St John’s Foundation has begun the process of recruiting for a new Chair of Trustees as our current Chair comes to the end of his term.

We are seeking applications from experienced candidates to help drive forward the second half of our ambitious strategy to level the academic playing field in Bath and North East Somerset. A key focus will also be progressing our core work of providing almshouse accommodation and support for our community’s older adults and people who have reached a point of crisis, working in close collaboration with our experienced trustees and executive team.

Outgoing Chair Ben Fletcher is a strong advocate for early years education and literacy and has played an important role in developing our Best Start in Life strategy, formerly known as the Foundation Fund. The aim of this work is to narrow the educational attainment gap at Key Stage 2 across Bath and North East Somerset by 2030 through a broad range of partnerships and initiatives targeting under-served pre-school and primary aged children and their families.

The Board of Trustees would like to thank Ben for his contribution to St John’s and the energy, passion and ideas that have characterised his leadership since joining the charity in 2019.

We are proud that the work we do makes a tangible difference to our community and are excited to be looking to the future and finding the ideal candidate to steer our Board of Trustees through our next chapter.

Applications are now the deadline to apply is 15 November 2024. More information on what skills and experience is needed for the role is available here.

In recent years, UK residents have faced the negative effects of a sharp increase in food prices. Food price inflation hit close to a 45-year high in 2023, which has since left people feeling worried about affording basic necessities.

The Covid-19 pandemic, while a crisis, amplified the need for collaborative efforts among organisations. It certainly made the food poverty landscape worse, but it has helped to lay strong foundations for ongoing partnerships to reduce the severity of the issues.

Research commissioned by Sheffield University explained that in January 2021, 7.1% of adults in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) experienced hunger, 11.2% struggled to access food, and 15.6% worried about insufficient food. The research states hunger is defined as having skipped food for a whole day or more or indicating hunger but not eating due to not being able to afford or get access to food. Struggle is defined as looking for help to access food, skipping or shrinking a meal or giving a reason to not having enough food. In response, key organisations have stepped in to create a collaborative strategy to tackle the issues.

Since 2020, Milly Carmichael has been coordinating and championing the work to address food insecurity by working closely with St John’s Foundation and the BaNES Fair Food Alliance as a Health Improvement Officer in the Public Health team, focusing on food insecurity. Due to the current situation, Milly’s role, funded by St John’s, aims to maintain the momentum of the work and continue efforts to increase community resilience by reducing the need for crisis-level support through greater preventative measures.

The BaNES Fair Food Alliance, chaired by Public Health Consultant Amy McCullough, serves as the steering group for addressing food insecurity in the region. It includes key stakeholders such as councillors, affordable food providers, key local organisations, and teams involved in welfare, housing, education and financial wellbeing. The group meets quarterly to reflect on progress and guide the direction of the work.

The Alliance is structured to ensure there is a coordinated effort through three operational groups. The Affordable Food Network, brings together community provision around affordable, accessible food. This includes food banks, food clubs, community kitchens, cafés and fridges. The Income Maximisation Group brings together local organisations concerned with welfare support, benefits, employability, and financial wellbeing. The purpose is to improve mutual understanding and collaborative work across that sector to ensure the routes to financial support are clear. The third area of work is ‘Hear My Voice’ which refers to our intention to always include local people affected by food insecurity in the work of the Alliance. It is based in a collaboration with researchers from the University of Bath and builds on their qualitative research findings which inform our direction and priorities.

To gain insight into the experience of BaNES residents, the Council send a Voicebox Survey to residents annually. The results show that between 2020 and now, moderate to severe food insecurity, which means often or sometimes not having enough to eat, has risen from 2% to 5%. Mild food insecurity, meaning the individual has enough food but not always what they want, has sharply increased from 11% to 26%. In addition to this concerning reality, one in six people say they are worried about being able to afford food, triggering daily stress and pressure that can significantly impact people’s wellbeing.

To better understand the living experience of food insecurity for people in BaNES, there is a strong partnership with University of Bath researchers. Research into the experience of living with food insecurity, including specific studies with older adults, has provided valuable data to inform our work. This partnership supports the work of the Alliance by improving local insight, building the integrity of the evidence base, and creating an engaging prompt for improving support provision across our communities.

The BaNES Fair Food Alliance is also part of the national Feeding Britain network, which now has over 100 similar alliance members across the country. They offer both practical support and guidance to help those alliances set up and flourish, and lobby at the national government level for policy and legislative change which is beyond the remit of local authorities to achieve alone. They also share good practices from around the network. This has included the innovative BaNES Crop Drop project which distributes surplus allotment produce to affordable food projects across BaNES.

The long-term goal of the BaNES Fair Food Alliance is to reduce the need for crisis intervention by embedding preventative approaches. This involves community and network-building that bolsters community confidence and resilience. The concept of ‘food ladders’ such as Sustainable Food Places, is integral to this approach; recognising that different experiences of food insecurity need different yet integrated models of support in every community.

Household food insecurity will be with us as long as the wider drivers of inequality, inflation, and food system pressures persist. Guided by BaNES residents’ experience, the Fair Food Alliance will continue to shape the BaNES action plan to meet local needs and contribute to regional and national work to eradicate the need for crisis support.

Find out more about BaNES Fair Food Alliance here.

 

The picturesque City of Bath and its surrounding area has an outer perception of affluence, however, two areas in Bath and North East Somerset rank within the most deprived of the whole country, making financial wellbeing a real concern for individuals and families living in these areas.

While some residents are beginning to see their ‘real’ wages grow after two tough years of living in an economic crisis, for many money continues to remain extremely tight. Many people in our community are experiencing real financial hardship and are struggling to cover the cost of essential items for themselves and their family.

The latest Strategic Evidence Base report for BaNES, published in March 2024, suggests that the cost-of-living crisis continues to have an impact locally. It estimates that 4,000 people in the region, including 1,500 children, fell into absolute poverty in 2022/23 and that 12% of households are experiencing fuel poverty, meaning they cannot afford to heat their homes in the colder months.

What is the Crisis Programme?

At St John’s Foundation, alongside our support of children and older adults in the community, our third key area of work is supporting people who have reached a point of crisis in their lives, and this is exactly what our Crisis Programme is designed to do.

Every year, hundreds of people apply for one-off financial aid to, for example, buy a fridge, or a bed; to pay an unmanageable utility bill; or to contribute to a one-off cost, such as a funeral. The range of applications from families and individuals is extensive and the impact of receiving funding when in crisis can be profound.

Last year, we assisted in a variety of impactful ways including providing funding to help a victim of serious domestic violence move on with their life, the purchase of a new television for a man with social anxiety and learning difficulties, counselling for a stressed mum with an autistic son, a range of funding to complete car repairs and the provision of funding for essential items for a young foster parent and baby.

Throughout 2023, we provided financial aid to 332 applicants and awarded a total of £203,000 to these individuals and families who needed support. These applicants included 170 individuals, 115 families with children under the age of 12, and the remaining 47 were families with older children or couples without dependents, all living within the B&NES region.

What do we expect this year?

In response to the cost-of-living crisis, since 2021 the government has provided and repeatedly extended funding to Local Authorities as part of its Household Support Fund. The Fund, which BaNES Council has distributed on a discretionary basis, is there to help residents manage rising costs such as utility bills, food and essential items, with significant cross over on the support offered by St John’s. This temporary funding stream has contributed to keeping the number of applications to St John’s Crisis Programme below the level seen before the pandemic.

However, there is uncertainty around whether the Household Support Fund will continue past September 2024. If it does not get continued, we would anticipate an increase in demand for our Crisis Programme in the autumn, particularly as we move into the winter months, when fuel poverty will once again be more keenly felt.

How can BaNES residents apply for financial aid?

The Crisis Programme aims to help residents cover the most essential needs, such as furniture, white goods, counselling and debt support, for example. The Programme also offers basic skills training to people who are not able to access training or education opportunities, to help them on the road to securing stable employment and pull themselves out of crisis.

The way the Programme works is through referral system from a long list of charities in the region that St John’s has partnered with. The list of partner charities can be found here. These referral charities submit an application and, where successful, the process of awarding funding is carried out quickly. Where a case is particularly urgent, a decision can be reached within hours.

After a successful application, the referring charity will be notified and arrangements are made to provide the support. To be eligible to apply, the individual or family must be living in the BaNES region with a monthly disposable income of less than £250 for a household with no dependent children, or £275 for a household with up to two dependent children, or £300 for a household with three or more dependent children.

Becky Tutton from the Crisis Programme team said “Often, pride prevents people from applying for funding from the programme, or they assume it’s not relevant to them. Sometimes, they think that because they work full-time or receive other support, they won’t qualify. We encourage everyone to contact us. We might be able to help, and if not, we can direct you to another service that can.”

If you would like more information about the Crisis Programme or to find out whether you are eligible to apply, or to talk about your situation ahead of an application, please call 01225 486400, or email grants@stjohnsbath.org.uk.

 

 

In June, St John’s Foundation’s Lynn Toman, Head of the Good Living Service, and Age UK’s Bath and North East Somerset CEO, Simon Allen, teamed up to deliver a seminar at The Business Exchange South West Charity Expo about building an age-friendly community through the Ageing Well Network.

The Ageing Well Network consists of a number of charities, businesses, public sector organisations and community groups across the region and aims, through a two-year programme, to make Bath and North East Somerset a place where people aged over 55 can continue to thrive and live happy, independent lives.

Here we share the crux of our seminar and discuss the power of collaboration, why it’s important to create age-friendly communities, and what still needs to be done to ensure everyone in the region can be involved and prosperous in our community as we age.

What is an age-friendly community?

An age-friendly community is a place, described by the World Health Organisation (WHO), where people are able to age well and continue to grow personally, have access to and are included in the community, and continue to lead healthy and independent lives. As people age, they face risks of loneliness, health and financial difficulties, which can limit their ability to participate fully in society. This can be prevented by making the community age-friendly.

WHO’s programme for building an age-friendly community is formulated on eight pillars. These centre around:

• The importance of having access to outdoor spaces.
• People feeling valued in their community and having the opportunity to connect with others.
• Having an accessible and affordable transport system, including enough accessible parking spaces
• Ensuring older adults’ homes are safe, affordable and close to necessary amenities.
• Access to activities and social groups to prevent isolation.
• Having sufficient opportunities to gain employment or secure a voluntary role if desired.
• Making sure people can access health and social care services and making systems age friendly.
• The importance of updating older adults on community events and activities through forums.

These eight pillars cover nearly every aspect of a person’s quality of life and are areas everyone should focus on to keep their community engaged and supportive. For older adults, ensuring these needs are met means they can continue to have the same quality of life and remain engaged and active in their community.

Ageing Well in BaNES

In order to make BaNES an age-friendly community where older adults can thrive, St John’s Foundation and Age UK are jointly funding a two-year Ageing Well Programme and developing a scheme, alongside the other members of the Ageing Well Network, to improve older adults’ access to community, support, and expression within our region.

The Network is undertaking extensive research to understand the specific issues that people in our community are facing so that they can respond to present needs and identify potential opportunities in the future.

Throughout the Programme, the Network will measure the impact that each new initiative has on the wellbeing of people in BaNES. The team will then be able to improve and adjust as necessary to ensure their work is truly addressing the issues that require improvement. A forum is also being established so that the voices of the people the Programme aims to support can have a say in its direction and implementation.

One of the areas being tackled at the moment focuses on changing connotations about older people through imagery. For example, instead of using images of older hands, the Network is advocating for inclusive imagery that presents this diverse age category for who they truly are. Another priority is transport, particularly for rural communities, to ensure people can easily and affordably access the activities and amenities they need.

Discussion with attendees at the South West Charity Expo seminar broached issues we might face in the future, including the rising pension age, which could cause financial hardship if a person’s health begins to decline or they have multiple dependents, and the importance of discussing end of life care to ensure our wants and needs are met.

Next steps for Ageing Well in BaNES

We are all part of the wonderful and diverse BaNES community, and we are working to make sure that we can all still feel a part of it as we grow older. The Ageing Well Programme will address many of the pressing issues within the region and we hope, together, to make BaNES a completely age-friendly community.

This year, we’ll be launching the Bath and North East Somerset’s Older People’s Forum to give older adults a collective voice and an opportunity to hear about community projects. Once it is up and running, we invite you to join us! We also strongly encourage everyone over the age of 55 to complete our Ageing Well Survey, and if you have a question, comment or idea for the Ageing Well Network, you can get in touch at 01225 466 135 or email ageingwell@ageukbanes.co.uk.

Language is a powerful tool that shapes our thoughts, interactions, and society as a whole. However, language can also become a barrier when it carries biases that exclude or marginalise certain groups of people. At St John’s Foundation, we are committed to creating inclusive communities where everyone feels valued and respected.

What is Language Bias?

Language bias occurs when words, phrases, or expressions reflect negative attitudes towards certain groups of people. It often involves stereotyping of gender, race, age, disability or other characteristics that make individuals who they are. It can touch on exclusion as specific terms can make certain groups feel invisible, or demeaning language can belittle individuals based on their identity. Consistent use of these terms can lead to people feeling isolated.

The word ‘disadvantaged’ is a common place phrase and one which most people can understand and use in various contexts. However, we believe that when referring to inequality across our community, nothing should be commonplace and language should be used with the care and understanding with which we would all wish to have our problems approached. In the past, we used the word disadvantaged, much like others in the charity sector, to describe people who had faced adversity in one way or another. The active change followed a speech from philanthropist, Olivia Taylor, who spoke candidly about the effects of being labelled in an incredibly moving video. Since watching it, we have made the conscious decision to move toward using the term ‘under-served’ to describe those who we can help as a charity.

When it comes to children in schools, labels are often used to categorise behaviour and ability. Even in early years settings, labels such as ‘gifted’ or ‘under-achieving’ or even ‘naughty’ can be used which can make parents worry and children of primary school age stand out as somebody different. Some might think ‘gifted’ is a positive label to have, but it can lead to multiple connotations and perceptions, such as a child being from a wealthy family for example. It can also put pressure on children to feel like they need to consistently succeed.

On the other hand, there is often an assumption that children from a low socioeconomic background will be under-achieving and all of those in lower-ability groups will be ‘badly behaved’. Grouping children by these labels can exacerbate issues that are associated with labels and can impact their wellbeing.

As mentioned in an article by Children and Young People Now, once a child has been labelled, it often sticks with them and follows them through the school from teacher to teacher. It can impact their confidence, self-esteem and general wellbeing, influencing their education and their development as an individual.

We also avoid negative labels for our almshouse residents. The residents’ ages range from 65 to over a hundred and our priority is to support them to live a happy, independent life. By calling them ‘elderly’ or ‘old people’ much like society does, we immediately put them into a category where they may be perceived as less independent and incapable of doing things they enjoy. Instead, we use the term ‘older adults’ to describe our almshouse residents and it certainly suits their vibrant, activity packed lives.

At St John’s Foundation, we believe that everyone has a role to play in reducing language bias and there are a number of things we can do to tackle it together. It’s important to educate ourselves and others about the impact language bias can have. It’s also essential to remember that nobody is perfect and we should all be actively reflecting on our own language use to ensure we respect all individuals.

Language is a powerful tool for creating inclusive communities where everyone, no matter what their age, feels like they can thrive. By being mindful of language bias and actively working to eliminate it, we can ensure that everyone feels respected and valued. At St John’s Foundation, our work within the local community is driven by our mission to affect change in the lives of those who are marred by stark disparities, inequality, and inequity in their daily lives.

 

The Good Living Service at St John’s Foundation could not operate without the dedication and care of its Good Living Advisors. To capture the work the Good Living team does behind the scenes, we sat down with Fern to talk about their role.

Fern joined St John’s Foundation seven years ago as an Independent Living Assistant supporting those, living within our Alms-community who needed care. However, after realising that the team could have a broader impact on the wellbeing of residents as well as older adults in the wider Bath and North East Somerset community, St John’s established the Good Living Service in July 2021.

Fern, along with a team of six other Good Living Advisors, support 100 St John’s residents, as well as providing guidance and care to all older adults who use St John’s services

Fern has numerous responsibilities as a Good Living Advisor, but one of the most impactful elements of the role is the work carried out in admissions. Good Living Advisors support the admission process for those looking for accommodation and this includes carrying our assessments.

“When I go out on assessments, seeing the disparity of wealth within the community really drives home the need for good quality affordable accommodation in BaNES for older adults. Often these assessments take place in accommodation that is not suited to older adults’ needs, whether that be a risk to their health, a lack of accessible amenities, or an absence of community. Our service endeavours to meet those needs, whilst supporting independence.

“On a more uplifting note, one of the most amazing things about working as a Good Living Advisor is how welcoming everyone is. I’m non-binary, and the amount of support and love I have received from our residents is so heart-warming. We provided Equality Diversity and Inclusion training on request from our residents, who wanted to understand the experiences of the LGBTQI+ community better. Being able to build these relationships is so valuable, and it really does feel like being part of an extended family.”

Another part of the role of Good Living Advisors is the provision of activities. Activities are a core part of St John’s delivery for older adults living in the almshouses and the wider community, providing essential opportunities for socialisation, movement and nutrition. Some of the most popular activities include ballet, yoga, cook and eat, and art classes, some of which have multiple sessions to meet demand. All the activities can be adapted for people’s individual needs and many are provided by external tutors.

There are also resident-specific activities, such as Cosy Cooks, in which Lauren, another Good Living Advisor at St John’s, creates a homecooked meal for the residents which is eaten in a communal setting, offering opportunities for connection, as well as a nutritious meal. In 2023, the classes saw more than seven thousand attendances and a total of 71 activities were run.

Fern says: “Isolation is one of the greatest challenges older adults face, impacting life expectancy and health in a really profound way. With a growing older adult community and increasing austerity there appears more impact on essential services, such as transport, increasing  isolation , so it’s really important to tackle this. The activities we run help bring people together and are easily accessible from the city centre or near the RUH, so lots of people can get involved.

“Another aspect people often don’t think about when talking about problems older adults are facing, is nutrition. It’s vital to be able to have good food, but for a lot of older adults, this can be really difficult as they either never had the opportunity to learn how to cook or have lost that ability. This is exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis which is making it harder to access healthy food or create a hearty homecooked meal.

“Our Cook and Eat classes, Cosy Cooks and other communal food activities, like cheese and wine nights and Christmas dinners, help meet both socialisation and nutritional needs. And it’s always so lovely to gather for a meal together! It really helps to build relationships between people.”

Another key part of a Good Living Advisor’s role is signposting people to relevant services. St John’s works with multiple partners to tackle issues affecting individuals, and Fern helps residents and people in the community to find the right people to help them.

Fern says: “Understanding which agencies to engage with to resolve the challenges someone is facing is one of the best ways to ensure they are getting the support they need. Some of our partners include Age UK and Citizen’s Advice, both of which are extremely helpful for older adults who need assistance, particularly financial assistance. Knowing what benefits and support you are entitled to, and then advocating for yourself or finding someone to advocate for you, means you are more likely to get the the full benefits you are entitled to.

“It’s also important to find ways to increase independence, especially as you grow older. Many of our activities have an element of this, especially our fitness activities like Pilates which can help people keep their bodies and minds healthy. Another really useful partnership is with Tech Connect who run a Connecting Generations workshop for us. During these sessions, we can help people with any tech support they may need, whether that’s teaching them how to use a particular app or helping them organise their computer files.”

Working as a Good Living Advisor lets Fern be part of a team that helps change the lives of many people in a profoundly positive way. Fern is also excited to be helping us with the planning and preparations for our Founder’s Day, a little later in the year.  At this event we will celebrate the people that have supported the BaNES community for the past 850 years by having a party with our almshouse residents in the St John’s Foundation courtyard. We’re extremely grateful to be able to work with Fern and  the entire Good Living team everyday and be inspired by the creativity and thoughtfulness of their work as we continue to tackle the issues faced by older people in BaNES.

At St John’s Foundation, one of our core missions is to support adults over 55 in leading happy, healthy, and independent lives while still accessing opportunities as they age. According to the 2023 State of Ageing Report by Ageing Better, 21 million people in England are aged over 50, comprising two-fifths of the population. As we begin to see more people living longer, we have also seen how ageism is increasingly preventing older adults from receiving the support they need while limiting their opportunities and independence.

Ageism is defined by WHO as ‘stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel), and discrimination (how we act) directed towards people on the basis of their age’. A language-based study across 20 English-speaking countries, published in 2020, found that the UK is the most ageist of the surveyed countries, with 55% of respondents agreeing that the UK is ageist. We believe that if people had the right knowledge, then ageism could be tackled and changed.

This form of discrimination can manifest in numerous ways. Institutional ageism is characterised by policies, practices and social norms that are common and rarely questioned. Ageing is also associated with disease and disability, leading to potentially more discrimination within healthcare as older adults’ needs are not fully met.

Ageism can also show up in individual interactions, known as interpersonal discrimination, which can be exacerbated by people only spending time with people of theirr age group in ‘silos of engagement’. Interpersonal discrimination can occur, for example, when a younger candidate is hired for a role when the older candidate might be better qualified but has fewer years left in the job market or might be considered to be the wrong ‘cultural fit’ for the organisation because of their age. Many people over the age of 50 are struggling to find or return to work following the pandemic, which is impacting their economic wellbeing by limiting their income and opportunities to build their pension.

Finally, self-directed ageism influences how individuals view themselves as they age. These attitudes are prolific in the beauty industry, where ‘anti-aging’ products are advertised as preventing the appearance of aging. Self-directed ageism can also discourage individuals from taking part in particular activities or trying something new because they believe they are ‘too old’ to take part or succeed among younger people.

Ageism can have numerous negative impacts on older adults, but one of the most significant problems that we witness is the increase in isolation. Being separated from a community can cause great harm to older adults, who may need more assistance in their day to day lives but struggle to access transport or support services. The way we communicate has also changed, with technology playing a large role in our everyday lives, but the rapid advances in tech have left many behind, and some older adults now struggle to stay in touch with their families and close friends. We work with Connecting Generations, a group of Bath Spa University students who visit St John’s weekly to support not just our residents, but all older adults who need help with their technology devices. This support is invaluable as it helps older adults connect with their loved ones online, alleviating feelings of isolation.

The loss of freedom, independence and community can cause significant harm to the health of older adults, with those that feel isolated, living, on average, seven years less than those who are not, according to a BBC podcast. Isolation also means it is harder for older adults to reach out for help, which becomes more necessary as people age, when they become less physically fit and more prone to illness.

At St John’s, we are working towards making the ageing process a positive experience by ensuring older adults can maintain their independence and take advantage of the many opportunities being older has to offer. To tackle some of the problems that arise from ageism, we established our Good Living Service in 2021, which provides help and guidance to older adults in our community.

In an effort to create an age friendly community in BaNES, we have teamed up with Age UK Bath, supported by 3SG, to launch Aging Well Banes which aims as part of the project to encourage older people to speak about the issues that are important to them and their communities. Through our work, we hope to make BaNES more age-friendly by challenging the stereotypes that exist about older adults so that they can live more comfortable, independent, and opportunity-filled lives.

On Tuesday 18 June at 1-4pm, we are hosting an Age Friendly event at St John’s Courtyard to launch our new Ageing Well Survey. We welcome over 55s in the region to join us in celebrating life as we grow older and participate in our crucial work to achieve Age Friendly status for Bath and North East Somerset. 

Last year, St John’s Foundation teamed up with Bath-based housing association group, Curo, to launch a furnished tenancy scheme in the Bath and North East Somerset region.

Living in poverty can have devastating effects on a person’s wellbeing and mental health. To paint the picture, 4,000 people in BaNES, of whom 1,500 are children, were defined as living in absolute poverty in 2022. As these numbers continue to increase, it becomes ever more important to investigate the wider impact of this.

The furnished tenancy pilot scheme, named ‘Cosy Start’ was initiated to address the pressing issue of furniture poverty among individuals moving into new homes without adequate furnishings or cooking equipment. The pilot scheme received funding from St John’s Foundation and Fusion 21, amounting to £40,000.

The scheme aimed to help those at greatest risk of furniture destitution such as refugees, care leavers, resettled homeless people and those fleeing domestic abuse. When looking at furniture insecurity, those at most risk are working-age families, single mothers, those with a disability and Universal Credit claimants.

As part of the collaboration, Curo have furnished 16 houses so far in the region. The funding covered essential items such as furniture and carpets, white goods, and a welcome pack comprising a kettle, toaster, crockery, saucepans and bedding.

Prior to implementation, Curo gathered feedback from 150 customers through a survey. The results revealed significant demand, with 69% expressing that they would benefit from the scheme. Additionally, 51% admitted to incurring debt while purchasing essential items, while 79% spent time in their homes trying to get by without the essentials to live. Alarmingly, 34% reported having no furniture at all upon moving in.

Feedback from customers also highlighted the need for more focus on this area. One respondent said that this support was particularly important for those fleeing domestic violence, because moving from a property where you have everything to nothing risks the fleeing parent returning to their abuser for the security of their family having a bed.

Another response said:

“When I moved into my flat I had no furniture or white goods. I had to rely on catalogues to purchase all my furniture and white goods which took me a period of four years to pay off. Having furniture, especially white goods, when moving into the property is essential. It’s just as essential as having gas and electric and food.”

A year on from the scheme’s launch, all 16 households remain in their tenancies without any known issues, indicating the overall success and stability it has achieved for participants. Rent arrears among the pilot participants stand at 0% which drastically contrasts with the 18% average among new Universal Credit tenancies, highlighting the scheme’s positive impact on financial stability.

In addition to the financial stability participants have reached, the scheme has seen significant social benefits too. Customer feedback indicated high satisfaction, with a 4.6/5 rating and a strong case for recommendations for the scheme.

Reflecting on the life changing scheme, a pilot participant said:

“The items I have received have given me a sense of freedom and increased independence because we’re able to function normally and are less dependent on others. I worry less about money now as a result of the items I have received because I can store food for longer, I don’t have to use the laundrette and I don’t have as many takeaways.”

In light of the extremely positive results, Curo plans to extend the initiative, with additional funding support from St John’s Foundation. The collaboration will help to further alleviate furniture poverty while contributing to social and financial sustainability in society.

 

 

Embarking on a long-term vision to make a real and enduring difference to communities is a daunting prospect. Strategies require continual assessment of progress and adjustment along the way in order to be attained.

At St John’s Foundation we are now four years into our ambitious strategy to significantly reduce the academic attainment gap at Key Stage 2 in Bath and North East Somerset through a broad range of initiatives supported by our Best Start in Life initiative (formally known as the Foundation Fund). We have been measuring the progress and impact of our programmes and are now beginning to see real, positive results.

In this article, we throw a spotlight on our work in Early Years settings to support speech and language development so that children in our community are ready to learn when they start school. Our Language for Life programme has seen such positive early results that it is already due to be extended and rolled out at more settings. In fact, our latest impact report, carried out independently, has indicated that the programme is having a systemic impact on the settings it is supporting.

What is Language for Life and why does it matter?

There is significant academic inequality in the region, with BaNES ranking fifth worst in the country for its attainment gap at Key Stage 2. This gap is defined as the difference in academic achievement between students in receipt of pupil premium and those who are not.

St John’s work to level the playing field and reduce this gap which is complex and extends beyond the classroom. The issues that can lead to academic inequalities often begin well before school, which is why our work encompasses projects from pre-birth all the way to secondary school.

Good communication skills strengthen a child’s ability to learn and help them manage their emotions and behaviour. However, under-served children often arrive at school with lower speech and language ability causing them to fall behind, which can have a long-lasting impact on learning.

Through training, the Language for Life (LfL) programme equips Early Years practitioners with the tools they need to identify and support pre-schoolers that are not at the expected language level for their age. Where needed, children are referred to specialists. For those requiring a lower level of support, staff are able to put measures in place to help these children reach their expected level as quickly as possible.

The programme has been running at 23 settings across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) and began in the 2021/2022 academic year. Children are screened at the beginning and end of the academic year, and periodically where needed, using a Wellcomm Toolkit which places them in a red, amber or green zone, with those in the red zone requiring specialist support, amber needing some help and green requiring no further support.

At the start of the 2021/2022 academic year, 84 per cent of children assessed at participating settings were identified as needing extra support, including the majority of children in receipt of early years pupil premium (EYPP). By the end of the 2022/2023 year, this figure reduced to just 29 per cent. This dramatic improvement will have a real impact on how these pre-schoolers begin their formal education.

A key success of the programme is that the children in the amber zone, who do not qualify for specialist support, do not fall between the cracks and are identified as needing some additional support, and are receiving it.

What impact is LfL having?

Feedback in our latest impact report strongly suggests that children are increasingly being identified earlier and more accurately with their speech and language needs and that, over time, the proportion of children who are reaching the expected language level for their age by the time they go to school is increasing.

For those children identified as needing specialist support, the number of referrals has increased by 160 per cent over the past two years, suggesting that these children are increasingly receiving the greater level of support they need.

Even for the 29 per cent who had not reached the expected language level by the end of the last academic year, this forms part of the handover process from pre-school to Reception so that their teacher can put necessary arrangements in place from the beginning and prevent them from falling behind.

What’s next for LfL?

With such positive results, we have taken the decision to double the number of Early Years settings benefitting from the LfL programme and on a longer-term basis. This broadening and extending of the programme will also allow time for these practices to become fully embedded at participating settings, so that the traditionally high turnover of staff at Early Years setting does not affect the programme’s ongoing impact.

Whilst there is much more work to be done to level the academic playing field in the region, these early interventions at 23 of our Early Years settings are making a real difference to the children in need of support and positively influencing how they begin their school journey.

At St John’s Foundation, our trustees form an integral part of our team and are pivotal in leading our charity to support as many people in our community as possible, and in the most effective way.

Ben Fletcher, our Chair of Trustees, joined St John’s in 2019 and played a vital role in spearheading and developing our current funding strategy to significantly reduce the educational attainment gap at Key Stage 2 in the Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) region. Passionate about education, he is also a Trustee of the National Literacy Trust, which supports children’s literacy skills, and through this connection Ben brings invaluable expertise to support St John’s ambitious goals.  The re-focusing of St John’s funding strategy complements the support the charity continues to provide to older adults, including the provision of high quality almshouse accommodation and community outreach support.

Aside from his trustee work, Ben is Chief Finance and Transformation Officer at The Very Group, and for 10 years served on the board of the British Retail Consortium.

Ben says he was first drawn to becoming a trustee of St John’s by the charity’s impressive history and the positive impact it has in BaNES. He explains:

“When I think about the 850 years that St John’s has existed, I often reflect on the canny management and considerable amount of luck it has taken to reach this milestone. It also puts a weight of responsibility on our shoulders to continue and build on this legacy, creating a balance between having a short- and medium-term impact without putting the charity’s longevity at risk, so that the next generation can continue our crucial work.

“Many charities are having to think very carefully about how they can continue to support their beneficiaries, given current financial difficulties and, in this respect, we are extremely lucky to have the assets and financial buffer that we do. But we need to use them wisely, for when much is given, much is expected.”

Despite the burden of St John’s legacy, Ben feels very proud to play a part in the charity’s journey and current strategy, which he was instrumental in bringing to life. He says:

“We spent 2019 meticulously developing and planning our strategy, which was a new direction for St John’s, and were excited to launch it in 2020. Measuring our progress is key to demonstrating that our work is having the intended impact, allowing us to change course where it is not and to learn from our failures.

“Constant innovation is necessary to solve many of the problems we are facing. We can then share what we’ve learned with other charities, both within and outside of our region. We, in turn, can also learn from others and test their methods to see if they have a positive impact in BaNES.

“Our mission is to be effective, not just busy and, in this way, we can keep learning from our experiences and develop the key skills and knowledge needed to deliver our strategy, building collaborative networks across the community.”

St John’s Foundation has recently released its latest Impact Report sharing the results of the strategy so far, which can be found here.

Ben’s previous experience as a trustee and non-executive has supported him in his role at St John’s. He has noticed strategic similarities in his roles and the need to collaborate with many stakeholders to reach a common view. While working as a trustee instead of an executive at St John’s took some getting used to, he has enjoyed forming and leading the Board of Trustees, creating a high-calibre group with diverse viewpoints committed to the same goal – improving the lives of under-served people in BaNES.

“I would encourage anyone to become a trustee, especially whilst still working in the corporate world”, he says. “You get to spend time with people from many walks of life with a diverse range of skills, knowledge, and experiences, which you don’t always get in a large company. Being a charity trustee also grants perspective and connects you with the community in a very profound way. It’s very grounding and has been one of the most valuable developmental experiences for me.”

Reflecting on the charity’s milestone year and momentous celebration in February, during which Ben welcomed Queen Camilla, he adds:

“Our recent 850 Anniversary Service at Bath Abbey was terrific. It was a great atmosphere, and we were extremely grateful to be able to welcome our Patron, Queen Camilla. Walking from our almshouse to the Abbey alongside Her Majesty was my highlight of the day and will stay with me for a very long time.

“The day was so wonderful because it offered us a chance to reintroduce ourselves to the community and remind people we are here to support them, if they need us. We hope the people of Bath will get to know St John’s better over the coming year through increased visibility and that we can therefore have an even greater positive impact in our community.”

To find out more about St John’s Board of Trustees, click here.