Jenny Bater-Sinclair - Company Director
- Apr 22, 2020
- 3 min read

Jack Petchey Leader Award grant puts Christmas party in our sights

Updated: May 3, 2021

It's time to party! Well almost (assuming #Lockdown is over and social distancing rules have calmed substantially). A Hip Hop Pop Christmas party is on the horizon! Thanks to Siobhan Hayden's Jack Petchey Leader Award and a successful grant application. Find out more, read on...

Jack Petchey Leader Award grant puts Christmas party in our sights

Back in December 2019 as a group we nominated Siobhan Hayden - Tutor and crew member for a Jack Petchey Foundation Leader Award.

Her application read: "Siobhan has a heart of gold, always giving her time to help others in the group. Not only has Siobhan grown into a fabulous dancer and worked her way up to tutor/leader status, but she is always the first to put herself forward to volunteer. Siobhan also does a lot more than just show up! She lives and breathes Hip Hop Pop and enjoys sharing her passion for dance with students of all ages. Siobhan will always go the extra mile not only in the way she physically leads but in the way she rewards the achievements of the students she teaches. Siobhan is a 'good-egg'"

The fantastic news came that she was successful in achieving the award, and we couldn't be more chuffed for her! As a Leader Award winner, in March this year, we were able to apply for a Jack Petchey Grant, seeking financial support to provide Hip Hop Pop members with a Christmas party that would be accessible for all young people.

jack-petchey-leader-award-grant-hip-hop-pop

Our application for a Jack Petchey Grant was successful!

Big thanks to the Jack Petchey Foundation for the grant of £750 towards a Christmas party accessible for all.

The grant coupled with additional fundraising from our side via a few of our sought after 'Quiz Nights' will hopefully top that grant up to around £1400 allowing us to put on a party-to-remember for our members that will be completely free to attend for young people thanks to the fund,

We hope to have sweet carts, popcorn machines, face painting, glitter tats, a live DJ, photo booth and much much more. Assuming, we're past the worst of the current pandemic, we will be partying around the 23rd December.

Who is Jack Petchey, did you say?

If you're new to Hip Hop Pop, let us mention before you read on, that the Jack Petchey Foundation has supported Hip Hop Pop for over 8 years, and we are continually grateful for how they encourage and support the young people within the group.

*Sir Jack Petchey set up the Jack Petchey Foundation to inspire young people across London and Essex to work hard and reach their full potential.

Sir Jack is an incredible inspiration to everyone who works at the Foundation. At 94, not only does he come to the office every day, but he does so with positivity and determination to work hard. He was born into a working class family in the East End in 1925, left school at 13 and then joined the Navy in 1943. After leaving the Navy, he began working as a clerk for a solicitor’s firm. He applied for management training but was told he would never make a businessman.

Sir Jack always says: "If you think you can, you can!"

Instead of giving up, Sir Jack used the £39 he was given from the Navy to buy a second hand car and started a taxi business. Through hard work, he proved them wrong and built a multi-million-pound empire.

Sir Jack’s experiences led to his passion to increase young people's aspirations by rewarding their achievements. In 2016, Sir Jack received his knighthood in recognition of his many years of charitable work.

*Original Article: https://www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk/about-us/who-is-sir-jack-petchey/