Farewell SWAP; a Sycamore success story!
All good things must come to an end, and sadly, that is the case for our wonderful Speak With A Picture project. SWAP began in 2018 and in that time has supported over 750 families – an incredible total! However, our funding has come to an end and we feel that this is the right time to take a look at what the next step will be for this programme and all the families who have been supported over the years.
We’ve enjoyed wonderful support from BBC Children In Need, who were the first funders of SWAP and this time last year, we were thrilled to get another year’s funding from the B&D National Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL) in Barking & Dagenham, and the Openwork Foundation, who funded our work in Havering.
There have been so many success stories from SWAP that they are too numerous to mention, but we can tell you that two SWAP parents were so invested in the programme and the Sycamore Trust as a whole that that they began working for us! We have supported various schools and pre-schools in how to communicate with children using SWAP and the parent/care Facebook page will continue to post tips and information.
Ann Marie Lyons-Mummery has been with SWAP from the very beginning. She said; “I feel honoured and privileged to have been part of SWAP, as much as it has been a communication programme it has also seen us support parent/carers with additional difficulties that their children face such as toileting, sensory needs, and restricted diets to name a few. It has been amazing to see the parents and carers grow in confidence when communicating with their children and we have had such wonderful feedback over the years. I am so sad that the programme has come to an end but I am excited to see what new projects may evolve over the coming years, for us to be able to support more pre-school children. I would like to thank all of our SWAP families for trusting us and allowing us to be part of their child’s communication journey.”
Sycamore Trust CEO Cheryl Kearney began her journey with the charity working on SWAP. She was equally proud of what had been achieved. She said; “SWAP (Supportive, worthwhile, amazing, positive). These are just four of the words that come to mind when I think about SWAP and how much it has helped and supported so many families over the 7 years it has run. SWAP has always been more than a communication programme, it's about building a community of parents who feel empowered to support their child through their early years and beyond. I feel privileged to have been part of so many families journey and to see the difference this programme has made has been so worthwhile. Looking to the future, we hope to deliver a new pre-school programme so we can build on all we have learnt delivering the SWAP programme and continue to support the youngest children so that they can grow and develop to become the best version of themselves”
But the last word must go to one of the parents, and it’s not just any parent, it’s a mother who has since gone on to become an integral part of the Sycamore Trust family. Kerry Benham first brough her son the SWAP six years ago, and she has subsequently gone on the become a group leader at a couple of our youth clubs. She looked back at SWAP from the perspective of a service user. “I would like to say being one of the first parents to take part in the SWAP programme it really helped my confidence to best support my son. Cheryl and Ann- Marie were just an amazing support for me back then and when I had the privilege to work alongside Ann-Marie on the SWAP programme as a member of staff I could see she was an even bigger support for me. I could not have asked for a better project to be a part of particularly being able to relate to parents as I have 'walked in their shoes'. I am sad the SWAP project is ending but I am so pleased I was able to work with a number of families along the way! I look forward to seeing what new projects the Sycamore Trust has up their sleeves in the near future!”
