Learn English At Home
Through language we empower people to take an active role in the community
28th Annual General Meeting
June 2010
‘Now I can read to my
younger daughter in
English.
LEAH student
‘Since starting the course,
I know where to get
prospectuses
LEAH Student
I like to speak to my
grandson in a little
English.
LEAH student
‘My child was recently
diagnosed with a health
problem and LEAH has
been very helpful.
LEAH student
The Queen’s Award for
Voluntary Service 2008
Chair’s Report
At the end of this, our 28th year, we are continuing to celebrate our achievements. We have been able to reach more
students than ever before in Kingston and Richmond and provide an even better service for them. It has been
particularly pleasing to see what we have achieved in Richmond over the three years we have been working there. You
will be able to read more about our successes this year in other sections of this report.
All our work depends on securing adequate funding and I should like to congratulate the Director on her fundraising
successes, to thank her for her commitment to the organisation and for the support she has given me during the year.
We are now able to employ four part-time members of staff: Razia Tahir, the Director; Sarah Huckstep, Kingston
Coordinator; Helen Rankin, who has just joined us to replace Ayesha Masood as Richmond Coordinator; and Rhiannon
Moore, Health Education Coordinator. On behalf of the Management Committee may I thank them and convey to them
our appreciation of the heavy workloads they have undertaken.
I would like to thank all the members of the Management Committee for consistent support and commitment in
contributing their various skills and abilities to the advancement of LEAH’s work. I would particularly like to thank Sarah
Nuttall, Caroline Fernando and Isabelle Mcgrath for keeping our financial affairs in good order and Sarah Rae for acting
as Independent Examiner again.
Thanks to Carolyn Conway for making her professional skills available to our volunteer tutors in the training courses.
We enter our 29th year with the confidence that we shall continue to advance and improve the much-needed service
we provide in the local community.
Freda Lambert
Health Education Coordinator’s Report
Funding from the Migration Impact Fund enabled LEAH to continue and expand its ‘English for Health’ project with the
appointment of a Health Education Coordinator (HEC) earlier this year. The aim of the project is to provide a holistic
approach, raising awareness on health and health services together with learning English.
In addition to providing a service to our students and tutors, the English for Health project has extended its courses to the
wider BME communities who are isolated and unable to communicate in English. Funding has also enabled us for the first
time to work in Richmond as well as Kingston. Since January this year a range of courses have been organised which has
enabled LEAH students and others from ESOL backgrounds who live locally to attend the courses, practise their English,
gain confidence and improve their health and wellbeing.
Students have also taken part in a course we have called ‘Stepping Stones’ which has helped them learn more about
studying at college, how to apply to a local college and what courses are available.
I have made good links with other providers and partners and participated in local health events, including the Kingston
NHS Korean Health Day and EMAG’s Ethnic Health Group. I promoted our work and the health courses we are running,
visiting 5 children’s centres in Kingston and 4 in Richmond to promote LEAH’s English for Health project, discuss the
possibility of using the centres to hold courses and drop-ins, provide information about making referrals to LEAH and find
out about what the centres have to offer our students.
Rhiannon Moore
Learners’ Courses
Learners’ Outcomes
Cycling Course (with RBK)
Indian Head Massage
Keep Fit
Baby Massage
Stepping Stones
IT for Beginners
(with Kingston Family Learning)
Improved health and wellbeing
Reduced isolation
Increased confidence
Better emotional wellbeing
Increased confidence in riding a bike
Improved physical health
Increased confidence to apply
to college
Kingston and Richmond Coordinators' Report
The past year has been extremely busy with over 120 referrals from different agencies across Kingston and Richmond
such as health visitors, family support workers, GP surgeries, hospitals, the Refugee Council, Home Start, children’s
centres, Welcare, homeless charities, local schools and colleges. Each person’s reason for needing a home tutor has
been highly individual, and it is very clear that LEAH is still very much needed and valued in the community. Language
is central to our objectives as well as helping to address wider aspirations to build a healthier and more integrated local
community in which our students can play an active part. Through our one-one teaching, drop-in coffee mornings for
mothers and children, and the provision of courses, we have helped to build the confidence and English language skills
our students need to make informed choices for themselves and their families.
Volunteers: Last year we ran three training courses and trained 45 new tutors. In total, we had 90 volunteer tutors
paired with students: 60 in Kingston and 30 Richmond. Several tutors also took on a second student during the year to
help us reduce the waiting list which is 29 in Kingston, and eight in Richmond. In order to support new tutors more
effectively, we ran a follow up training session which provided a useful opportunity for new tutors to share their teaching
experiences and ideas with each other, and to identify future training needs. We also ran two sessions for tutors on
Cultural Awareness Training in Richmond and in Kingston. In addition to teaching English, our tutors have helped their
students in many other ways through encouraging them to come to courses and accompanying them to drop-ins to build
their confidence. They have also been a valuable source of local knowledge, providing students with information on local
services and facilities such as health services, libraries, schools and leisure facilities, as well as befriending them. We
would like to thank all our tutors and our office volunteers for their hard work and dedication throughout the year, without
whom we would not have been able to achieve so much.
Student Outcomes: Six students moved on to study ESOL at the North Kingston Centre, Kingston College and
Richmond Adult Community College. Three students achieved British citizenship and one student went to work as a
playground assistant in a local school. The Stepping Stones course will also help others to progress to college classes in
September 2010. All of the Health and Wellbeing courses have been very popular and well attended, with 35 students
attending so far this year. They have enabled students to practise their English, make friends and learn many new skills.
Networking: LEAH staff and committee members attended local meetings, promoting and raising awareness of LEAH’s
work. LEAH has also become a member of the English For Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Strategic Group in
Kingston, whose aim is to improve ESOL provision within the Borough and to create a centralised infrastructure for
information sharing, accessing resources and referral procedures amongst providers.
Social Events: In December 2009, we held a Christmas party for all our volunteers which was very enjoyable and
provided the opportunity for tutors to socialize with each other. In January 2010, we held our annual New Year party for
LEAH students and their families. The party was a great success and was very well attended by 90 children, 55 adults ,
25 volunteers and our Patron Jacqueline Wilson. We are now planning a summer outing and picnic for students and their
children, and a visit to Kingston Museum during the summer holidays.
Sarah Huckstep
Kingston Students
Tunisia
Thailand
Richmond Students
Turkey
Thailand
Syria
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Sri Lanka
China
Egypt
Eritrea
South
Korea
Iraq
Somalia
Romania
Poland
Palestine
Pakistan
North
Korea
Spain
Albania
Algeria
India
Indonesia
Kashmir Iran
Morocco
Vietnam
Somalia
Afghanistan
Portugual
Poland
Peru
Kosovo
India
Eritrea
China
Bangladesh
Albania
Algeria
Director’s Report
It’s already been a year since I joined LEAH and since my involvement in the first Annual General Meeting and annual
report nine months ago I have spent a great deal of time writing funding bids to secure the future of LEAH. Of the five
funding applications, three have been successful and I am extremely grateful to organisations and individuals within
those organisations that have shown belief in the value of our work. I’d particularly like to thank Heather Mathew from
Richmond CVS who listened and supported my frantic efforts to continue our work in Richmond, and The Tudor Trust,
especially their Grants Manager Similola Towry-Coker who advocated for us two years ago conveying the benefits of
our work to colleagues and Trustees who have as a result agreed to fund us for a further year. Sadly Similola TowryCoker unexpectedly died in April and we would like to dedicate this annual report in her memory.
Our work in Kingston is well known and established. With increased funding and resources there has been a lot of new
activity in Richmond. Our Richmond Coordinator and Health Education Coordinator have networked and made good
contacts particularly in Children’s Centres. We have for the first time in our history provided sessions in Richmond itself,
running tutor development workshops, student drop-ins and health courses.
Our partnership work in Richmond has been enhanced with joint work with Richmond MIND, EMAG, Refugee Action
Kingston, advice and support from Richmond CVS, Richmond Volunteer Centre and numerous other organisations.
Our plans for this year are well underway as we continue to strengthen our infrastructure, with a systematic approach to
CRB checks, new and improved policies and procedures, additional evidence based monitoring, support for students
and tutors, and development of the PQASSO quality mark.
Razia Tahir
Special thanks to our volunteers
Lisa Allen
Carol Anderson
George Andrews
Philippa Antell
Victoria Baez
Carole Batcup
Jenny Beadle
Barbara Beaumont
Lucy Bertenshaw
Sophie Betti
Carol Bilney
Jackie Booth
Kath Butcher
Elena Boscarelli
Briony Bridges
Annette Bygraves
Karin Cavill
Kirsty Buchanan
Ann Cornick
Chris Curran
Janet Davidson
Juliet Dehnel
Ushakant Desai
Helen Dolan
Susan Duffin
Martha Earley
Margaret East
Heike Geiserich-Betts
Kam Goh
Linda Ennis
Claire Francis
Anna Gillum
Jeanette Hall
Ling Ling Han
Sang-Hee Han
Maria Hanly
Lucy Hatfield
Julia Hayes
Susan Hitchen
Maria Iacuzzio
Lucia Janisglosova
Pascale Kennedy
Naheed Khaldi
Laura Lennuyeux Comnene
Jenny Jayakrishna
Barbara Johannes
Margaret Jones
Georgia Kalogirou
Rebecca Lunn
Janet Mackay
Gill Mackintosh
Judy Machin
Jane Marchant
Sandy McCulloch
Fiona Mooney
Val McNally
Amira Medejovic
Ann Middleton
Debbie Newing
Sarah Nuttall
Julia O’Connor
Ann Park
Frances Pearce
Rachel Pearcey
Diana Phelps
Claire Randall
Diana Richardson
Sarah Rust
Fionnuala Ryan
Hilary Shaw
Joanne Shepherd
Wendy Seigel
Pat Singh
Lynn Spooner
Genean Stec
Peter Stockham
Rosemary Vase
Radiah Warsame
Mary Whitby
David Wooldridge
Committee Members: Freda Lambert (Chair), Joan McConn (Deputy Chair), Caroline Fernando, Angie Ahmed, Momta Chaudhry, Isabelle McGrath,
Patricia Singh, Rosemary Vase, Francis Arokiasamy (co-opted), Jeanette Hall, Sarah Nuttall (Treasurer), Barbara Beaumont.
Also thanks to:- Our patron Dame Jacqueline Wilson DBE, Veronica Storey, LEAH crèche workers, Ruth Durant, Heather Mathew & Richmond
CVS, Jan Veiseh, John Hall, Pip Deverson, Celia Windsor, Vici Hoban, Ayesha Masood, Kingston Methodist Church, Kingston Adult Education Basic
Skills Unit, Jane Bailey Richmond NHS, Monica Weeden & Kingston Quakers Religious Society of Friends, Kingston Voluntary Action, Kingston
Volunteer Centre, Refugee Action Kingston, Kingston Race & Equalities Council, RBK and NHS Kingston especially Martha Earley, Rebecca Mear, Jo
Gikuyu, Phil Murwill, Nighat Taimuri, Richmond Volunteer Centre, Norman Jackson Children’s Centre, Richmond and Kingston WelCare, Ethnic
Minority Action Group, Richmond MIND, and all the referral agencies in the boroughs of Kingston & Richmond
We are very grateful to our funders
Richmond Children’s Fund
Learn English at Home, Siddeley House 50 Canbury Park Road, Kingston, KT2 6LX
Tel 0208 255 6144 [email protected] www.leah.org.uk Registered Charity No 1057008