UKON continued to deliver high-quality carnival arts and creative projects that strengthen community cohesion, support cultural development and address wider social, economic and employment needs. During the year, we significantly expanded our delivery and deepened our focus on health and well-being, supporting communities to improve their financial, mental and physical well-being, with particular attention to the needs of residents in Barking and Dagenham, where health inequalities remain a significant challenge. We further developed carnival arts as an inclusive and accessible way to engage people, build skills, confidence and employability, strengthen social connections and create opportunities for participation. Through this approach, we increasingly connected arts and cultural activity with improved social and economic well-being, enabling communities to participate, develop and benefit from meaningful creative opportunities. Activities- During the financial year ending May 2026, UKON further developed its programme of carnival arts and creative activity across Barking and Dagenham and beyond, with an increasing focus on health and well-being, education, skills, volunteering, environmental responsibility and community participation. We delivered creative workshops and programmes in schools, youth and community settings, libraries and other local venues, engaging children, young people, adults and families through carnival arts, music, dance and creative movement. Our Carnival Arts Curriculum progressed from a pilot towards being more firmly embedded at Marsh Green Primary School and Gascoigne Primary School, with development also taking place at Chadwell Heath Academy. Our Mentoring Programme has become successfully embedded and continues to attract growing participation across different age groups. The introduction of a nursery group has made our work more accessible to younger children and families, while participants are increasingly writing about their own experiences and development, strengthening participant voice and enabling us to better understand the personal impact of our work. We significantly developed dance and creative movement as part of our carnival arts provision and expanded our health and well-being activity, addressing physical, mental and financial well-being. Our World Health Day activity provided an opportunity to connect creativity, movement, health awareness and community participation. Volunteering opportunities also increased, including through our Young Health Ambassadors programme, enabling more young people and adults to develop skills, confidence, experience and leadership abilities. We continued to provide pathways into training, work experience and employability. Environmental responsibility became a stronger part of our delivery, with increased activity around recycling, sustainability and environmentally responsible carnival practice, particularly through the Barking and Dagenham Carnival. We also deepened understanding of the historical, cultural and social significance of carnival arts, helping participants recognise its importance as a form of cultural expression and its continuing relevance to contemporary social issues. Importantly, UKON has become increasingly community led. We actively seek feedback from participants, partners and communities, take their views seriously and use this feedback to shape and improve our programmes and delivery. Beneficiaries- UKON engaged a diverse cross-section of the community, particularly children and young people, families and residents who may experience barriers to participation due to social, economic, health or other circumstances. Our beneficiaries included pupils and students in primary and secondary education, younger children accessing our nursery provision, participants in the Mentoring Programme, families, older residents, volunteers, Young Health Ambassadors and adults seeking opportunities to develop skills and confidence. Our programmes provided accessible opportunities to participate in creative and cultural activity while supporting physical and mental well-being, confidence, resilience, social connection, creativity, communication, leadership and employability. The development of our curriculum, mentoring and nursery provision has enabled participants to engage at different ages and stages of development. Our increasingly community-led approach has also ensured that participants have greater opportunities to influence the activities designed for them and that their feedback contributes directly to the development of our work. Outcomes and Impact- UKON's work during the year resulted in increased participation in carnival arts, greater access to creative learning and significant opportunities for people of different ages to develop skills, confidence and experience. The growth and embedding of our Mentoring Programme, alongside the introduction of the nursery group, has strengthened our intergenerational approach and widened access. Participants' own stories and reflections have provided valuable evidence of personal development and strengthened our use of participant voice. The Carnival Arts Curriculum has developed beyond its initial pilot, creating a stronger presence within educational settings and demonstrating how carnival arts can support learning, creativity, confidence, cultural understanding and personal development. Our expanded use of dance and creative movement, together with our World Health Day activity, strengthened the connection between carnival arts and physical and mental well-being. Our wider focus on financial well-being also recognised the relationship between health, social circumstances and economic security. Increased volunteering, including opportunities for Young Health Ambassadors, enabled young people and adults to gain practical experience, leadership skills, confidence and employability skills. This has contributed to our wider aim of creating pathways into further learning, volunteering and employment. Environmental and recycling activities, particularly at the Barking and Dagenham Carnival, increased awareness of sustainability and encouraged participants to consider how carnival and community events can be delivered more responsibly. Our work has also strengthened participants' understanding of the history and cultural significance of carnival arts and their continuing relevance in addressing contemporary issues. This has helped connect cultural heritage with present day community experiences and wider social conversations. Our community led approach has developed significantly. By actively seeking, listening to and responding to feedback, UKON has strengthened the relationship between communities and the design and delivery of our programmes. This has helped ensure that our work remains relevant, accessible and responsive to local needs. Conclusion- The financial year ending May 2026 has been a year of significant development for UKON. We have expanded our work across carnival arts, education, mentoring, health and well being, dance, creative movement, volunteering, environmental responsibility and skills development, while strengthening the ways in which communities influence our work. Our Carnival Arts Curriculum has progressed from a pilot towards a more embedded educational programme, while the successful Mentoring Programme has grown across age groups and been extended through nursery provision. Increased volunteering, including Young Health Ambassadors, has enabled more young people and adults to gain valuable skills, experience and confidence. Our focus on physical, mental and financial well-being, including our World Health Day activity, has strengthened the contribution of carnival arts to healthier and more connected communities. At the same time, our environmental and recycling activity has encouraged more responsible approaches to carnival, particularly through the Barking and Dagenham Carnival. We have also deepened understanding of carnival arts as both cultural heritage and a contemporary creative practice capable of addressing current social issues. Most importantly, our increasingly community-led approach means that feedback is actively sought, valued and used to improve our programmes. Together, these developments demonstrate UKON's continued commitment to using carnival arts as a vehicle for cultural expression, education, health and well-being, skills development, participation, social connection and wider community benefit. Activities- 4th June 2025- Community Steel Pan Event at JSH 5TH June 2025- Carnival dance session at Marsh Green Primary School 5th June 2025- Carnival Costume workshop at JSH 11th June 2025 - Creative Thinking workshop at Gascoigne Primary 12th June 2025 – Carnival costume workshop JSH 13th June 2025 – Carnival costume mentoring podcast with Becontree Radio at JSH 16th June 2025 – Senior citizens creative thinking workshop 17th June 2025 – Summer workshops celebration 18th June 2025 – Summer workshops celebration 19th June 2025 – Carnival costume workshop JSH 20th June 2025 – Gascoigne Primary School second face painting session 21st June 2025 – Barking Town Square community engagement and raising awareness about B&D carnival 23rd June 2025 – Marsh Primary School carnival colours came to life 26th June 2025 – Marsh Green Primary School carnival dance session 26th June 2025 – Carnival costume workshop JSH 28th June 2025 – Carnival launch party 1st July 2025 – Carnival countdown showcases Dagenham Learning Centre 3rd July 2025 – Senior citizen carnival dance session 5th July 2025 – Marsh Green Primary performance ceremony and annual awards 7th July 2025 – Carnival countdown showcase, Barking Learning Centre 9th July 2025 – Traditional Ms exhibition at Barking Learning Centre 10th July 2025 – Final costume-making workshop 12th July 2025 – B & D carnival 22nd July 2025 – Together we grow – A greener future 21st October 2025 – Cultural Day & Black History celebration, Marsh Green Primary School 23rd October 2025 – All Saints' Day and All Souls’ Day AB Phab 23rd October 2025 – Autumn Creative Arts Workshop AB Phab 30th October 2025 – Cultural Halloween party JSH 30th October 2025 – Steelpan workshop JSH 11th December 2025 – Winter party JSH 18th December 2025 - Creative Winter session at Ab Phab 23rd January 2026 - National Obatala Festival 2026 in Trinidad 2nd February 2026 - National Panorama Semi-Finals in Trinidad 4th February 2026 - Moko Somokow family mas camp 7th February 2026 - Traditional Ole Mas Competition 8th February 2026 - St James Children’s Carnival 11th February 2026 - Wire bending and pattern cutting, Trinidad 12th February 2026 - Kings and Queens Semi-Final Competition, Savannah in Port of Spain 14th February 2026 - Kamboulay Reenactment, Trinidad 14th February 2026 - The Dragon Festival, Trinidad and Tobago 7th April 2026 – World Health Day, John Smith House 29th April 2026 – Carnival arts launch at John Smith House 1st May 2026 – Carnival Costume Programme Barking Learning Centre 6th May 2026 – ABPHAB Steel Pan Workshop 8th May 2026 – Second Carnival Costume Mentoring Programme 14th May 2026 – ABPHAB Second Steel Pan Session 16th May 2026 – Carnival Costume Workshop 18th May 2026 – Carnival Arts Project Chadwell Heath Academy 20th May 2026 – Dance sessions Marsh Green Primary School 21st May 2026 – Bandana Carnival Workshop 23rd May 2026 - Carnival Costume Mentoring Programme 25th May 2026 - Senior Citizens Carnival session 26th May 2026 – AB Phab Carnival Dance Sessions AB Phab Youth Club

UKON Careers works with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders across the community, education, health, cultural, voluntary, public and economic sectors. Our stakeholders include children and young people, families, residents, participants, parents and carers, schools, community and grassroots organisations, volunteers, creative practitioners, local authority departments, health and wellbeing partners, education and training providers, employers and cultural organisations. We also engage with partners involved in the planning and delivery of the Barking and Dagenham Carnival and wider community programmes. During the year, UKON further strengthened its community-led approach to consultation and engagement. We gathered feedback through direct conversations, group discussions, meetings, feedback forms, written correspondence, online communication, participant reflections and ongoing engagement with partners and community networks. We also actively listened to participants during programme delivery, enabling feedback to influence activities as they developed rather than relying solely on formal evaluation at the end of a project. Key stakeholders included the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, including teams working across culture and participation, children and young people, health and inequalities, events and other relevant services. We also continued to work closely with schools including Marsh Green Primary School, Gascoigne Primary School and Chadwell Heath Academy, as well as learning providers, youth organisations, grassroots groups, community networks and cultural partners. Our engagement with the Barking and Dagenham Carnival Steering Group, Infrastructure and Partners Group, Children and Young People's networks, local community forums and grassroots organisations provided opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to planning, delivery and development. These relationships helped ensure that the Carnival and our wider programmes reflected local priorities, practical considerations and the experiences of the communities we serve. UKON also strengthened engagement with participants through our Mentoring Programme, nursery provision, Carnival Arts Curriculum, volunteering opportunities and health and well-being activities. Participant feedback has increasingly informed how activities are structured, how accessible they are and how opportunities are developed for different ages and needs. The introduction and development of our nursery group, the expansion of mentoring and the increased use of dance and creative movement reflect our commitment to responding to the needs and interests identified by participants and families. Feedback has also informed the development of our health and well-being work, including our focus on physical, mental and financial well-being and activities connected to World Health Day. Our increased environmental and recycling activity, particularly through the Barking and Dagenham Carnival, has also reflected the importance placed on sustainability and responsible community events. A further development has been the strengthening of participant voice. Participants are increasingly being encouraged to reflect on their experiences and document their creative journeys, including through writing about their development. This provides UKON with direct insight into the experiences and outcomes of those taking part and helps us to identify areas for further development. UKON takes feedback seriously and seeks to demonstrate through its actions that consultation leads to meaningful change. Feedback from participants and stakeholders has informed programme development, accessibility, curriculum delivery, volunteering opportunities, health and well being activity, environmental practice and the ways in which we engage different age groups. We recognise consultation as an ongoing process rather than a one off activity. By maintaining regular dialogue with our stakeholders, responding to feedback and reviewing our delivery, UKON is able to remain responsive to changing community needs and ensure that our work continues to be relevant, inclusive, accessible and beneficial to the communities we serve.

No remuneration was received

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration