Music with giving! 

The first Outpost LIVE session took place on Friday 15^th March at LYH, Northumberland Road in Newcastle to raise awareness and funds for The Outpost Housing Project. The live entertainment night was a success and raised a total of £150 for the charity.

Outpost's Fundraising and Communications Officer, Krissie came up with the concept of combining music with giving and recruited the help of local musician Bryn Haswell to assist with the events too. Together they lined up eight acts in total that provided a range of styles and talents for their guests who kindly donated to attend.

Details of the acts that performed are below:

• Sam Smith

• Abby Dolan

• Colin's band

• Rachel Lumb: 

https://soundcloud.com/acquiescent

• Greg Genre: 

http://www.facebook.com/greggenremusic

• Hey! Market:

http://www.facebook.com/HeyMarketBand

• Bryn Haswell: 

http://www.facebook.com/Brynhaswell 

• Jeffri and the Jammers: 

The next Outpost LIVE will take place in April, with a date to be confirmed. We are looking for artists and bands that are interested in playing, with following months too.

If you are interested, then please send us a message via http://www.facebook.com/TheOutpostLive.

Have you got what it takes to participate in a fantastic activity to help fundraise for The Outpost Housing Project whilst enjoying a great experience?

If this sounds like you, then why not sign up to take on an Abseil or Zipslide challenge?

ABSEIL : Participants will abseil down the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle - a drop of 200ft on Sunday 24th March to fundraise for The Outpost Housing Project. (Book here)

 ZIPSLIDE : On Sunday 20th October, the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle will be brought to life with this fun activity! The zip slide starts from the Newcastle side of the bridge and travels diagonally across the River Tyne for 230m before finishing at HMS Calliope on the Gateshead side. (Book here)

To BOOK your place and read the terms and conditions, please follow this link:

http://www.outpostproject.org/Fundraising.php

Your fundraising efforts, however large or small fund our vital services to provide more vulnerable young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender with a secure environment and space to learn independent living skills.

For further information about both fundraising activities then please email krissie@outpostproject.org

The Outpost Housing Project have collaborated with Northumbria University's social work students to provide a mentor scheme for our service users. The aim of the scheme is to provide our young people with a person who can act as a role model and provide support outside of Outpost. Seven social work students took part as well as four of Outpost's volunteers.

The mentors undertook a four week training course run by Project Worker Dawn Gascoigne, Project Assistant Holly Hawthorn and Volunteer Coordinator Katie Ward. The course aimed to help the students and volunteers understand LGBT issues and also the problems some of our service users face, as well as equipping them with the skills to be an effective mentor. The group bonded really well and some of the students and volunteers were shocked at the extent of the problems faced by the service users.

The scheme and partnership is new for Outpost and Northumbria and the pilot went really well. Our mentors and young people have now been matched up and we're looking forward to introducing them and helping the partnership grow. Other groups have expressed interest in receiving support from a mentor from Outpost too, so hopefully in the future the scheme will grow!

(Left -Right) Dhanell, Seonad, Vicki, Tracy, Lynsey, Jen, Sally, Joanne, Dan

 Missing mentors: Alex and Paul

On Thursday 21^st February three young people who are supported by The Outpost Housing Project took part in a cooking session along with project worker Izzy and placement student Susan to experience budgeting, shopping, cooking and social sharing.

Together the group decided on three recipes, which they then set out to buy ingredients for, with the aim to learn how their budget can translate into good quality and value for money meals.

The three meals were:

•  Chicken wrapped in bacon served with salad and chicken
•  Mince Keema
• Chocolate shortcake (Chris’own tried and tested recipe).

Weyes (West End Youth Enquiry Service) were kind enough to let Outpost use their kitchen space during this fun session, which meant that Chris, Matthew and Toni were able to learn new skills together.

Here are the recipes below if you would like to try them too:

Chicken Wrapped In Bacon

*Serves two people*

Ingredients:

• Two chicken breasts
• Cheese of your choice, works very well with mozzarella, stilton cheese or any creamed cheese
• Various salads
• Olive oil
• 4 - 6 rashers of smoked bacon
• Oven chips/fries

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180/200 degrees C
2. Slice a pouch into each chicken breast
3. Stuff with sliced mozzarella or sliced stilton
4. Securely wrap 2 or 3 rashers of smoked bacon firmly around each chicken breast, make sure you join the two ends of the bacon together on the top of the chicken breast to stop it from opening
5. Place in glass pyrex dish and cover with foil
6.  Bang it in the oven for between 25 - 35 minutes (make sure it is cooked all the way through before serving)
7. Cook your oven chips/fries
8. Plate up salad (works well with a rocket salad)

Mince Keema

Ingredients:

•  500 grams of beef mince
• One large onion
• 3 tbsp.  Curry powder
• One tin tomato’s
• One of Campbell’s chicken or mushroom soup
•  2 tbsp. garam masala (optional)
• Oil to cook onions (leave out if want to reduce calories)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C/gas mark 6).
2.  Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add the mince and fry until golden brown and then add the curry powder, fry for another couple of minutes.
4.  Add the tin of tomatoes and tin of soup and stir well.
5. Transfer to a casserole dish cover with foil and cook for about an hour.
6. Optional: add the garam masala 10 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Chocolate shortcake

Ingredients:

• 250g shortbread biscuits, crushed (or alternative of your choice)
• 55g melted butter
• 397g can of Nestle carnation caramel
• 200g dark chocolate (or an alternative of your choice)
• 55g Nestlé Milky bar (optional)
• You will also need a 20cm brownie tin, lined with baking parchment

Method:

1. Combine the crushed biscuits and the melted butter, press into the tin. Chill for 20 mins.
2. Once cooled pour the caramel over the base, then chill until set.
3. Melt the chocolate in separate bowl.  This can be done by breaking the chocolate into a bowl and melt over a pan of hot water being careful next to get any water into the chocolate.
4. Pour the dark chocolate over the caramel and then add a spoonful of the melted Milky bar.
5. Swirl together with a spoon for a marbled effect.

      This session was one of the activities our support workers arrange to help the young people grow and to try new things whilst enjoying themselves.  In addition, Susan has collected various tasty recipes so that we now have a cook book full of recipes available in the office for residents to access and learn to make new dishes. 

Durham University Poetry Society and English Society presented

 

"AN EVENING WITH THE ROMANTICS"

A night of poetry readings, live music and various entertainments helped to fundraise during a wonderful evening of love. The event was a great success, even with terrible weather conditions and a total of £107.95 was collected and donated to Outpost. We would like to say a special thank you to both societies for collaborating on this occasion and to all of the readers, performers and attendees for welcoming Outpost and hosting a lovely evening.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next fundraiser host by Durham University Poetry Society soon! 

local lads swapped their football boots for heels!

Newcastle based Events Company, Ruby Love Events, presented "Life's A Drag", a spectacular cabaret style drag show at Newcastle College on Friday 18th January.

Four students of Newcastle College came together to make events company Ruby Love Events for their degree in Events Management. Jessica Thompson, Lotte Gibson, Fiona Toffrey and Emma Smithson planned a night full of fun, entertainment and men in stockings! The purpose of their event was to raise money for and awareness of The Outpost Housing Project - a charity dedicated to helping young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in need of support and housing. All proceeds made on the night went directly to the charity in order to help those in need.

The night included 10 local lads strutting their stuff down the catwalk in their finest glad rags, a professional drag act presenting the show along with several hilarious games for the audience to get involved. 

The show was held in the Space Bar on Friday 18th January 2013 at Newcastle College and the event raised a fantastic amount of £300!

Thank you Ruby Love Events and to everyone involved, from volunteers to performers. We had a fantastic evening! 

If you would like to host a drag cabart show for The Outpost Housing Project, then please contact krissie@outpostproject.org 

**Good News** 

Two properties are located in Gateshead and the remaining two in Bedlington! 

This fantastic news means that we are now urgently searching for volunteers who can help us to paint, decorate, assemble flat pack furniture, and perhaps clean from Monday 26th November. 

Are you good with a paint brush?

Is DIY your middle name?

Are you handy with a tool bag?

Or do you consider yourself to be a bit like Kim & Aggie - the domestic goddesses'?

If any of the above apply to you and you would like to give up a few hours to help us, then please get in touch asap!

Email: Krissie@outpostproject.org
T: 0191 281 0099
M: Tel: 07908618443 

Outpost's October Fundraising Madness!

October has been brilliant for fundraising, with three exciting events happening on our doorstep that have all raised fantastic amounts for Outpost. If you like any of the ideas below, then please email admin@outpostproject.org for details on how you can fundraise for Outpost too.  

Outpost's Oscars & AGM     

The McElderry Massive Abseil 

Jim McElderry & friends Zip slide 

PLEASE DONATE TO OUTPOST HOUSING PROJECT

   

Remember, remember Outpost on 5th November

 Welcome to the team Kristine!

Outpost have recently secured funding to appoint a full time Fundraising and Communications Officer to the project for a period of one year.

The Homeless Transition Fund who are an independent fund that aims to protect essential services for homeless people, have awarded £25'000 to Outpost Housing Project as part of a new ‘Future Ready' fund that helps charities prepare for funding cuts and respond to the challenges that they face.  

Therefore we have successfully placed Kristine Akrill into the position, whose enthusiasm for fundraising and events will help us to diversify our streams and in turn generate further income. Kristine has plans to introduce a varied events and communications strategy, and welcomes supporters to come forward should they wish to fundraise for Outpost with assistance and help given every step of the way.  

For further guidance on fundraising, please visit our A - Z  which is jam packed full of creative ideas! Alternatively, if you would like to discuss your fundraising idea with Kristine, then please email admin@outpostproject.org

Young people at Outpost’s Stargroup came out of the summer rain and produced some spectacular canvases to decorate their flats/rooms.  

The Star Group takes place every other Monday afternoon between 1pm and 3pm.  We have a drop in at 1pm for people to come along and get advice and support about housing issues or

We have a range of activities / discussions.  Our next 2 sessions are:-

Monday 23^rd July - Mini Olympics at Leazes Park (if the weather’s good!) If not, we will have indoor games at Mesmac.

Monday 6^th August – making window boxes of kitchen herbs  

If you want to come along, please get in touch – text Dawn on 07717 811 2 12 or Graeme on 07833 448 545

It was the first time that Outpost was holding a sponsored zip slide in partnership with zipslide uk.

We had 12 brave volunteers who put themselves forward to take part.  This coincided with the olympic flame's visit to Newcastle, which with Bear Grylls' help, also took part in a zip slide from the Tyne Bridge in front of thousands of people.

To, I imagine, the relief of our zip sliders, there were fewer spectators watching on Sunday though those that were there were very supportive.

The current total of sponsorship raised is £1,350 with more still to come! So, thanks to all our zip sliders for the hard work and effort in raising the fabulous amount of funds.  Stay tuned for further updates. 

 Our zip sliders: