O X F O R D

Annual Review 2013-14

Providing sporting and social activities

for young people with special needs.

Registered charity number 299786. A Mencap Gateway club.

KEEN’s 25th anniversary year came to a close with a giant

celebration, the KEEN Olympics. After a slightly damp

start, the sun soon broke through and athletes had a great

time playing sports, completing the obstacle course and

receiving medals from our guests, Paralympic medallist

Sophie Christiansen and the Lord Mayor of Oxford!

A soggy start to proceedings didn’t dampen any spirits as we warmed up

in the marquee with balls, beanbags and singing. The rain soon dried up,

allowing KEEN’s very own mascot, Ken, to open proceedings! We then

rotated around some great sports activities: a fun-packed boccia session,

some very lively parachute games, much-loved athletics activities, and

some inventive playground games. Athletes hopped, skipped, jumped,

wheeled and sackraced their way through an obstacle course to round off

the afternoon. Enthusiastically cheered on by session leaders, their

wonderful coaches and all their other KEEN friends, our athletes learned

that there is no barrier (physical, metaphorical or meteorological) that

cannot be overcome through a positive attitude and camaraderie.

− Ed Warren and Hannah Phillips

KEEN OLYMPICS 2013

2013-14 IN NUMBERS 319 volunteers, 111 young people with special needs,

64 hokey cokeys, 24 GrEAT sessions (and 1 GrEAT ball),

21 KEEN Teens sessions, 21 Zig-Zag sessions (with 3

themes), 19 AllSorts sessions (and 1 Christmas party and

1 treasure hunt), 3 ice skating sessions, 3 KEEN+ sessions,

1 daytrip and 1 KEEN Olympics, making 1 fantastic year!

CONTENTS p1 KEEN Olympics p2 Daytrip & KEEN+ p3-4 AllSorts

p5-6 Thanks p7 Zig-Zag p8 KEEN Teens p9-10 GrEAT p11 Coordinator

1

DAYTRIP AND KEEN+ This year KEEN’s under-18’s ventured up to Thinktank,

Birmingham’s fantastic science museum. Over 70

volunteers and athletes discovered everything from steam

engines to plastics, water to the human body, and we had

an incredible planetarium show to top the whole thing off!

Meeting bright and early on a windy morning, we swiftly boarded our

coaches and were off on our scientific adventure! Spread over four

incredible floors, and with an interactive garden to explore, there were

lots of attractions to choose from! Some groups headed outside straight

away, racing rubber ducks, experimenting with noise, wind and water.

Some of us stayed inside, exploring engines, cars and trains. It was time

for lunch before we knew it! After meeting up to eat our packed lunches,

we headed upstairs to take a look at the “present day”, seeing the science

behind an everyday street, and what goes on in a human body. Here, we

could also take a walk on the wild side with some animal exhibits. From

there, it was onwards to the Planetarium! Outside the Planetarium, we

were treated to a glimpse of what the future of technology might hold,

including a talking robot. Inside, we were taken on an adventure through

space, to the stars, until finally it was time to head home. − Kate Dickie

We rounded off our Winter term with a visit to the Oxford Playhouse's

pantomime: a lively performance of Robin Hood, full of music, dancing

and even tight-rope walking. No one shouted “he's behind you!” louder

than KEEN, and we were definitely some of the most enthusiastic singers

too! − Aoife Duff

KEEN started 2014 with a splash. The swimming party at Ferry Leisure

Centre was great fun for athletes and coaches. We had the entire pool to

ourselves along with floats and a giant inflatable assault course. The

session was action packed and it was great to see athletes swimming

brilliantly and enjoying the water. − Ruth Smith

On a sunny day in April, a group of lucky athletes took part in a golf

taster afternoon at Waterstock golf course. We began on the driving

range before heading off to try putting. With the friendly coaches on hand

to advise, everyone had fun and learnt lots of new skills! − Ali Paskins 2

ALLSORTS KEEN’s sports session remains our biggest weekly event,

with athletes swarming to Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre

in the winter and New College Sports Ground in the

summer. Over the year, our session leaders and sports

coordinator Will have organised all sorts of activities,

from traditional sports such as football, basketball and

badminton to excitingly unconventional activities like

capture the flag, crazy golf and boxercise!

It’s a rare privilege to see a full year of AllSorts come to life, but as I write

that’s exactly the position in which I find myself! I can’t do justice to all of

this year’s fantastic sessions, and the leaders and volunteers who made

them possible, but I can give a broad sketch of the whirlwind that’s been

sports at KEEN this year.

October saw our return to Blackbird Leys with athletes old and new, and

a host of sports including fresh takes on the obstacle course, golf and

capture the flag. We wrapped up 2013 with a fantastic Christmas party,

complete with a familiar-faced Santa and Quidditch led by the world

champion Oxford University team! Hilary’s sessions passed in the

traditional hectic flurry, as the renovation of the leisure centre created

doors where once stood walls and new horizons for athletes to explore.

At the same time I was delighted to see brilliant new session leaders Ruth,

Shayan, Hannah and Vicky coming to the fore.

And so to Trinity, with the move outside bringing more new athletes and

sports, not to mention the 2014 Treasure Hunt! Equally warm and equally

fun as last year, though this time with a Toy Story theme (which, to the

great disappointment of all, meant I wasn’t wearing a dress). With more

sessions and the 2014 KEEN Olympics still to come at the time of writing,

there’s still plenty more fun around the corner. Every moment of my

sport coordination – be it squash-pouring, athlete-chasing or handling

minor calamity – has been a joy. I remember saying last year I couldn’t

wait to see what the next year would bring: safe to say, it’s exceeded my

wildest expectations!

− Will Hallan

3

I love being paired with athletes at AllSorts, but this year I decided to try

session leading. I was given lots of support when I started (thanks Roo!),

which was really helpful and made me a lot less nervous. I have had loads

of fun doing sports ranging from boccia at Blackbird Leys to parachute

games outside, where the wind has definitely been trying to take part! I

really enjoy being able to work with lots of different athletes at each

session, and seeing how everyone tackles the activities differently makes

the session varied and exciting for me. My personal highlights include

some great rivalry between Chloe and Rebekah during boccia and Harry,

James, Matthew, Anthony, Ryan and Jarvise teaching me a few lessons

about how to play basketball! For any volunteers who are thinking about

trying session leading I would definitely recommend it – I can’t wait to

start again in the autumn!

− Beth Kingston

Having started volunteering at AllSorts this year, we both decided to have

a try at session leading at the end of last term. This certainly felt like a

huge step – suddenly, we had up to a dozen or so athletes to coach, not

just one! But KEEN has been really supportive in ensuring we’ve had all

the support we need. At the beginning of this term, there was a training

session taking us through how to plan sessions, and we also had the

opportunity to go along and shadow a more experienced session leader

to learn the ropes. And we weren’t left on our own after that either – the

KEEN coordinator, sports coordinator and other volunteers are always

on hand to lend a hand during the sessions themselves too. That said, it

can’t be denied that all the planning and support in the world wouldn’t

prevent certain situations you face as a session leader being tricky at

times. It’s especially challenging to try to adapt activities to the different

needs, interests and abilities of each athlete. The phrase ‘organised chaos’

probably best describes our playground games session… But the

challenge of session leading hasn’t been off-putting; when athletes leave

your session smiling it all feels worthwhile, even if you are shattered

afterwards. It’s probably just as well that KEEN has a snack bag full of

yummy food to help you recharge your batteries between sessions!

− Vicky Hayman and Hannah Street

4

KEEN is immensely grateful to the

individuals and organisations who made this

year a success. Our funders for 2013-14 are listed

below surrounded by names of this year's volunteers.

Aldens Butchers, The Ammco Trust, Andrew Whitby, Anna Myers

and supporters, Anna Newton and supporters, Apollo University Lodge,

The Bartle Family Charitable Trust, BBC Oxford Walking Group, Brasenose

College JCR, Bruce Wake Charity, Callum Campbell, The Carlyle Group,

Christopher Price, Craig Lang, The Cumber Family Charitable Trust, Daniel Warren,

David Harris , David Solomons Charitable Trust, Decathlon Oxford, Diageo Foundation,

DLM Charitable Trust, Doris Field Charitable Trust, easyfundraising.org.uk supporters,

Elizabeth Turley, Emily Jeffery and supporters, Garry Lancaster, Giovanni Cuomo, The Grey Court

Trust , Hamish Low, Hertford College JCR, The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust, HMP

Grendon B Wing, Hugh Vinter, Ian Wacogne, The JK Foundation, J Leon & Company Ltd,

Jacob Wilcock, James Pope and supporters, Jonathan Rhodes James, Jo Harris, Joanne Newton, John

Doran, Jonathan Baggs, Kate Dickie, Kate Sankey and supporters, KEEN Student Society, Keith

Rae Trust, Kristel Horwood and supporters, Krzysia Gossage, Malcolm and Karen Roisin,

LocalGiving.com Grow Your Tenner, Mandy Maryan, Nathan Webster, Nick Thomas, Nuffield

College, OxFizz, Oxford Access Audits Ltd, Oxford RAG, Oxford University van Houten Fund,

Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Oxfordshire County Council, P F Charitable Trust,

Paul Hackwood and supporters, Paul Maryan, Prateek Choudhary, RAF Brize Norton Survival

Equipment Section and supporters, Richard Pyper, Robert Easton, Robert Jones, Rory Stenton,

Rose Lynn and supporters, Rose Todd and supporters, RoysFitness.com and supporters,

The RS Brownless Charitable Trust, The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust,

Somerville College, St Clare's Oxford, St Michael's and All Saints Charities,

The Stanton Ballard Charitable Trust, Stephen Alexander, Tom Hall

Charitable Trust, Tracy Rowland, Wheatley Park School, Will Hallan

and supporters, William Hallett, Wolfson College, Y6b at

Wood Farm Primary School and our many

anonymous donors!

Abigail Douglas, Abigail Hamilton-Shaw, Abigail Whiteley, Adam Leonard, Adrian Matthew, Adriano Durgales, Aila Rothweiler, Aisha Simon, Aleksandra Fomina, Aleksandra Ksiazek, Aleksandra Selkovaja, Alena Sim,

Alethea Pramesthi, Alex Atfield, Alex Emsley, Alex Stevenson, Alex Kelly, Ali Dzhaber, Ali Paskins, Alice Caulfield, Alice Hext, Alice Stoppard, Amanda Rosica, Amber Barton , Amelia Smith, Amy Down, Amy

Lineham, Anastasia Fefyunina, Andrew Dooley, Andrey Britsksy, Andrey Vidiskenko, Anggun Talitha , Anna Gorick, Anna Jimenez de Veciana, Anna Michieletto, Anna Myers, Anna Newton, Annika Powers, Antoine

Sverdlov, Aoife Duff, Arash Akbari, Ashleigh Parry, Ashley Parker, Ayo Ajanaku, Becky Turner, Ben Abbott, Beth Kingston, Bethan Donaghey, Bethany Dobbin, Betty Ip, Bianca Bertini, Bryony Core, Caesaria Danida,

Caitlin Gracie , Caitlin Russell, Callum Campbell, Camille Brodeur, Carlotta Missiroli, Carlotta Riganti , Catherine McFadden, Catrin Ham, Catrin Lloyd, Chantal Cave, Charis Horn, Charlmane Lun, Charlotte Blyth,

Charlotte Cato, Charlotte I'Anson, Charlotte Scott, Charlotte Woolaston, Chloe Townsend, Chris Essex, Chris Price, Christina Kirkegard, Cliodhna Ni Ghudhir, Damien

Bradbury, Dana Mills, Daniel Pledger, Daria Gerasimova, Daria Karpova, David Goswell, David Medina, Diego Alberto Barragan Passallo, Dip

Rozario, Ed Crawford , Ed Warren, Ehsan Faraji Zanjani , Eiko Kato, Ekaterina Aishinova, Elena Barabash, Elena Tchakarova, Elis

Vallbaum, Elizabeth Liddiard, Elsa Aguilar, Elsbeth Nye, Emilia Pool Illsley, Emily Hayes, Emily Jeffery, Emily Tough,

Emma Linthwaite , Emmanuelle Nairac, Enrica Biasi, Erika Joseph, Erin Dexter, Ernesto Rodriguez, Faith Hussaini, Fanta Keyta,

Fatima Hamid, Fifi Bangham, Fiona Cattermole, Flynn Jeong, Francesca Fausto, Gabriel Asman, Gullo Lombardi Stronati,

Hannah Brown, Hannah Phillips, Hannah Street, Hanne Mokster, Hayley Walsh, Holly Digne-Malcolm, Holly Freeborn,

Hugh Vinter, Hyunwoo Ji, Imana Sabrina, Ines Rahtz, Inez Filipiak, Isobel Savulescu, Isona Kakuchi, Jack Leguard, Jake Sullivan, James

Baker, James Keasley, Jess Beasley, Jihyun Kim, Jin Young Jeon, Jinny Kittipibul, Jo Knowles, Joanna Lawson, Joanna Tung, Joanne

Rose, Joanne Williams , John Martin, Josephine Walker, Julia Graef, Julia Nothomb, Julie Gallis , Julie St Clair Hoare , Kaia Olsvold, Karina

New, Karine Bie, Kasidit Pruekwangkkao, Kate Dickie, Kate Milne, Kate Nichol, Kate Parrott, Kate Sankey, Katherine

Dowdall, Kathleen Valencia Hartono , Kathryn Aveyard, Katie Abell, Katy Boncey, Katy Pownall, Kaylita Chantiluke, Kelly

Fitzgerald, Keng Yi Kwek, Kevin Espinoza, King Linek, Kira Boehm, Kirsten Craig, Krissy Satherley, Kristin Doneva,

Kristina Millar, Ladfah Sywichacherdchu , Larry Alain Sitompul, Laura Boo-Borreiro, Laura Frederick, Laura Paton,

Laura Scott, Lauren Kennedy, Lea Schlanz, Levent Tuzun, Linda Perkio, Lisanna Semilarski, Lorenzo Dandria, Lottie

Pyper, Lou Auquier, Louisa Manning, Lucy Griffiths, Lucy Iremonger, Luis Magro, Luisa Howlett, Lukas Twist,

Maike May Chapel, Maisie Watson, Maria Inmaculada Caruana, Maria Radaeva, Marina Boulton, Mario Scarpati ,

Mark Johnson, Marta Waliszak , Martina Divkovic, Mathew Hartshorne, Matthew Jamshed, Matthew

Murrell, Matthew Westery, Megan Taylor-West, Meike Woermann, Melanija Oslojia, Melissa Berrill,

Melissa Stickland, Micaela Tuckwell, Michael Bolton, Michael Tui, Mirabel Anosike, Miu Wong, Molgurzata

Gosia Glazek, Movin Abeywickrema, Muhammad Usman, Munalisa Ferdus, Nabeela Munsoor, Natalia

Iou, Natasha Bashir, Natasha Iqbal, Nathalia de Prado Rocha, Nathan Webster, Nerys Gross , Nicholas

Patni, Nick Brown, Nikita Fadeer, Nirmala Wahab, Olga Musayev, Olga Soboleva, Oliver Corkill, Olivia

McCourt, Ophir Even, Oscar Clarin Moestue, Owen Perlo, Paola Sanchez Goderzi, Paul Guest, Paul

Maryan , Pauline Zanetto , Pavin Pattarodon, Pietro Borletti, Pippa Reid, Rachel Cain, Rachel Hurford,

Rebecca Burns, Rebecca Fredrickson, Rebecca Galalae, Rebecca Lear, Rebecca Lee, Rebecca

Trevelyan, Rena Hattori, Rheza Keenan, Rhian Major, Richard Yates, Robyn Harris , Roisin Aheene,

Rosario Vergara, Rose Gwillim-Thomas, Rose Jones, Rose Michael, Roseanna Tuohy, Rosetta Aning,

Rosie Roberts, Rupert da Silva, Ruth Mitchell, Ruth Simmonds, Ruth Smith, Sakinah Sat, Salvador Garcia

Santos, Samra Abdel Wahab, Samuel Sayudi, Sapnam Gurung, Sara Polakova, Sara Rohling, Sarah Cottrell,

Sarah Parrish , Sarah Pulawski, Saskya Hannah Bingei, Sergei Bovovsky, Shayan Seyed Hashemi, Shyamli

Badgaiyan , Siân Pressey, Siew Sanz Ng, Simon Davies, Sinead Brady, Sofia Sanborn, Sorina Maciuca , Stacey da Silva,

Stefanie von der Thannen, Steffan Danino, Stephen Lilico, Stine Tonnessen, Svetlana Skobeeva, Temur Khassen, Thomas

Yim, Thonamanee Denvittaya , Tilly Hill, Tim Donnison, Tim Keasley, Tinnabhand Potana-anake , Toby Boncey, Toby Webster, Tom

Archer, Tom Ashfold, Tom Coxon, Trevour Wong, Vicky Butler, Vicky Hayman, Vittoria Danieli, William Hallan, Xinyu Xiong,

Yexia Lin, Yue Wei, Yunfei Yang, Zahida Manji, Zoe Valbret, and anyone we've missed! Thanks are also due to: Carol Collinswood for

producing our accounts, Joanna Robinson at the Oxfordshire Family Information Service for helping arrange transport, Lorna Edwards and

Sue Maniscalco for their hard work in the office, My Life My Choice for running the fantastic Stingray club night, OCVA for advertising our volunteering

opportunities, Oxford Hub for referring volunteers through the One Hour A Week Campaign, Oxford Magic Society for sharing some secrets at KEEN Teens, Oxford

Playhouse for inviting us to the pantomime, Oxford University Brass Band for accompanying our carol singing, Oxford University Ice Hockey Club & Oxford Alts for helping out on the ice rink, Oxford University Quidditch

Club for running a magical sports session, Science Oxford for providing science materials, SpecialEffect for bringing adapted video games to GrEAT, St John Ambulance LINKS at Brookes for lending us CPR dummies, Tom

Baker for leading a KEEN+ golf activity , The Ultrasounds for their lively acapella , and Vicky Hahn for an energetic Zumba workout at GrEAT. In addition, we are very grateful to our venues, transport providers and their

staff for being so accommodating: Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, Charlton Services, Dhanjals Transport, Ferry Leisure Centre, The Mitre, New College Sports Ground, Oxford Bowlplex, Oxford Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Centre, Oxford Ice Rink, Oxford Spires Academy, Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy , St Clements Family Centre, St Gregory the Great School, Thinktank Birmingham, University Parks, and the Wallingford Coach.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

KEEN is immensely grateful to the

individuals and organisations who made this

year a success. Our funders for 2013-14 are listed

below surrounded by names of this year's volunteers.

Aldens Butchers, The Ammco Trust, Andrew Whitby, Anna Myers

and supporters, Anna Newton and supporters, Apollo University Lodge,

The Bartle Family Charitable Trust, BBC Oxford Walking Group, Brasenose

College JCR, Bruce Wake Charity, Callum Campbell, The Carlyle Group,

Christopher Price, Craig Lang, The Cumber Family Charitable Trust, Daniel Warren,

David Harris , David Solomons Charitable Trust, Decathlon Oxford, Diageo Foundation,

DLM Charitable Trust, Doris Field Charitable Trust, easyfundraising.org.uk supporters,

Elizabeth Turley, Emily Jeffery and supporters, Garry Lancaster, Giovanni Cuomo, The Grey Court

Trust , Hamish Low, Hertford College JCR, The HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust, HMP

Grendon B Wing, Hugh Vinter, Ian Wacogne, The JK Foundation, J Leon & Company Ltd,

Jacob Wilcock, James Pope and supporters, Jonathan Rhodes James, Jo Harris, Joanne Newton, John

Doran, Jonathan Baggs, Kate Dickie, Kate Sankey and supporters, KEEN Student Society, Keith

Rae Trust, Kristel Horwood and supporters, Krzysia Gossage, Malcolm and Karen Roisin,

LocalGiving.com Grow Your Tenner, Mandy Maryan, Nathan Webster, Nick Thomas, Nuffield

College, OxFizz, Oxford Access Audits Ltd, Oxford RAG, Oxford University van Houten Fund,

Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Oxfordshire County Council, P F Charitable Trust,

Paul Hackwood and supporters, Paul Maryan, Prateek Choudhary, RAF Brize Norton Survival

Equipment Section and supporters, Richard Pyper, Robert Easton, Robert Jones, Rory Stenton,

Rose Lynn and supporters, Rose Todd and supporters, RoysFitness.com and supporters,

The RS Brownless Charitable Trust, The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust,

Somerville College, St Clare's Oxford, St Michael's and All Saints Charities,

The Stanton Ballard Charitable Trust, Stephen Alexander, Tom Hall

Charitable Trust, Tracy Rowland, Wheatley Park School, Will Hallan

and supporters, William Hallett, Wolfson College, Y6b at

Wood Farm Primary School and our many

anonymous donors!

Abigail Douglas, Abigail Hamilton-Shaw, Abigail Whiteley, Adam Leonard, Adrian Matthew, Adriano Durgales, Aila Rothweiler, Aisha Simon, Aleksandra Fomina, Aleksandra Ksiazek, Aleksandra Selkovaja, Alena Sim,

Alethea Pramesthi, Alex Atfield, Alex Emsley, Alex Stevenson, Alex Kelly, Ali Dzhaber, Ali Paskins, Alice Caulfield, Alice Hext, Alice Stoppard, Amanda Rosica, Amber Barton , Amelia Smith, Amy Down, Amy

Lineham, Anastasia Fefyunina, Andrew Dooley, Andrey Britsksy, Andrey Vidiskenko, Anggun Talitha , Anna Gorick, Anna Jimenez de Veciana, Anna Michieletto, Anna Myers, Anna Newton, Annika Powers, Antoine

Sverdlov, Aoife Duff, Arash Akbari, Ashleigh Parry, Ashley Parker, Ayo Ajanaku, Becky Turner, Ben Abbott, Beth Kingston, Bethan Donaghey, Bethany Dobbin, Betty Ip, Bianca Bertini, Bryony Core, Caesaria Danida,

Caitlin Gracie , Caitlin Russell, Callum Campbell, Camille Brodeur, Carlotta Missiroli, Carlotta Riganti , Catherine McFadden, Catrin Ham, Catrin Lloyd, Chantal Cave, Charis Horn, Charlmane Lun, Charlotte Blyth,

Charlotte Cato, Charlotte I'Anson, Charlotte Scott, Charlotte Woolaston, Chloe Townsend, Chris Essex, Chris Price, Christina Kirkegard, Cliodhna Ni Ghudhir, Damien

Bradbury, Dana Mills, Daniel Pledger, Daria Gerasimova, Daria Karpova, David Goswell, David Medina, Diego Alberto Barragan Passallo, Dip

Rozario, Ed Crawford , Ed Warren, Ehsan Faraji Zanjani , Eiko Kato, Ekaterina Aishinova, Elena Barabash, Elena Tchakarova, Elis

Vallbaum, Elizabeth Liddiard, Elsa Aguilar, Elsbeth Nye, Emilia Pool Illsley, Emily Hayes, Emily Jeffery, Emily Tough,

Emma Linthwaite , Emmanuelle Nairac, Enrica Biasi, Erika Joseph, Erin Dexter, Ernesto Rodriguez, Faith Hussaini, Fanta Keyta,

Fatima Hamid, Fifi Bangham, Fiona Cattermole, Flynn Jeong, Francesca Fausto, Gabriel Asman, Gullo Lombardi Stronati,

Hannah Brown, Hannah Phillips, Hannah Street, Hanne Mokster, Hayley Walsh, Holly Digne-Malcolm, Holly Freeborn,

Hugh Vinter, Hyunwoo Ji, Imana Sabrina, Ines Rahtz, Inez Filipiak, Isobel Savulescu, Isona Kakuchi, Jack Leguard, Jake Sullivan, James

Baker, James Keasley, Jess Beasley, Jihyun Kim, Jin Young Jeon, Jinny Kittipibul, Jo Knowles, Joanna Lawson, Joanna Tung, Joanne

Rose, Joanne Williams , John Martin, Josephine Walker, Julia Graef, Julia Nothomb, Julie Gallis , Julie St Clair Hoare , Kaia Olsvold, Karina

New, Karine Bie, Kasidit Pruekwangkkao, Kate Dickie, Kate Milne, Kate Nichol, Kate Parrott, Kate Sankey, Katherine

Dowdall, Kathleen Valencia Hartono , Kathryn Aveyard, Katie Abell, Katy Boncey, Katy Pownall, Kaylita Chantiluke, Kelly

Fitzgerald, Keng Yi Kwek, Kevin Espinoza, King Linek, Kira Boehm, Kirsten Craig, Krissy Satherley, Kristin Doneva,

Kristina Millar, Ladfah Sywichacherdchu , Larry Alain Sitompul, Laura Boo-Borreiro, Laura Frederick, Laura Paton,

Laura Scott, Lauren Kennedy, Lea Schlanz, Levent Tuzun, Linda Perkio, Lisanna Semilarski, Lorenzo Dandria, Lottie

Pyper, Lou Auquier, Louisa Manning, Lucy Griffiths, Lucy Iremonger, Luis Magro, Luisa Howlett, Lukas Twist,

Maike May Chapel, Maisie Watson, Maria Inmaculada Caruana, Maria Radaeva, Marina Boulton, Mario Scarpati ,

Mark Johnson, Marta Waliszak , Martina Divkovic, Mathew Hartshorne, Matthew Jamshed, Matthew

Murrell, Matthew Westery, Megan Taylor-West, Meike Woermann, Melanija Oslojia, Melissa Berrill,

Melissa Stickland, Micaela Tuckwell, Michael Bolton, Michael Tui, Mirabel Anosike, Miu Wong, Molgurzata

Gosia Glazek, Movin Abeywickrema, Muhammad Usman, Munalisa Ferdus, Nabeela Munsoor, Natalia

Iou, Natasha Bashir, Natasha Iqbal, Nathalia de Prado Rocha, Nathan Webster, Nerys Gross , Nicholas

Patni, Nick Brown, Nikita Fadeer, Nirmala Wahab, Olga Musayev, Olga Soboleva, Oliver Corkill, Olivia

McCourt, Ophir Even, Oscar Clarin Moestue, Owen Perlo, Paola Sanchez Goderzi, Paul Guest, Paul

Maryan , Pauline Zanetto , Pavin Pattarodon, Pietro Borletti, Pippa Reid, Rachel Cain, Rachel Hurford,

Rebecca Burns, Rebecca Fredrickson, Rebecca Galalae, Rebecca Lear, Rebecca Lee, Rebecca

Trevelyan, Rena Hattori, Rheza Keenan, Rhian Major, Richard Yates, Robyn Harris , Roisin Aheene,

Rosario Vergara, Rose Gwillim-Thomas, Rose Jones, Rose Michael, Roseanna Tuohy, Rosetta Aning,

Rosie Roberts, Rupert da Silva, Ruth Mitchell, Ruth Simmonds, Ruth Smith, Sakinah Sat, Salvador Garcia

Santos, Samra Abdel Wahab, Samuel Sayudi, Sapnam Gurung, Sara Polakova, Sara Rohling, Sarah Cottrell,

Sarah Parrish , Sarah Pulawski, Saskya Hannah Bingei, Sergei Bovovsky, Shayan Seyed Hashemi, Shyamli

Badgaiyan , Siân Pressey, Siew Sanz Ng, Simon Davies, Sinead Brady, Sofia Sanborn, Sorina Maciuca , Stacey da Silva,

Stefanie von der Thannen, Steffan Danino, Stephen Lilico, Stine Tonnessen, Svetlana Skobeeva, Temur Khassen, Thomas

Yim, Thonamanee Denvittaya , Tilly Hill, Tim Donnison, Tim Keasley, Tinnabhand Potana-anake , Toby Boncey, Toby Webster, Tom

Archer, Tom Ashfold, Tom Coxon, Trevour Wong, Vicky Butler, Vicky Hayman, Vittoria Danieli, William Hallan, Xinyu Xiong,

Yexia Lin, Yue Wei, Yunfei Yang, Zahida Manji, Zoe Valbret, and anyone we've missed! Thanks are also due to: Carol Collinswood for

producing our accounts, Joanna Robinson at the Oxfordshire Family Information Service for helping arrange transport, Lorna Edwards and

Sue Maniscalco for their hard work in the office, My Life My Choice for running the fantastic Stingray club night, OCVA for advertising our volunteering

opportunities, Oxford Hub for referring volunteers through the One Hour A Week Campaign, Oxford Magic Society for sharing some secrets at KEEN Teens, Oxford

Playhouse for inviting us to the pantomime, Oxford University Brass Band for accompanying our carol singing, Oxford University Ice Hockey Club & Oxford Alts for helping out on the ice rink, Oxford University Quidditch

Club for running a magical sports session, Science Oxford for providing science materials, SpecialEffect for bringing adapted video games to GrEAT, St John Ambulance LINKS at Brookes for lending us CPR dummies, Tom

Baker for leading a KEEN+ golf activity , The Ultrasounds for their lively acapella , and Vicky Hahn for an energetic Zumba workout at GrEAT. In addition, we are very grateful to our venues, transport providers and their

staff for being so accommodating: Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, Charlton Services, Dhanjals Transport, Ferry Leisure Centre, The Mitre, New College Sports Ground, Oxford Bowlplex, Oxford Deaf & Hard of Hearing

Centre, Oxford Ice Rink, Oxford Spires Academy, Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy , St Clements Family Centre, St Gregory the Great School, Thinktank Birmingham, University Parks, and the Wallingford Coach.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

We’ve had a fantastic year at Zig-Zag, where our athletes

have grown in confidence through a whole variety of

activities. Overseas trips, unsung heroes, and time travel

have each featured as our termly themes, sandwiched

between the obligatory opening Duck Duck Goose and

celebratory Hokey Cokey to close, often with a rendition

of the Shark Song thrown in for good measure!

The year began with a trip around the world, taking us to a country on

each continent. Highlights included a trip to India, which featured cricket

and Bollywood dancing, culminating in a visit to the Ganges, which

happens to look startlingly similar to a parachute! We went on to play a

game of Aussie Rules football, and later escaped Stalin’s rule in Russia.

Unfortunately Captain Coordinator forgot to unhook the anchor when

setting sail, which sent us hurtling all the way back through each of the

countries in our end-of-term mash-up!

Unsung heroes included one astronaut saving another from an alien

invasion, Old McDonald rescuing animals from a flooded farmyard and

Bono staging a concert to raise funds for KEEN (I’m not sure how he

squeezed in to the ‘unsung’ category...).

We have since embarked on a journey through time, with a time machine

which again bears some resemblance to a parachute. We have found

ourselves in the Stuart era, the Egyptian era, and the 1950s, as our

athletes have had a lesson in various events from history.

− Alex Atfield

Some of my favourite Zig-Zag moments this year include “learning to

swim with Mother Turtle”, and watching athletes and volunteers waltz to

a rendition of Greensleeves by Rupert and myself. We now have an

almost completely different group of athletes since embarking on

Cruiseship KEEN at the beginning of the year, but I think it’s safe to say

that the spirit of Zig-Zag has stayed the same, along with the unshakeable

belief in the powers of duct tape and tin foil…

− Nerys Gross

ZIG-ZAG

7

KEEN TEENS Our teenagers’ social club had its fifth birthday this year!

Sessions have been as interesting and varied as ever,

including a Mexican Day of the Dead party and an evening

of movie making with a uniquely KEEN twist.

KEEN Teens has been packed with fun this year. It is such a fantastic

session as the variety of activities the athletes are able to enjoy seem

never ending; from a Masterchef-inspired cookery competition to putting

our creative caps on and designing a fun crazy golf course. Engaging in

teamwork whilst having a really good time is always evident in KEEN

Teens, whatever the session, and I’m excited to see what 2014-15 has to

bring!

− Kristina Millar

This year we’ve tried to think of even more exciting new activities for

our KEEN Teens athletes to get involved with. One of my favourite

sessions was just after Christmas when we invited some magicians to give

us a show. Luckily no-one had to be sawn in half and we all learned some

astonishing tricks to try at home. Other highlights included the first aid

session where we learned CPR and practiced bandaging up our ‘wounded’

session leaders (buckets of fake blood included). We’ve also managed to

name 15 different types of fruit blindfolded, crack the crystal maze and

parachute some eggs to safety (and many to a gooey end on the floor of

St Clement’s Family Centre). All in all it’s been another very successful

KEEN Teens year.

− Katy Boncey

− The KEEN Teens 8

GREAT KEEN’s over-18s social club has now entered its second

decade and is going from strength-to-strength. This year’s

GrEAT coordinators have been incredibly inventive in

devising unique and exciting activities for its members,

including colourful and explosive science experiments, a

puzzling murder mystery investigation and a pilot for a

new sports session!

Coordinating GrEAT has to be one of my highlights in my 3 years at

KEEN. From the sessions that we have to have each term because they

are just so awesome, to the new, sometimes experimental, sessions,

members had a go at everything. We started the year with a chance to

catch up with each other and maybe learn something new. The icebreaker

games went down a storm, particularly ‘match the baby to the volunteer’

– it’s always nice to know that 90% of people think you looked like a boy

as a kid! Next up came our very own Sports Day − a big thanks to Vicky

Hahn and Lea Schlanz for treating us to fantastic Zumba and Yoga

sessions, both of which were new to GrEAT. Antony’s enthusiasm for

Zumba is something that I’m not likely to forget in a hurry! Later in the

term, we had our Halloween and Bonfire Night fusion, complete with

indoor fireworks and the ever popular apple bobbing, which in Dan’s case

was more like apple dunking – I’ve never seen someone get so wet apple

bobbing before! We then put on our detective hats, assisting Sherlock

Holmes to solve a grisly murder, before channelling our inner Phileas

Jamie Oliver Fogg, making traditional dishes from Spain, China, Japan and

India, the naan breads turning out particularly well (surprisingly!). And of

course, what GrEAT term would be complete without a visit to the pub,

a trip to Stingray, and an end-of-term party, which this term produced

some incredible yet scary-looking human Christmas trees?! It was a

pleasure to organise these sessions, and sadly 8 weeks was over way too

quick, but here’s to another year, and hopefully a chance to coordinate

once more!

− Emily Jeffery

9

We warmed up for Hilary Term's GrEAT activities with another round of

pub quiz action, and this was followed by a mash up of two seasonal

celebrations: Chinese New Year and Burns Night! After quickly realising

that haggis spring rolls are much harder to make than you might think, we

dusted off our dancing shoes and learned a few highland dances. A science

and nature evening followed, where we designed our own volcanoes,

made our own slime and gazed down a microscope. We even managed to

fit in a few science magic tricks! After a strikingly successful visit to

Oxford Bowlplex in fourth week, we continued our sporting theme with

a mixed sports session. This saw us curling stones, scoring goals and

turning the sports hall into a ballroom as we danced the evening away.

After a trip to Stingray nightclub, we celebrated pancake day the following

week. Disability charity SpecialEffect helped us play all sorts of exciting

videogames while we waited for our pancakes to be ready. Of course, we

had to compete in some pancake races before we could tuck in! We

topped off Hilary with a cracking end of term party at the St. Ebbe's

Centre. As well as enjoying some tasty treats, karaoke and some classic

party games, we had our own special edition of the game show "Would I

Lie to You?" We learned all sorts of things (some quite mischievous!)

about some of our volunteers!

− Callum Campbell and Tom Ashfold

This term at GrEAT has been one to remember! We started in style with

a classic pub quiz, where Matt’s questionable music tastes were exposed

as well as some excellent general knowledge from our members.

Eurovision week went down well, when we saw members throwing some

shapes as they learned how to dance the Tarantella Italian style. A

particular highlight was James’ rather fashionable orange wig in the group

performance! Just as popular was Ancient Egyptian Night, when we saw

the members take their hand to some arts and crafts. They made some

rather authentic Egyptian pottery as well as some obviously Egyptian rice

crispy cakes…. Apple bobbing was another favourite − GrEAT techniques

were demonstrated with one member capitalising on a strategy we had all

missed, simply opting to use their hands! We’ll be going out with a bang at

the end of the year when we’ll see how well everyone scrubs up for our

black tie party!

− Alex Kelly and Matt Jamshed

10

KEEN Oxford

@keenoxford

16-17 Turl Street, Oxford, OX1 3DH

01865 264173

keen@keenoxford.org

WHAT A YEAR! I initially copied the title of this page in homage to previous Annual

Reviews, but it turns out there’s no better way to sum up the experience

of being KEEN coordinator! As we approach the KEEN Olympics, it’s fair

to say that I’m feeling a little exhausted, but it’s the sort of satisfied

tiredness that I imagine one feels after running a marathon − perhaps I

should check with one of the many fundraisers who have run for KEEN

this year! It only takes a quick glance at this booklet to realise just how

full 2013-14 has been, and our achievements are readily apparent from

the smiling faces of athletes in the photos.

Over the last year we’ve played sports hitherto unplayed, travelled

through time and space and back again, engineered vehicles from

household recycling, and created volcanoes. These activities, and the

other 92 fantastic sessions, could not have happened without our

volunteers, who are the lifeblood of KEEN. I have been lucky to work

with an incredibly creative, hugely committed and thoroughly nice cohort

of volunteers, and thank every single person. I am similarly grateful to our

board of trustees for the support that they have given me over the last

year, and to Sue Maniscalco, Emily Jeffery and Lorna Edwards for their

hard work in the office in each of the three terms.

Not all of the KEEN coordinator’s work is necessarily apparent at

sessions. In particular, a large portion of the job is spent fundraising.

Every pound that is raised by someone else allows the coordinator more

time to spend on organising great activities for our athletes. In that spirit,

I invite you to consider if you might be able to support KEEN by taking

part in a sponsored event or making a donation. Sponsorship pages and

online donations can be set up on JustGiving at www.justgiving.com/keen.

There are a number of other ways to support KEEN, some of which

involve no cost at all − you can find out more on our website at

www.keenoxford.org/support.

Before I sign off, I have the absolute pleasure of announcing that the

KEEN coordinator for 2014-15 will be Callum Campbell! Callum is an

experienced volunteer who has taken a leading role at every session, and

I know that KEEN will flourish as a result of his enthusiasm and top-

notch organisation skills. I wish Callum and everyone at KEEN all the best

for the future, and have no doubt that I’ll see you all again very soon!

− Dan Warren, KEEN Coordinator 2013-14