As the world outside dons its autumn attire, we step into the month of November in anticipation for the holiday season to begin. Happy reading!

Welcome to Autumn, it’s been a warm start to the season, with a few cold nights meaning it has come to that time of year where we consider if it is cold enough to turn the heating on. The cost of fuel remains high, and we need to be mindful of the effect that fuel poverty will have on young people and their families. If you know families that need support there is possible help here:   https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/apply-welfare-support or you can apply to St Johns for a crisis fund https://stjohnsbath.org.uk/about/ on behalf of your families.

I hope you enjoyed Halloween as we certainly did at our Halloween Horror Extravaganza, well done to Leah, Babs and all the volunteers for making it a huge success for our local community.

With firework night coming up I just wanted to remind you of the amazing opportunity from Bath Rotary Club. They have offered a whole bus by the Abbey to watch the fireworks display on the 4th November. We are offering staff the opportunity to join us on the bus as a thank you for all the work you do. We have 30 places, you can bring guests (kids, your partner, or a friend). If you would like a place it’s, first come first serve, please send an email to contact@ycsw.org.uk saying how many spaces you would like. We will confirm spaces as soon as possible. We only have 4 spaces remaining!

The HR Subgroup have been working on the Staff Wellbeing Survey and over all the feedback has created a positive picture with staff enjoying their work at YCSW. We will be sending out feedback and working on areas where we can do better in the coming months; part of this includes reviewing our employee assistance program, wellbeing offer and sickness policy.

Trustees and managers recently spent a day reviewing the past four years, reflecting on our successes and planning for the future. We are in the middle of this process and considering how we can involve staff, we have the Staff Involvement Group and the staff Trustee Becky Walker, but if you have any other ideas, please let me know.

We are planning a whole staff conference on Saturday 24 February 2024, venue to be confirmed, please put this date in your diary as it will be an opportunity to meet and celebrate.

The team takes on the Saltford Santa Dash!

🎅🏃‍♀️ Get ready for some festive fun! Some of the Youth Connect South West team is gearing up for the Saltford Santa 5 Mile Dash, and we'd love your support to help us raise funds! 🎄🔔

Our Santa-suited team will be dashing through Saltford and Keynsham, spreading festive cheer and raising funds for Youth Connect South West's free community events. 🏃‍♂️🎅

With your support, we can make our community happier and more vibrant. No donation is too small, and every bit counts! Your generosity truly makes a difference and sharing the fundraiser helps just as much! 🤗🎉

There is still time to sign up, we also found out dogs can run along side you on a short lead!

Our Santa’s so far:

• Tracey – CEO – this is the first race she has run in since being at school and that’s a distant memory!! Wish her luck!
• Victoria – People and Resources Manager
• Chloe – Alternative Education Programme Manager
• Shelley – Senior Administrative Assistant
• Sophie – Digital Marketing Assistant

The link to the fundraiser is here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ycsw-santa-dash

November Wellbeing

Autumn is finally here and soon we will have firework celebrations and carnivals to look forward to as the nights get colder. For creative fun were inviting staff to make a picture based on fireworks! This can be in any format you wish, such as using things from nature, an online app, a drawing or painting, or even a model. Please email shelley.bush@ycsw.org.uk pictures of your artwork by the 30th November and the most unique will win a prize!

Did you know that the 21st November is world Hello Day? We are encouraging staff to all say hello with a smile to at least 10 people on this day, including strangers you may pass in the street. This simple act of kindness can make anyone feel more accepted by the people around them and easily brighten their day. For more information, please visit this website - https://worldhelloday.org/

November is also World Vegan month, and there are several recipes that can be found online if you want to try something a bit different. The banana muffins look good on this website https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/vegan-recipes. Please send pictures of any different recipes that you have tried and would like to share!

Did you know?

The Anglo-Saxons had quite a fitting name for November. It’s usually at this time of the year in the northern hemisphere that cold winds start to chill you to the bone, and as such, they called it “Wind Monath,” or wind month.

The best month to express love in Spain is revealed to be November, according to recent research. The study shows that during this month, most Spaniards are inclined to tweet “Te amo,” the Spanish translation of “I love you.”

In Finland, the word for November is Marraskuu, meaning the month of the dead. Now this may sound ominous, but the reason for the name is because all the seasonal trees and plants lose their leaves or die in the month of November.