As you have hopefully heard, this month our families both nominated and chose our brand new Charity of the Year! The responce was overwhelming, with a large majority voting for S.N.A.P.P.Y, who we will now be raising money for all year! To get to know them a little better we caught up with Anne, service manager for the Charity…
First things first, take a second to introduce yourself!
My name is Anne Stamp. I am the service manager here. I work with a group of sessional and part time staff. Snappy is also managed by a voluntary management committee. We are also supported by lots of lovely volunteers.
Tell us a little about S.N.A.P.P.Y, what is it all about?
The Snappy trust is a registered Charity working with Children and Young people with wide ranging disabilities. We have been established in York for almost 35 years and now support over 300 Children and their families. We operate schemes and schemes and programmes in all school holidays, weekends and some Evenings.
In addition, Snappy also offer an outreach programme to families who may struggle during term time. This could involve taking a child or Young Person out for a day, babysitting whilst parents go out or just being there for support.
The organisation is managed by a board of Trustees, with a Service Manager responsible for day to day operational management, supported by a core of part time staff and sessional workers who over see a voluntary workforce with a bank of approximately 100 volunteers at any one time.
We are governed by Ofsted , receiving Outstanding and Good in all our inspections and by the local Authority, with whom we liaise, access training and attend all review meetings.
We are very proud of our reputation in York and surrounding areas and our profile is high.Coupled with this is the pride in knowing that our volunteers have a wide and varied experience here. We recruit from many different sectors of the community including local universities.
How long have you been going as a charity?
Snappy has been operating in York for 34 years ( 35 on the 1st June 2020 )
Where about’s are S.N.A.P.P.Y based?
We are based in Lowther Street. We have rented premises at Door 84.
What does a week in the life of S.N.A.P.P.Y look like?
Oh Dear!!! Well, no two days are the same. We would have around 26 Children or Young people attending. Activities are all age and stage appropriate and each Child or Young person has a one to one adult ratio. We do the same things here that our mainstream peers do. It all about fun, stretching the Children and Young People and keeping them safe
Where do you hope to be in the future?!
We are currently seeking larger premises due to the huge influx of new Children. It has been so very busy that we have had to split the groups down to every other day. This is heart-breaking as we have the staff, the volunteers and the willingness to grow.
Finally, how does it feel to know that the families and friends of Muddy Boots not only nominated, but also voted for S.N.A.P.P.Y to be our Charity of the Year?
We are so excited to be teaming up with Muddy Boots. I know that you and your parents will do all you can for us. These are all our Children and they deserve the very best. I know we are in good hands. Your reputation precedes you!