Save the World Club - Community, Creativity and co-operation

Background to Save the World Club

Award-winning charity Save the World Club have been providing hundreds of children’s and family based holiday clubs, after school clubs and workshops in Kingston for the past five years covering a range of exciting topics such as community mosaic, bicycle repairs, sculpture and scrap arts, painting and design, circus skills and events and festival organisation.

The success of the group, especially in attracting, and maintaining, continued relationships with some of the most disadvantaged families and citizens in our community, has made a real impact on the confidence of many people previously considered a problem in their local community. Kingston has several pockets of deprivation, including central Norbiton, central Kingston’s Acre Road, the Kingsnympton Estate and others and Save the World Club has run a range of successful children’s families and adult classes in these areas since 1997.

Over 3,000 adults and children have contributed creatively to the regeneration of some of the worst eyesores in the town through the group’s huge award-winning community mosaic workshops during 2003 and 2004. The 2004 project: Study of Hundertwasser for the Skerne Road and Canbury Passage is reputed to be the largest piece of community artwork in the UK today and is due to open in March 2005.

Structure of Save the World Club

SWC was set up 14 years ago by Des Kay. The organisation was primarily concerned with Des using recycled materials to create unique kinetic and mechanical structures which told children and family audiences stories of waste and gave other important environmental messages. After many successful years, Professor Kayoss is a legend and SWC has grown to an organisation with thousands of committed supporters. All the income Des Kay received from performing as Professor Kayoss has been invested in the core funding to build our small but successful organisation.

In the past five years projects have included working closer to home, running after-school clubs, arts classes using scrap materials, making music, a CD with a message, building a community garden, helping to develop community spirit and connection, training young disaffected and possibly young offenders in civic and environmental awareness. The power of community ownership means people have a huge say in our practical decisions about the choice of art works, design, colour, techniques. They are an important and integral part of our decision making process.

Core Support Team

We have a team of committed and award-winning volunteers, paid and unpaid staff who have experience managing events and projects on a massive scale throughout the UK. The organisation has 27 core workers and volunteers with a wide range of skills, ages and abilities.

Accounting Structure

As an organisation, our constitution and memorandum will reflect that we have operated according to the rules of the Charities Commission since 1995 and our Memorandum and Articles of Association, payment and accounting procedures reflect this, as does our internal accounting procedures for best practise whenever possible.

We have a SWC Trustee Anthony Grover, who is a qualified accountant and oversees and carries out all financial administration strictly to the laws of the charities commission and companies house. SWC employs one part time administrator who is a trainee accountant, to complete data inputting and general administration under the management of Anthony Grover. A full set of accounts is available on request.

Monitoring and Evaluation

SWC is registered and trained with PQASSO charity monitoring and evaluation service. We are committed to creating leading edge consultation and training solutions in all 13 areas. Our ethos of work is to create Best Practise in every area that we can and to actively seek to make it better by using our experience on the job. We have just been accredited by Investors in People, 2005. SWC has created a training plan, interview procedures, volunteer handbook, a dedicated volunteer training co-ordinator, trainer presentations and an 8-10 day intensive community teaching training course.

We follow the PQASSO quality management system for small charities and cover all charity commission requirements for best practise for financial management. The management handbook for each building and project covers all aspects of health and safety and risk assessment and operational procedures.

Legal structure

Save the World Club is a Registered Charity number 1096271 and a limited company by guarantee. Save the World Club is also registered as a Group Environmental Body with Entrust for Landfill Tax purposes. Our Annual Report (2004) and a Report Introduction are available as downloads.

Save the World Club Recognition and Achievements

Kingston Society Biennial Award for Environmental Improvements Nov 2004
Winner – Queen’ s Award for Voluntary Service 2004
Winner UK’s Best New Charity – Charity Times Magazine 2003
Mayor of London Certificate for Services to London 2003
Kingston Society Biennial Award for Townscape Improvements Dec 2002
SWC Youth representative Aaron Perry was winner of Kingston’s Young Person’s Award for Civic & Community Action 2004


Some recent comments from the Kingston public on our work:

“Gorgeous work, very inspirational”.

“Absolutely stunning! I was amazed when I first walked by and wanted to touch it! x”

“Fabulous, Brilliant, It looks Great. What can I say!!”

“It’s great – so good my husband came to help!”

“Recently moved to Kinston. Love It. Thank you Much.”

“Very Beautiful. The Town Needs Art.”

“Amazing. Brings about more colour to Kingston. Very Good.”

“Absolute Talent. A Real Act of Defiance. I Like All Good People to our Environment and my new house will see the overview of it!”

“This is absolutely lovely. It brightens up a really dingy spot – transforms it! Well Done.”

“Big Up Yourselves Looks Lovely, Even more mirrors for me to check my bad self in! Keep up the good work!”

“This is a creative method of trying to tackle the graffiti problem!!!”

“Come under bridge everyday and it’ s so wonderful. We are so grateful.”

“These glorious mosaics enhance the town. I love ‘em. Keep it up!”

“My children and I were blown away by this wonderful work. Brightened our day.”

“This is great! It really cheers up the bridge having the mosaic, especially the mirrors.”

“Your artwork makes this place so much brighter!!!”

“What a splendid idea – cheerful & imaginative – more please! It’s great.”

“Wonderful, amazing so beautiful to the eye.”

“Wonderful community effort! More please.”