Building community,
Equipping individuals,
Strengthening families.
OUR TIMELINE
Our first session with 16 children. Kidz Klub Allerton launched by Janet Nicholson and a team of five volunteers.
We recruited our first employee! Now a registered charity with a board of trustees. New kids’ activities and partnering with local schools.
Our first significant grant: The Big Lottery – Reaching Communities funded us £484,000. More staff, more kids, youth & community services!
Launched our employment support programme; the catalyst for our Social Enterprise model, supporting people and generating income.
Kidz Klub Allerton became Rooted In. With this we underwent a re-vision and established a new strategy for the coming years.
We launched Rooted In Homes: our community-led housing project. With seed funding from Homes England, we aim to build 23 high-quality, affordable homes on a derelict plot. We’ll use local trades and create training opportunities.
Our first session with 16 children. Kidz Klub Allerton launched by Janet Nicholson and a team of five volunteers.
We recruited our first employee! Now a registered charity with a board of trustees. New kids’ activities and partnering with local schools.
Our first significant grant: The Big Lottery – Reaching Communities funded us £484,000. More staff, more kids, youth & community services!
Launched our employment support programme; the catalyst for our Social Enterprise model, supporting people and generating income.
Kidz Klub Allerton became Rooted In. With this we underwent a re-vision and established a new strategy for the coming years.
We launched Rooted In Homes: our community-led housing project. With seed funding from Homes England, we aim to build 23 high-quality, affordable homes on a derelict plot. We’ll use local trades and create training opportunities.
OUR PROJECTS
Champion Kids
Champion Kids is a fun-filled and action-packed programme where children can have fun, make new friends, be encouraged and believed in, and have the values they can apply to their lives modelled to them. Running alongside the children’s programme will be a parents’ café and Little Champions for pre-schoolers.
Between the large Champion sessions we run numerous small Connect Groups. These include baking, gardening, football and much more. These are designed to nurture individuals’ wellbeing and interests through providing a safe space and trusted team. All this is run by a large volunteer army of local young people and parents.
Between the large Champion sessions we run numerous small Connect Groups. These include baking, gardening, football and much more. These are designed to nurture individuals’ wellbeing and interests through providing a safe space and trusted team. All this is run by a large volunteer army of local young people and parents.
Youth Activities
Our activities work with young people to explore the fullness of life and opportunities that await them. It provides an opportunity to get together, share opinions and talk about issues that they are facing. It helps them realise their value and worth, have the resilience and confidence to make positive choices and it equips them to play their part in building community.
School Connect
The local schools are central hubs to our community. We work closely with pastoral and senior leadership teams to support children and young people in their school setting. We deliver assemblies, small group and one-to-one targeted intervention. On top of this we deliver a number of courses that cover mental wellbeing, personal and social development.
Social Enterprises
Coffee shop, event catering and a bakery! By harnessing the power of business, training and a supportive work environment, we help those who want to take steps towards long-term employment to achieve their goal. Placements are flexible and provide a high level of personal development, thus building confidence, skills and aspiration.
Rooted In Homes
Local homes, built by local trades for local families to meet the local needs. We are working with Leeds Community Homes to develop a community-led housing project that is on its way to becoming a registered Social Housing Provider with the aim of building high-quality homes for affordable rent.
Community Garden
Turning a piece of derelict land into a productive growing space that is open to individuals, families and other community groups to meet, grow together and create a productive and beautiful garden.
Allerton Lower Grange Network
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. A network of local organisations, service providers and individuals who are all committed to communicating, co-operating and collaborating to create the greatest opportunities and provision for our community.
THEIR STORIES
Tina's Story
'I felt like I was
healing...'
From losing her son, being held by pain and sorrow, to finding hope for herself and her whole community.
We connected with Tina through her joining our cook & eat programme. We saw Tina’s potential, and she ran with every opportunity to grow, heal, overcome her fears and step into her future. Tina now works over at Sugar Snap Kitchen social enterprise helping train up new team members as well as volunteering back in Allerton with a number of our activities for kids and families.
We connected with Tina through her joining our cook & eat programme. We saw Tina’s potential, and she ran with every opportunity to grow, heal, overcome her fears and step into her future. Tina now works over at Sugar Snap Kitchen social enterprise helping train up new team members as well as volunteering back in Allerton with a number of our activities for kids and families.
Ruby & Rayya
'A lifeline for my girls'
Legacy has been nothing short of a lifeline for my girls Ruby & Rayya. The girls look forward to their weekly session. The group has allowed my girls a safe space to express their fears and worries as well as their happier thoughts and feelings.
The girls have an extremely unpredictable life: their sister Ameeliah suffers with a life-limiting condition and is often very poorly. We have experienced many episodes recently where we are close to losing her & Kate has been there for the girls as well as myself offering support. This is invaluable to us. It brings me much comfort to know that Legacy is there for us all.
Ruby and Rayya have the chance to be like any other 13-year-olds just for a short time, and do not have the pressures of being young carers.
Legacy have been there for my girls and I in our darkest times and have helped us through. We are as a family eternally grateful.
The girls have an extremely unpredictable life: their sister Ameeliah suffers with a life-limiting condition and is often very poorly. We have experienced many episodes recently where we are close to losing her & Kate has been there for the girls as well as myself offering support. This is invaluable to us. It brings me much comfort to know that Legacy is there for us all.
Ruby and Rayya have the chance to be like any other 13-year-olds just for a short time, and do not have the pressures of being young carers.
Legacy have been there for my girls and I in our darkest times and have helped us through. We are as a family eternally grateful.
- Lucy Hussain (mum)
Connor
'From school exclusions to student of the year'
At the age of 8 Connor came to our large weekly kids programme, Kidz Klub. Over the years we supported him in and out of school. But ultimately, he struggled to engage well with his peers, education and the challenges he faced at home.
This led to him leaving school and ending up in a Pupil Referral Unit. At this time Josiah and Kate had just made a start on their self-build and he asked to help one day… three years in he decided to pursue further education in plumbing which Rooted In supported him into. Through the build process and mentoring his confidence and aspirations increased and he won student of the year at Leeds Building College.
Today he is in full-time employment with a mortgage, fixing up his own house.
chief executive
officer
officer
Josiah joined the staff team leading up the organisation in 2011. During this time he has overseen the growth of the organisation and team developing the charity, refining the vision and creating a culture which enables the team to thrive. Josiah currently takes direct responsibility for Rooted In Homes and the ongoing ‘big picture’ development, creating a model for grassroots community empowerment. Outside of work he enjoys a good bike ride and planning the next big idea, currently: it’s a treehouse for his daughter.
Programme
Manager
Manager
Kate pioneered the charity back in 2003 with her mum and became the first employee in 2008. With a background in working with children, young people and families, she is passionate about working with and supporting those deemed most vulnerable and on the fringes of society. Kate co-leads the organisation with her husband Josiah, overseeing the strategic and operational development of the charity. Kate loves to be active, enjoying bike riding, swimming and spending as much time as she can with her daughter.
social enterprise
lead
lead
Working with the core team, Tom takes a lead with all our social enterprise ventures. This covers a wide range of responsibilities involved in starting up and sustaining a profitable business. However, his primary focus is on building team, supporting them through our personal development programme and helping them take bold steps towards employment and a career. Tom’s been a season ticket holder for Valley Parade for far too many years to count, so handles disappointment well…
Finance & Business
support
support
Jayne joined the team with a long career working within the banking sector specialising in IT and management. She’s very much the backbone of the organisation, creating systems and processes that enable us to be nimble and creative in our response to the ever-changing needs and challenges we encounter. Jayne has taken on a new role applying her skills to launching Rooted In Homes. In her spare time Jayne can be found exploring the trails and lanes walking Peggy, her borrowed dog!
Community Outreach Worker
Steffen, originally from Germany moved with his family to the UK in 2019 to become a youth pastor. He joined the Rooted In team in 2022 to become our Community Outreach Worker. Pairing his qualifications and experience with his big heart for people, Steffen is a natural fit within the Rooted In team and Allerton community. He loves to spend time with his family, is a whiskey connoisseur and supports Liverpool football club with all his heart…
Lucy is our chair and has been a trustee since 2017. During the day she works for Bradford Teaching Hospitals whilst studying for an MBA in business, juggling two children, two cats and prosecco.
Rob is a finance director of a UK-based manufacturing firm. Having previously worked for a FTSE100 firm, he brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to the team. He is also an avid Bradford City fan.
Pam joined the team in 2015 after over two decades in youth work across inclusive education, criminal justice services and charities. Pam is a regional leader for a national youth organisation and loves to empower those who want to see change in their own lives.
Philippa is a local parish priest and joined the team in 2022. She has spent the last 4 years working on the Holmewood estate, with churches and local charities to support and empower people, and loves to see the change that happens when people come together to make a difference.
Aidan joined the team after being a supporter of Rooted-in for many years.
Previously working in the private sector focusing on Wealth Management and now managing the Partnership team of an international charity. Aidan enjoys playing sports and says it’s the key to his mental health with having a tribe of kids.
Previously working in the private sector focusing on Wealth Management and now managing the Partnership team of an international charity. Aidan enjoys playing sports and says it’s the key to his mental health with having a tribe of kids.
Rooted In is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity No. 1126786.
Administrative Address: 36 Rudding Avenue, Allerton, Bradford BD15 7DS
Email: hello@rootedin.org
Phone: 01274 752285
© Rootedin Trust
Website design by Graphically Gifted