieving his A levels, Cameron began studying a BSc (Hons) Physics, but his first year as an undergraduate saw Covid-19 close the doors on his university. Studying year one online, and unable to leave the house due to the Pandemic, did not help Cameron’s mental health. He already suffered from anxiety and struggled to navigate the unexpected and unusual circumstances thrown into his world during 2020.

Taking time out from studies to focus on himself and his mental and overall wellbeing, Cameron found CatZero through the DWP, in 2023. Initially struggling with the large group, he did exceptionally well and achieved himself a place on the programme. Gradually increasing in confidence, support staff for Cameron at CatZero said: “He was an excellent member of the group, conquering his fear of heights at climbing and Go Ape sessions, and achieved five qualifications, including RYA Competent Crew after completing the CatZero 8-day sailing voyage.

Day, which saw the participants arrange an inviteonly event, with a visit from the Mayor of North East Lincolnshire at the time, Councillor Beasant, and the Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison. Cameron cooked a chickpea dahl, which was said to have been absolutely delicious!

Cameron’s goal was to gain confidence and return to university, which he did in September 2023. Of the CatZero programme he said: “When I went to the first meeting, I was so nervous I almost left, but I knew someone from another course, and I stayed. “All the things we did were to overcome obstacles. It also felt like a big friend group, and you could talk about anything. It really helped me in terms of being able to talk to people, asking for help, and even with making casual conversation.”

Cameron explained that the courses he had previously been placed on felt like he was just a part of a required quota, but with CatZero, he felt like he was in a family.

He continued: “I looked forward to every day that I was there, even when the activities were things I was unsure of, like the boat!

“He settled in very quickly to the group and didn’t take him long to find his voice.”

Cameron was also a star of the end of programme Café

“I have a fear of the sea and being on a boat but because the environment was really nice, I was excited and was one of the first to sign up! It was really challenging, getting up at 4am and with lots of responsibilities, but it was a fantastic opportunity and great fun.”

Supported by CatZero, with therapy through Navigo’s mental health services, Callum is now back at university and will finish year two of his physics degree in summer 2024.

Cameron prepares for his 8-day sailing voyage with CatZero, as a part of the PCC programme in Grimsby.

Cooking up a storm at the Café Day!

“My wife says I am a different person after visiting the team”

OUR veterans’ programmes in 2023 saw us provide a standard programme of activities, supporting participants with walks, activities, and beach days, and a link-up with other organisations in the north of England to boost opportunities for ex-Forces’ staff across these regions.

Our programme funders, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, supported us as we worked with Launchpad and Healthier Heroes, hostels for veterans in Liverpool and Burnley respectively.

Alongside these charities, we devised a programme made up of four different residentials, with the first taking place in October 2023.

With a cohort of 12 veterans, we ventured out to Melton scout camp, near Hull, where we got to know our veterans through hiking, camp-fire chats, and chatting about the three forthcoming residentials, in 2024.

Plans for the second residential, in spring 2024, include three days to the Peak District, hiking and caving. A full sail on the CatZero yacht will take place in April, while a final residential to Northumberland is set to round off the programme in May.

ABF also funded two places for veterans on the Rolex Fastnet race (see page 19), which CatZero takes part in every two years. This was a fantastic opportunity for adventurous participants, being a member of the CatZero crew in one of the most dangerous and exhilarating races in the world.

Later in 2023, we received Veterans’ Foundation funding to work with five serving Forces’ families, with match funding from the Lottery. We are engaged with three families to date, all at the Defence School of Transport (DST) at Leconfield. We have already received positive feedback about our work there.

A veteran always singing the praises of CatZero is Darren Wilson, who first came to our attention when he walked through the USA’s Death Valley, for the charity Walking with the Wounded. Contacted by

Partnership and Development Manager Pete Tighe, Darren met up with the team to discuss how CatZero could help him.

Darren said: “Since I left the Army, I have struggled to integrate into society. I miss the military structure and suffer from anger issues. I do however love challenges that get me out into the open; I love the solace.

“When Pete contacted me, he explained about the workshops CatZero does and I began liaising with their support team members, Neil and Fiona. We did a lot of walking and talking!

“They have helped me tremendously. They have been there for me when I needed to talk, they have listened, been sympathetic, and never judgmental.

“I have also met other veterans, one who I got on really well with, and I know that the team is always at the end of the phone if I need support.”

Darren was hoping to do another challenge this year, to raise funds for CatZero, but due to ill health he is postponing his plan to walk the Gobi Desert until 2025.

He finished: “I can’t thank them all enough. It is very humbling that they are there, and always have time for you.

“My wife says that I am a different person after visiting the team!”

Forces’ veteran Darren Wilson with CatZero staff Neil and Fiona.

Another hugely rewarding year on the CatZero Challenge yacht

THE start of 2023 began with the usual scheduled yacht maintenance in preparation for March 6, including the servicing of the engine, cleaning of water tanks, and the servicing of safety life-rafts and life jackets.

First on the annual sailing schedule was a taster for the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) programme, which was quite early in the year and therefore a bit chilly. This was followed by an inspirational group of people from The Bridges in Hull, which provides specialist drug and alcohol addiction services. The participants were very open and honest and at different stages in their recovery, which was interesting for the CatZero crew as we sailed with them into the Humber Estuary.

Many of the participants who joined us for the earlier

PCC sail came with us on a very successful, 10-day sail to the Farne Islands. We anchored south of Holy Island for a few days before sailing down to North Shields, where we worked on the RYA competent crew syllabus.

During this sail, we took the crew and participants on a trip to Newcastle, where they completed skipper Danny’s “magical mystery tour”, taking in some of the famed Newcastle bridges, The Glass House International Centre for Music, and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Bridges included the lifting Millennium Bridge before we visited the 900-yearold Newcastle Cathedral.

This was an excellent trip all around, with a little bit of history included in a voyage where our PCC participants completed pilotage and passage planning, and gave briefings on weather and the voyage home.

Due to technical problems in 2022, a planned sail with the Beyond Food Foundation, based in London, was able to take place in 2023.

Well-known chef Simon Boyle, who is at the helm of the charity, joined us with some of their trainee chef participants and several current chefs. The voyage went from Portsmouth to Grimsby and during that time, Simon and his chefs created some of the best food we have ever had on the yacht. It is certainly the first time that Lobster Bisque has been served on a trip, and in some very lively sailing conditions too!

A very successful, 11-day trip was taken to Norway with Hymers College, Hull, a regular in our sailing schedule. This sail his inspired our new Norway fundraising adventure sail, which we will start in 2024.

Fundraising sails also included the bi-annual Rolex

Skipper Danny with students of Hymers College, Hull.

A participant from the Beyond Food Foundation, in London.

Fastnet, two Dutch Dashes and a Round the Island entry. The successful Fastnet campaign included two training weekends and the North Sea Race from Harwich to Scheveningen. The Fastnet race itself is extremely challenging, with gale gusting winds as we sailed out through The Needles channel. A vessel sank (all crew were okay) but there were multiple mayday shouts throughout the night. Overall this was an exciting race, experienced also by our duty manager that weekend, Sarah, and our PR support, Emma, both of whom were watching events unfold on marine trackers and Fastnet social media.

With our crew always a priority, we safely made the trip with no damage to the vessel or crew, albeit a spot of sea sickness!

Our popular Dutch Dash sails are open to the public, and allow people with little to no sailing experience to enjoy a shorter adventure, going ashore in the Netherlands to enjoy the local scene, before returning to the UK the following morning.

A number of taster sails and day sails took place throughout the sailing season for corporate partners, including Marr, SCMS, K-COM, Beale Homes, Hawerby Trust, and the John Good Group.

We thank all of the volunteer staff, onshore and at sea, for all of their efforts in 2023. None of this is possible without their support and expertise, and willingness to go the extra yard to make it happen. They have great enthusiasm for what we do as well as all the soft skills of dealing with situations that may arise from the many personalities joining us on the boat. We look forward to working with them again in 2024.

A very big adventure

Jonathan Barrett talks of his Rolex Fastnet sailing experience having been funded by the Army Benevolent Fund to take a place on our Fastnet crew, with another ABF-funded vet.

I nearly walked away from the boat after the first night on the first training weekend. Two things I am not good with are noise and lots of people around me and that first night, surrounded by people I didn’t know, in very close proximity, nearly broke me. I had no idea how I was going to survive at sea, with nowhere to escape to.

I was already sleep-deprived after a long week at work and I turned up late to the boat, where everyone else seemed to have bonded. After a shaky start, something clicked and the experience just kept getting better and better.

I loved learning and getting more involved in the technical side, and I have to admit, I did enjoy the rough and windy and seas, which we got in both races! I found great comfort with the team around me, which enabled me to open up more and soak up all the new information headed in my direction!

It was really good to have another veteran on the boat, with a deeper understanding of combat PTSD. The dark humour and twisted forms of encouragement that we spent many a year perfecting helped us to motivate each other when tiredness and self doubt crept in. My work is team-based so being part of a team was normal for me. It was good that the crew on the boat had experience with the yacht CatZero, so the boat could sail smoothly while the rest of us were getting up to speed.

It was definitely a huge mental health boost. Having a couple of races to train in and look forward to during the run-up to Fastnet was fantastic.

Even with quite an exciting job, one of the main things I miss from my time in the military are the big adventures. I raced a yacht in force 8/9 winds to Ireland and France, and not many can say that!

The crew prepares for our fundraising sail, in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The future

Solid plans in place for moving forward

WE ARE excited to have a solid plan for 2024, which is a significant year for a number of reasons.

January 2009 was the date of CatZero’s start, and 2024 the 15th anniversary of the charity, something we are very proud to shout about. We will be celebrating this milestone throughout the year with a number of events and fundraising activities, including CatZero skipper and director of sailing Danny Watson’s 150km run in May. Danny will be taking on the equivalent of 3.5 marathons in one day, running miles on the north and south bank of the Humber.

Foundations are already in place for programmes across the organisation, including match funding, and

a number of partners have confirmed their financial support, which is a great way to start the year.

In 2023, we welcomed a new group of trustees, who are settling in well with established trustees and our new chair, Deb Oxley. The group worked with the CatZero staff to implement a solid strategy, as CatZero continues into its 16th year.

In June 2024, CEO Dave Bertholini retires from the organisation and a new CEO has been appointed (name embargoed at the time of writing) to take the charity forward.

Dave said: “Our new chief executive will be able to build on the foundations that are firmly established,

working alongside our excellent team. They will further deliver on our agreed strategy and build resilience for the organisation in the future.

“2024 will see further developments in new geographical areas across the Humber and East Riding, as we look to establish teams to work with children, young people, and families in new towns.

“We have a number of campaigns to raise money from businesses and Government departments, Danny’s run will not only raise funds but will raise the profile of the organisation, and we also have available sailing experiences for corporate partners and individuals, including the Dutch Dash, our new

public Norway sailing adventure, day and taster sails. This is a great way to not only publicise our work, but also recruit new partners and volunteers.”

As a founder member of CatZero, along with lifelong president and former chair Jim Dick and skipper Danny Watson, Dave has been with the charity since its start and leaves a lasting legacy with the organisation, its staff and the many participants who have walked through its doors. He finished: “I am extremely proud of the work CatZero has done, and the amazing support from key individuals such as Jim Dick, Danny Watson, Pete Tighe, Clare Taylor, and Sarah Coulson. They have been with us for many years, some from day one, and have transformed CatZero from initial ideas into a nationally recognised organisation for best practice for working with children and young people.

“Over the years, we have raised millions of pounds and supported thousands of individuals, which has undoubtedly saved and improved many lives.

“It is strange to think that it is 15 years since CatZero was established and what it has become in that period of time. CatZero is very much based around a culture of collaboration between individuals and organisations and I will look forward to tracking its progress during 2024 and long into the future.”

Founder and CEO looks to well-earned retirement Feature

TEAM CatZero will certainly miss a founder of the charity and our CEO for many years, Dave Bertholini, when he takes his well-earned retirement in June 2024.

A Hull lad, Dave was brought up on a council estate, he didn’t do very well at school (his words!), and had short-lived careers as a welder and a television engineer. He later went to Aberdeen where he became a commercial diver, before returning to Hull where he found a job with sports development at the local authority.

Within a few years, Dave was running the department, which was one of the most successful in the country at the time. He went around the nationwide conference circuit, as an advisor for Government office, and was a cog in the wheel of the rewriting of the Children Act, in 2004, and the integration of health and social care in Hull.

A pivotal moment for Dave, and indeed the many people who have participated in CatZero programmes, was when he was asked to support young people into the Clipper Race, in 2009. Dave was tasked with finding 10 of the most disadvantaged young people to take part in a leg of the race, and seeing the positive impact it had on their lives, he discussed with businessman Jim Dick and Clipper skipper Danny Watson the possibility of a follow-up scheme. The trio put all their skills together, had big dreams, worked hard to make it happen, and the rest, as they say, is history.

CatZero has also been supported by Labour MP for West Hull and Hessle, Alan Johnson, and extraordinary explorer Sir Robin Knox Johnston. Dave said: “To have their support has been incredible, along with Jim Dick, who remains a lifelong president of the organisation today.”

“For me personally, a really important moment was meeting a childhood hero, Sir Robin. My English teacher at school was into sailing and introduced me to his first book, ‘A World of My Own’ (1969, Cassel). I loved this book so when I got to meet him, it was a wonderful moment. He is one of the last great explorers of our time.

“Even more strange is being in Robin’s last book, ‘Force of Nature’ (2007, Penguin). Having been an admirer of his work for some many years, me, Danny, and Jim got a mention in it, so it just goes to show you, dreams really do happen ...”

Fellow CatZero founder member Danny Watson said: “It has been an amazing journey over the last 15 years, and we have achieved so much together, through tough and challenging times and moments of success. He will be missed. I hope to keep in touch with him, but I know he won’t answer the phone for the first three months!

“We made an excellent team and have made lots of memories, but we wish him all the best for his retirement.

“Good luck and all the best, Dave.”

Supporters

How you can play your part in CatZero

• Meet your CSR commitments

• Team building events on land and water

• Volunteering opportunities for your staff

• Supporting our programmes

• Corporate hospitality

• Make a difference

“We had a fantastic time on the corporate day sail, which also gave us the chance to network with other organisations. Ultimately, it is great to be involved with such a dynamic local charity.” K-COM

In addition to grants from major funders, we also rely on support from corporate partners and match funding to enable our critical work to take place. It costs £4,000 per person to deliver each lifechanging programme. CatZero is very cost effective in comparison to any other service and has consistent, excellent results.

Become a partner

Our programme partners are top level professional and corporate supporters who provide funding for programmes. They are offered fantastic opportunities in return, including yacht and media branding, programme involvement, corporate sail and land team building and/or hospitality packages tailored to different requests.

Sponsor a young person

At £3,500 per participant, you could provide a truly life-

changing opportunity for a young person. Could you be a sponsor and a mentor?

Be a friend

Grants, fundraising, discounted services, individual fundraisers. Our friends are recognised on our website and are welcome to support participants on our programmes.

To discuss the above opportunities further, please email: pete@catzero.org

Donate

For direct donations, visit www.catzero.org/support-us and click the DONATE NOW link.

Contact us

Call 01482 333303 to speak to someone about how you can support CatZero and its programmes.

ABF Soldiers Charity

Andrew Jackson Solicitors

Aquavista

ARCO

Associated British Ports (ABP)

ASTO

B Cooke & Son

BBC Children In Need

Beal Homes

Beerhouse Self Drive

Big Lottery Awards for All

Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund

Boat Story Productions (Two Brothers)

Broome Family Trust

CG Gibson Charitable Trust

City & Guilds

Clothworkers Foundation

CPO

DRAX

East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Enrolled Freeman of Grimsby

Fishmongers’ Fisheries Charitable Trust

Fishmongers’ Philanthropy and Grants Committee

Garfield Weston Foundation

Hawerby Family Trust

Hesslewood Children’s Trust

Highways England

HLAS Chartered Accountants

Hull City Council

Hull Community Led Local Development (ESIF)

Humber Learning Consortium

Humberside Police Crime Commissioner

Hutton Medical

IT@Spectrum

J F Brignall Charitable Trust

J Marr (Seafoods) Ltd

James Reckitt Trust

John Good Shipping

Joseph and Annie Cattle Trust

Joseph and Elsie Sykes Charitable Trust

Joseph Rank Benevolent Fund

JR Rix & Son

Jupiter IT Solutions

Kildale Marine

King Charles III Charitable Fund

KCOM

Lord Hanson Foundation

Marr Sea

Matthew Good Trust

North East Lincolnshire Council

North Lincolnshire Council

Point Engineering

SCMS

Seafood Grimsby and Humber Alliance

Sewell Group

Souter Charitable Trust

Triangle Trust

Tribune Trust

Trinity House Maritime Charity

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation

UNITE

Veterans Foundation

Wilkin Chapman

William Jackson Food Group