St John’s Foundation is investing £5 million over the next three years to create new almshouses and refurbish existing ones, building on its long-standing mission to support older adults. The project will see up to 15 new safe and affordable homes made available for people aged 65 and over who are facing financial hardship, ensuring they have both a home and a supportive community to live in.
Once complete, St John’s will provide up to 109 almshouses, placing us among the top 2% of providers nationally. The project underlines the vital role that charities can play in their communities in response to today’s housing crisis.
Our Chief Executive, Catharine Brown, said: “This is one of the most important and exciting projects in our history. We know how much of a difference almshouses make – not just by providing affordable housing, but by creating a community of friendship and support that reduces loneliness and gives people a stronger sense of belonging and purpose. Older people are at the heart of everything we do, and this investment means we will be able to welcome more people into our community and give them the security of a safe home.”
The new development comes at a time when Bath faces a severe housing challenge. House prices in Bath and North East Somerset are over 13 times the average salary, making it one of the least affordable places to live in the UK. There is less social housing available in BaNES compared to the national average, with more households in temporary accommodation than at any point in the last 20 years. At the same time, the number of people aged 65+ is expected to grow by 15% by 2028. Against this backdrop, our commitment will provide a vital lifeline – safe, affordable homes, built around community and connection.
Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath said “St John’s Foundation has always played a vital role in our city, and this new investment will make a real difference to older people here in Bath, especially at a time when housing is such a challenge here. Creating more almshouses means more people will have the security of an affordable home as well as the support of a strong community. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have for generations to come.”
The £5million investment also includes improvement works at our Combe Park almshouses, helping to modernise and future-proof these homes so current residents can enjoy warm, efficient and comfortable living spaces.
As part of this major investment, St John’s will be relocating its headquarters from Chapel Court to another of its buildings. 1 Queen Square will now host the offices for the charity, alongside clients of the House of St John’s, a co-working and events space which is operated as part of the charity’s trading company. The space will continue to offer Bath a unique place to connect, work and celebrate with purpose.
The charity expects the new almshouses to be completed by 2027, subject to planning approval.
In 2020, St John’s Foundation launched a new initiative within our wider strategy to support people in need in our local community – this initiative was aimed at supporting children to grow up happy, healthy and educated.
Over the past five years, through this Best Start in Life initiative, we’ve supported more than 6,000 children through targeted emotional and learning support in the aftermath of COVID-19, as well as improved access to nutritious food at the height of a cost-of-living crisis. We’re proud of what this work has achieved. Children who may have fallen behind received vital help and schools now have stronger systems and more confident, skilled staff. Nurseries across the region are better equipped to support early language development, with our Language for Life programme now implemented in more than 60 early years settings.
With an overarching ambition to address the educational attainment gap in Bath and North East Somerset, this work has served to raise much needed awareness of this issue locally. It has strengthened local partnerships and created momentum for the myriad stakeholders that must work together to achieve this shared ambition to give every child the best possible start.
We have funded 134,203 free school meals to date and are continuing to fund these for the next academic year for children in most need. The government is now expanding its free school meal provision from September 2026, which will extend to the children St John’s Foundation has been supporting. In addition, many schools and nurseries are embedding the training, tools and practices we helped put in place since 2020.
In 2025, following a strategic review by our leadership team and trustees, we’ve taken stock of these achievements. We’ve looked at what’s worked and where progress has been harder to achieve, as well as what has changed since we launched our Best Start in Life initiative.
While we’ve seen real and lasting change at the individual level, we recognise that the attainment gap is a deep-seated, long-term challenge. We are proud to have raised awareness of this issue, mobilised resources to support children most at risk, and helped schools and nurseries establish stronger systems. This groundwork means others are now well placed to carry the work forward, ensuring the progress made can continue to grow.
As a charity, we need to focus our resources where they can make the greatest difference. We also face economic pressures, like many others in our sector, due to the significant changes to the wider socio-economic and political landscape since 2020, as well as commitments to the Charity Commission and our almshouse residents. As the financial landscape changes, we must adapt.
This means that once all current schemes and partnerships under our Best Start in Life initiative are honoured and come to their natural close over the coming years, we must refocus our efforts where we know we have the most impact and continue our work supporting older adults and people facing financial hardship. These challenges are increasing in our community and we are well placed to respond.
We care deeply about the issues facing people in Bath and North East Somerset. Our mission remains unchanged, as it has for over 850 years: to improve the lives of those who need us most and ensure that St John’s Foundation will continue to provide this support for the next 850 years and beyond.
St John’s Foundation is carrying out a 14-month project at our Combe Park almshouses to replace the heating and water systems throughout the building. These are essential improvements that will modernise and future-proof our almshouses, ensuring they remain comfortable and safe for our residents for many years to come.
Our residents are always our top priority. We know this work will bring some disruption, and we are managing the process carefully to keep this to a minimum. Temporary accommodation is being provided while individual flats are upgraded over a period of 2-3 weeks, and residents are being supported every step of the way by our team. Our contractor, CW Duke, is extremely sensitive to the fact that Combe Park is a live site where our resident’s homes are.
Regular updates are being shared directly with residents, and families are welcome to contact us if they would like further information on:
Goodliving.enquiries@stjohnsbath.org.uk
01225 486401
In 2020 we launched an ambitious strategy that focused on narrowing the attainment gap for Key Stage 2 children across Bath and North East Somerset by 2030.
Through our Best Start in Life initiative, support is provided to children from birth to 12 years old to help them grow into healthy, happy educated members of our community. Interventions have been funded that directly work on improving educational outcomes as well as addressing children’s physical, behavioural, and emotional needs. The Best Start in Life initiative provides educational and mental health support to children in pre-school settings and primary schools. It also funds the distribution of food across the region via schools, food clubs and pantries.
To mark World Book Day on 6th March, St John’s has donated £4,238 to seven primary schools in Bath and North East Somerset to help expand their library collections.
The seven schools that received the donation collaborated last year as part of our 850th anniversary to create a unique book titled The Day the Alien Came. Written by 192 children with the guidance of author Stewart Foster and illustrator Andrew Prescot, the book was sold locally to raise funds. Now, in a fitting full-circle moment, the proceeds are being used to provide books for the libraries of the participating schools.
Georgia Clark, teacher from St Mary’s Church of England Primary School and Nursery said: “Reading is not just a skill; it’s a gateway to knowledge, imagination, and personal growth. Thanks to the generous funds raised through this project, we are expanding our library and providing children with more opportunities to develop their reading skills. These resources will not only enhance their literacy but also inspire a deeper passion for books and learning. The active involvement of our children in this initiative further demonstrates the powerful impact of our shared commitment to reading and writing.”
Catharine Brown, our CEO said: “We believe that every child deserves access to great books that inspire a love of reading and learning. Working with these schools and their students on The Day the Alien Came was an incredible experience, and we are delighted that the funds raised will directly benefit their libraries. This initiative is just one part of our ongoing commitment to supporting children’s education in Bath and North East Somerset.”
Other funding sources contributing to this donation amount include the money raised from the Bath Half Marathon, our SouthGate partnership and the Salisbury Trust Procurement team.
The schools receiving the donation include St Martin’s Garden Primary School, St Michael’s Junior Church School, Twerton Infant School and Nursery, St Keyna Primary School, Roundhill Primary School, Castle Primary School, and St Mary’s Church of England Primary School.
St John’s works with these seven schools as part of its Best Start in Life strategy, which provides additional support in reading, writing, mathematics, and oracy, as well as emotional and behavioural support. Together, these schools serve 40% of the region’s most under-served children.
St John’s Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of our new CEO Catharine Brown.
Catharine has been serving as Interim CEO since July 2024 and following a highly competitive selection process, the Board of Trustees unanimously decided to appoint Catharine to lead the charity into its next chapter.
With an impressive background in leadership, strategy, and impact-driven change, Catharine brings a fresh perspective and a deep commitment to ensuring St John’s continues to evolve and thrive.
“I am delighted to take on the role of CEO at such a pivotal moment for St John’s,” said Catharine Brown. “This charity has a remarkable history of supporting the community in Bath and the local area, and I look forward to building on that legacy with fresh ideas, renewed energy and a clear vision for the future. Change brings opportunity, and I am excited to work with our team and partners to ensure St John’s continues to grow, evolve and make a meaningful difference to the people we serve.”
Catharine’s career began in marketing leadership roles at Selfridges and Marks & Spencer, then becoming Global Marketing Director in The Economist group. After relocating to Bath, she transitioned into the charity sector, holding senior roles in marketing, fundraising and leadership at national charities. Catharine also founded a consultancy business, helping boards and leadership teams drive meaningful change. Most recently, she was Chief Executive of Designability, a national charity dedicated to creating life-changing products for disabled people.
Sandy Forbes, Chair of St John’s, said, “On behalf of the trustees, I am delighted to welcome Catharine as our CEO. Having recently taken on the role of Chair myself, I know how important it is to honour the incredible 850-year legacy of this charity while ensuring we continue to evolve for the future. Starting our roles at a similar time gives us a fantastic opportunity to work closely together, bringing new energy and a shared commitment to making a lasting impact in our community. I look forward to collaborating with Catharine and the entire team to build on St John’s proud history and ensure we keep making a real difference in our community.”
In 2024, St John’s Foundation is turning 850 years old and to celebrate our milestone anniversary, we embarked on a special project. We harnessed the creative minds of 192 primary school pupils from seven local schools in Bath and North East Somerset to write a one-of-a-kind book.
In June, Bath-based children’s author Stewart Foster visited each of these seven schools. Over two sessions, Stewart helped the children from each class bring their ideas to life, guiding them as they wrote a book together. The result was The Day the Alien Came —a fun and heartwarming story about Jai, an alien whose spaceship crash-lands in Bath with his Grampy. Emerging from the wreckage of his ship, Jai is greeted by local children who take him on an extraordinary adventure, discovering the wonders of Earth and the magic of friendship.
The Day the Alien Came will be released in October. The children featured within the pages will be published authors, and it is their hard work, imagination, and enthusiasm that has made creating this enchanting story possible. Through this project, we aim to highlight the incredible power of reading and literature.
Catharine Brown, CEO of St John’s Foundation, expressed how much this project means to us:
“We are delighted to celebrate our 850th anniversary and mark this occasion by creating something that positively impacts our community and leaves a legacy for the future. Every child contributed something unique, turning this story into a whirlwind of imagination. We’re so proud to share their work with the world.”
Once the book is published, Stewart will return to the schools for a special launch event, where each child will receive their very own copy of the book. We hope that each child involved will forever cherish the memory of writing this book, inspiring them to continue exploring the world through words.
Stewart Foster reflected on the project saying “When St John’s asked me to be involved in this project, I had no idea what an amazing experience I was about to have with the children, and certainly no indication of the incredible work we would produce. The book is the result of my visits, guidance, but ultimately their hard work and imagination. There are lines that will make you laugh, poems that will make you cry, because when an alien lands its spaceship near your school, that’s the sort of emotions it can bring out.”
The book will be available to buy at Mr B’s Emporium and The Oldfield Park Bookshop, with all profits going back to the schools to help fill their libraries with more books. We’re also sending a copy to the British Library so that these young authors’ work can be enjoyed for years to come.
The story is brought to life with illustrations by Andrew Prescot and is a collaboration between seven fantastic schools: St Martin’s Garden Primary School, St Michael’s Junior Church School, Twerton Infant School and Nursery, St Keyna Primary School, Roundhill Primary School, Castle Primary School, and St Mary’s Church of England Primary School.
Since February 2020, St John’s Foundation has been working with these schools, which serve 40% of the region’s most under-served children. Through our Best Start in Life initiative (formerly known as The Foundation Fund), we provide support in reading, writing, maths, and more, along with emotional and behavioural guidance.
We would also like to say a huge thank you to our sponsors, whose support made this project possible. Our headline sponsors are Almeda Facilities, The Curated Property Company, Evelyn Partners, and Thrings Solicitors. We’re also grateful to our Silver sponsors YTL Utilities UK and Cazenove Capital, for their generosity.
In 2020 we launched an ambitious strategy that focused on narrowing the attainment gap for Key Stage 2 children across Bath and North East Somerset by 2030.
Through our Best Start in Life initiative (formally known as the Foundation Fund) support is provided to children from birth to 12 years old to help them grow into healthy, happy educated members of our community. Interventions have been funded that directly work on improving educational outcomes as well as addressing children’s physical, behavioural, and emotional needs. The Best Start in Life initiative comprises three programmes:
- The Primary Empowerment Programme funds additional support with foundational reading, writing, maths, oracy, and with emotional and behavioural wellbeing.
- The Early Years Programmes funds speech, language and mental health support to children aged 3-5 in pre-school environments, as well as mental health support for new mothers.
- The Nutritious Food and Safe Places Programme funds the distribution of food across the region via schools, food clubs and pantries.
