In pictures: Celebrating 25 years of The Red Hen Project
The 25th anniversary of The Red Hen Project was celebrated recently with a gathering of community figures.
The Cambridge-based charity works directly with families, promoting positive, confident parenting and co-operative relationships between schools and families.
More than 150 people were at the cricket pavilion in the grounds of Jesus College on Tuesday, July 11, to mark its milestone.
They included the city’s mayor, Cllr Jenny Gawthrope Wood, Julie Spence, the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire (who is also one of the charity’s two patrons), and the charity’s other patron, Sonita Alleyne, master of Jesus College.
Jen Rutter, the charity’s partnerships and funding officer, said the event was a “huge success”, adding: “It was really special to have everyone supporting us and celebrating our 25 years – it was brilliant.
“When you think about it, it’s sad that we’ve been needed for 25 years... we’re never more needed than we are now so we want to make sure we continue going for at least another 25 years.”
Jen said that The Red Hen Project started following “a conversation between two primary school headteachers and a family worker.”
She elaborated: “Their original idea was school attainment, helping children ‘dip in’ to school, for those that refused to go into school.
“After that conversation Red Hen began, because education’s at the heart of what we do – and now we provide family support for a wider range of issues. But it’s all related to getting children into school and ready to learn and engage with learning.”
[Read more: Cambridge Sustainable Food’s slow cooker appeal hits £24,000]
Jen added that also present at the anniversary event were “fundraisers, volunteers, donors, businesses – people that all share a love for our local community and want to make positive change”.
For more information, visit redhenproject.org.