This is an article from St John’s Foundation’s subsidiary, St John’s Hospital Trading Company
What does the House of St John’s offer?
Focused on community, inclusion and informal luxury, we describe the House of St John’s as the place to work, connect and grow.
Situated at 1 Queen Square, the beautifully restored Grade 1-listed building now houses a variety of private offices, personal desks and hot desks, together with a bookable boardroom, elegant event space and stylish lounge and bar. High-end fixtures and fittings are complemented by ultra-fast broadband and, unusually for central Bath, we also have a furnished outdoor terrace. With attentive staff ensuring all runs smoothly, we firmly believe House of St John’s is the perfect place for the new hybrid working lifestyle.
What sets you apart from other co-working spaces?
While we are proud of the inspiring environment we have created, becoming a member of the House of St John’s is about so much more; not only do you get to benefit from the first-class facilities on offer, but your contribution positively influences the community around you. Profits from this new venture will be gifted to our charity partner, St John’s Foundation, specifically for its Foundation Fund – a fund established to support disadvantaged children in Bath and North East Somerset and to help lessen the education attainment gap.
How do you support the community?
The House is a social enterprise that gifts profits to its charity partner, St John’s Foundation. The profits are used specifically for the Foundation Fund which seeks to ‘level the playing field’ and help disadvantaged children in our area live happy and healthy lives. It will do this by ensuring children have nutritious food every day; a safe place outside of school; behavioural and emotional support and additional support with foundational reading, writing, oracy, and mathematics.
Secondly, post pandemic, we are determined to support local, independent businesses. To that end, we have engaged with businesses who share our ethos and whose products only enhance the House of St John’s offering. Members will benefit from discounted rates and priority access to businesses featured in our ‘Just across the Square’ list of who’s who.
What do your customers say about your space?
New to the Bath scene, we launch late November 2021 and so we have yet to have any customer reviews! However, whatever style of membership you choose, you’ll automatically be part of our inclusive and collaborative community.
If you take a whole office, it will be thoughtfully furnished based around our members’ needs. As a member of the House of St John’s, you can enjoy a private office while still feeling part of a larger community.
If a whole office isn’t for you, then personal or ‘dedicated’ desks are the way forward. Whether you are an early bird who likes to start work at 6am or someone who needs to be online at 11pm, the desk will be yours and yours alone.
Finally, our hot-desking option provides the ultimate in flexibility and is ideal for those members who like to move around, choosing different environments dependent on their needs – one day it might be a quiet corner, the next all the hubbub of a communal lounge.
Find out more about the House of St John’s here or email hello@hosj.co.uk
Louise Harvey, executive director of ST JOHN’S FOUNDATION FUND tells Simon Holdsworth, managing partner at THRINGS how St John’s is tackling the attainment gap…
Simon Holdsworth: St John’s is a big presence in Bath but, for those who are not familiar with it, can you tell us what it does?
Louise Harvey: St John’s was founded in 1174, making it one of the UK’s oldest charities. Originally known as St John’s Hospital, it offered support to those in need and its almshouses were at the heart of the organisation.
The St John’s of today remains renowned for its almshouse provision but has extended its reach to include supporting disadvantaged children and people of all ages who are in crisis in Bath and the surrounding areas. We now focus on three main areas: our almshouses enable people over 65 to live full and independent lives; our large investment and property portfolio funds our charitable giving, and we continue to act as a funder, supporting charities and those who need help.
SH: What are the main priorities for St John’s today?
LH: Two years ago, we launched a ten-year strategy and created the Foundation Fund. This was a whole new way of looking at our organisation, what it did and how it could affect change.
SH: So, what is the Foundation Fund?Why was it created and what does it do?
LH: In this beautiful city of Bath, and across B&NES, there is one of the biggest attainment gaps in the country; from one end of the region to the other, the inequality in literacy levels, life expectancy, unemployment and life chances is staggering.
We launched the Foundation Fund fund to reduce this disparity and deliver the social change our city needs. Our manifesto is to build communities where children can grow into happy, healthy, and educated members of society. Our aim is to significantly reduce the educational attainment gap in B&NES by 2030.
SH: The St John’s group recently launched a big project. How do you go about achieving that ambition?
LH: We have started already – despite the pandemic. We identified and brought together seven schools with the highest number of disadvantaged children in the area, who are already working with over 700 disadvantaged primary children who need support.
SH: The St John’s Group recently launched another exciting project – the House of St John’s.
LH: The House of St John’s is a co-working venue powered by social change. By opening the doors of 1 Queen Square and creating a beautiful space for people to come and work – and play – we are bringing businesses, of all sizes, back into the heart of the city. And, because profits will go straight into the Foundation Fund we are enabling those businesses to be part of the change we need to make for Bath.
SH: Louise, there are some exciting and ambitious projects happening at St John’s. What are you most proud of?
LH: I’ve been at St John’s for 17 years – it’s now part of my DNA. I’m most proud of our current strategy – it was a brave move to look inwards and then take a new route. We have started the journey, but we still have a long way to go. I do feel blessed to be part of an organisation that is really changing lives. For good.
Find out more about Thrings here.
View the article in Bath Life magazine here.
On Wednesday 20th October, St John’s convened a meeting of the National Advisory Board, with representatives of nationally recognised key organisations such as the Early Intervention Foundation, Education Endowment Foundation, Nuffield Foundation and Feeding Britain in attendance.
Bringing together national experts in child and parental health, early years work and education, and food poverty, St John’s recognises the power of harnessing this collective expertise to help them reach the Foundation Fund’s overarching goal.
Established in February 2020, The Foundation Fund is a B&NES-wide funding programme set up to address the educational inequalities that exist between affluent and disadvantaged communities. The programme is specifically about supporting children from birth to 12 years old and their families, with funding being released under four key strands:
- Helping families to access nutritious food every day
- Ensuring children have safe places to go outside of school hours
- Providing children with emotional and behavioural support
- Providing specialist support with key skills in literacy, oracy and numeracy.
The group will meet three times a year to give guidance on various projects and to offer advice on the direction the Foundation Fund should take.
Bringing together experts from all over the UK, will also help raise the national profile of this B&NES project, leading to greater collaboration and sharing of best practice.
Chair of the National Advisory Board, as well as Executive Director of The Foundation Fund, Louise Harvey said “we are delighted to have such a passionate, experienced and knowledgeable group of experts supporting the Foundation Fund. This board enables us to have oversight of projects and initiatives happening all of the country and beyond, as well as raising the profile of the fund and broadening our networks and reach.”
Read about our Primary Empowerment Programme and Language for Life initiative here.
After almost two years hidden behind hoardings and scaffolding, St John’s Foundation is finally able to reveal the beautifully restored 1 Queen Square.
Behind its doors, you’ll discover the House of St John’s – where co-working has found a new home.
The Grade 1-listed, Georgian building commands a prestigious BA1 address and has been thoughtfully refurbished. It now hosts a variety of private offices; flexible and dedicated desks; meeting rooms and a stylish event space. Additionally, members can expect 24/7 access.
While the building has been sympathetically restored, the trappings of the modern world have also been included, with high-end fittings, ultra-speed broadband and attentive service staff. The exclusive co-working environment space will open late 2021, providing the perfect place for the new, hybrid working lifestyle.
House of St John’s will be the place for members to meet, network and socialise, as well as getting on with the serious business of making a living. The founding principles of membership are focussed on community, inclusion and informal luxury and the aim is to bring together like-minded people, invested in social change.
Profits from the new venture will be gifted to the House’s charity partner, St John’s Foundation, to fund positive societal change which includes supporting disadvantaged children in Bath and North East Somerset. This crucial work is done through the charity’s Foundation Fund and the four key pillars include providing nutritious food every day; a safe place outside of school; behavioural and emotional support and help in reading and writing, oracy, and mathematics. Addressing all these issues makes great inroads into lessening the educational attainment gap.
Louise Harvey, Director of St John’s Hospital Trading Company LTD
For further information, visit the House of St John’s website or email hello@hosj.co.uk
At the start of June, St John’s put out the call to local charities and clubs to apply for our Summer Holiday Activities Fund. After a selection process, we awarded £24,820 to 11 local organisations that offer opportunities for disadvantaged children. This money was specifically for the provision of activities for children, aged 0-12, from families that are vulnerable, at risk or isolated during the summer holidays.
Holiday activities are so important for reducing social isolation and helping children to stay happy and healthy. Our funding supports the positive work done by so many charities across Bath and North East Somerset so that children didn’t miss out this summer, as we begin to emerge from the worst of the covid crisis.
Some of the charities that were awarded money organised days out and activities day for children. First Steps spent their funding on a trip to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm for the children and families from First Steps nursery and the Early Years Centre in Twerton. Off the Record organised summer activity days for young people who identify as LGBT+ or may be questioning their identity, while Southside Family Project organised outdoor play activities for children supported by the charity.
Others focused on the provision of sporting activities with Sporting Family Change spending their funding on a variety of multisports for vulnerable and isolated children. Bath City Football Club Foundation held an inclusive and mixed football camp for children aged 5-11.
Two of the charities used their funding for food provisions with Family Action hosting family-friendly healthy eating activities for Family Action FOOD Club members in Radstock. While Oasis Hub delivered food and enrichment parcels to low-income families.
The money was also spent on those families that were socially isolated. Peasedown Parochial Church Council used their grant for bouncy castles, craft activities, and refreshments for socially isolated families in Peasedown St John. Young Bristol delivered youth activities in areas of high social isolation (Keynsham, Pensford and Bishop Sutton) via Young Bristol’s mobile youth bus facility.
Julian House used their grant for fun, healthy and educational holiday activities for families recovering from the impact of domestic violence and abuse. VOICES similarly used their funding for those impacted by this issue and hosted an activity and a picnic for children they work with.
Foundation Fund
February 2020 saw St John’s launch its ambitious ten-year strategy, alongside the creation of the new Foundation Fund. Developed primarily to continue to support those people most in need within our region, it now has the specific aim of narrowing the Attainment Gap for Key Stage 2 children living in Bath and North East Somerset. Our manifesto echoes this commitment and we will be pumping funding into the key areas that best support children aged 0 to 12 years old and their families.
The areas we have identified are:
- Nutritious food every day
- A safe place outside of school
- Professional behavioural and emotional support
- Additional support with foundational reading, writing, oracy, and mathematics
Primary Empowerment Programme
Throughout 2021, we engaged with the 7 primary schools that have 40% of the most disadvantaged primary school children in Bath and North East Somerset to provide pupils with additional support with foundational reading, writing, oracy, and mathematics, as well as emotional support. These schools are:
- Castle Primary School, Keynsham
- Roundhill Primary School, Southdown, Bath
- St Keyna Primary School, Keynsham
- St Martin’s Garden Primary School, Odd Down, Bath
- St Mary’s School, Writhlington
- St Michael’s Junior Church School, Twerton, Bath
- Twerton Infants School, Twerton Bath
The Head Teachers of these schools and their respective Multi-Academy Trust Chief Executives have been invaluable in directing St John’s focus to exactly the type of support their disadvantaged children require. Expressing the pressures they are facing, the Head Teachers have made us realise there is no simple solution to narrowing the attainment gap, rather it has to be a holistic approach. All involved are committed to embedding the new interventions we have put forward, within their curriculum for the September 2021 term onwards.
Not surprisingly, with the pandemic continuing to make its presence felt, the work on the Primary Empowerment Programme has increased since January of this year. When we put out the call for potential delivery partners, we received 36 applications back. Our Head Teachers had the opportunity to assess and shortlist those they felt would most benefit their disadvantaged children. We are delighted to report that six delivery partners have been selected and will be embedded across their schools for the September term. These partners are:
It is St John’s overarching ambition to support all disadvantaged pupils living in Bath and North East Somerset. Going forward, we will be exploring how we can engage with more schools, building on the lessons learned from this pilot project.
Through its Foundation Fund, St John’s is financially supporting a brand-new initiative to support improving the speech and language outcomes for under 5s.
Launching this September, the Language for Life project will be delivered in partnership by Virgin Care and Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Early Years team. The project will focus on supporting pre-school children to reach age-related expectations in communication and language development before they transition into Primary School settings in Bath and Keynsham.
Language for Life will offer a refreshed, area-specific early years approach to speech and language development. With the support of a newly appointed Lead Speech and Language Therapist, Early Years practitioners will be offered the opportunity to adopt the Wellcomm communications and language toolkit; an evidence-based assessment and intervention programme designed for use by early years practitioners with no additional specialist skills needed.
David Hobdey, Chief Executive of St John’s Foundation said “The charity is excited to be a part of the Language of Life project, which was formally launched at an online event on the 6th July; it forms part of a suite of new programmes St John’s is supporting to address educational inequality in Bath and North East Somerset to ensure all children access the right start in life. Speech and language development in young children is critical and is fundamental in providing children with the communication skills they require to manage their emotions, behaviours and supports them to learn. Children from less advantaged backgrounds will typically have weaker speech and language skills than other more advantaged children, even at the age of two. The Language for Life project is aimed at children from 18 months of age; it is vital to address this gap at an early age since it widens and becomes increasingly harder to close as children age.”
Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children and Young People, Communities and Culture at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “This exciting project aims to equip early years practitioners with the specialist support and resources to really focus on closing the word gap that impacts on children’s later outcomes. We believe that all children deserve the best start in life and that’s what Language for Life is all about.”
Claire Galloway from Virgin Care who will be delivering the contract added “Following the successful launch event of Language for Life we are excited to continue to the next phase of the project working collaboratively with early years settings, families and the wider early years workforce. This is an amazing opportunity for us to work with our colleagues from partner agencies to make a real difference to the outcomes of children with speech, language and communication needs and their families”.
The Language for Life project is closely linked to the Foundation Fund’s Primary Empowerment Programme, which aims to support the development of primary school-aged children, providing additional support for reading, writing, oracy and mathematics as well as support with emotional and behavioural needs.
Local leaders have welcomed the publication of a report which sets out a new long-term vision for the area it calls Bath with North East Somerset.
The report is the result of a wide-ranging engagement exercise which involved more than a hundred local stakeholders in shaping the renewal and recovery of the local economy and communities in response to the Covid 19 crisis.
One Shared Vision sets out a new framework for fairer, greener, more creative and more connected communities. It proposes a new vision for a stronger, low carbon, more inclusive and diverse local economy as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic.
The report highlights that Bath, Radstock, Midsomer Norton, Keynsham, Paulton, Peasedown, Chew Magna and many other villages and rural areas form a partnership of communities which it terms Bath with North East Somerset
It also suggests new thinking and new ways of working to help the area thrive, prosper and tackle inequalities- all within the limits of the planet and the region’s natural resources.
Councillor Richard Samuel, Deputy Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council and Chair of the Economic Recovery and Renewal Board, which led the development of the report, said: “One Shared Vision is the result of work which was started by the Board last summer in anticipation of the need to plan for post-pandemic recovery and renewal. Now that lockdown is easing- albeit with much uncertainty ahead- this forward-thinking is now bearing fruit.
“The pandemic highlighted a number of weaknesses in our local economy and One Shared Vision sets out a new direction. We saw during lockdown the high dependency of our economy on visitors and tourism. As we renew and recover, we will also need to make sure our visitor economy feeds through into a higher-wage economy and also helps us meet our climate and ecological emergency goals – for example, by encouraging longer stays. We have learnt much over the past year and as we emerge from Covid we have the opportunity to build resilience.”
City Global Futures, working on behalf of local leaders, carried out surveys, one-to-one zoom interviews and a series of workshops with residents and stakeholders from a wide range of sectors. Their views, ideas and ambitions shaped the new vision.
Alongside this work, the council ran an online “community dialogue” on the emerging themes of the vision from the stakeholder interviews and workshops, allowing over 70 residents to comment and contribute their own ideas, which were taken into account in the development of One Shared Vision.
Councillor Sarah Warren, Deputy Leader of the council and cabinet member for Climate and Sustainable Travel, said: “We have what is perhaps a once in a lifetime chance to build back greener and better, which will be crucial in helping us tackle the climate and ecological emergency. I’d like to thank everyone who has taken part in the work so far. This is the beginning of a wider process that will for the first time bring together all partners in our area around a shared vision for our future. The overriding message has been that as well as setting out a long-term direction for renewal, we should ensure that our vision delivers real action.”
Local leaders have pledged to work collaboratively to deliver One Shared Vision.
Ian Bell, Executive Director, Bath Chamber of Commerce and the Initiative in B&NES said: “Partnership working will be the key to our future economic success. The business community stands ready to do its bit to achieve sustainable prosperity which will benefit the whole community.”
Professor Ian White, Vice Chancellor of University of Bath, said: “We welcome the commitment to partnership which underpins the One Shared Vision. A sustainable greener future requires the type of innovation at which Universities like ours excel. The vision aligns closely with the work we are doing to develop a new Digital Strategy for the city and collaborative projects under the ‘Our Shared Future’ initiative in the areas of transport such as Bath Beyond the Car and De-Carbonising Building Stock. Working together on these and other initiatives is an essential foundation and framework for renewal.”
The commitment in the vision to addressing inequalities has received a positive response from a wide range of local organisations.
David Hobdey, Chief Executive Officer, St John’s Foundation, said: “Stark inequalities have long remained a feature of the Bath and North East Somerset area and I believe the vision set out will enable us to begin addressing some major societal challenges in the region. This is essential to create stronger communities and greater economic prosperity. The vision paves the way for genuine collaboration and more effective partnership working between different organisations and business across the region and our success in this respect will be critical to fulfilment of its ambitions.”
William Heath, Co-Chair, Fairfield House Bath, added: “The crisis calls for new thinking and new conversations. That means the discomfort of engaging and co-operating with those who are often not heard. This is a good start; we need a lot more of this.”
Laurel Penrose Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Bath College, added: “One Shared Vision identifies the key components of our strong heritage, lessons learnt from the pandemic and opportunities for the future. From Bath College’s perspective the ability to support a more equitable, inclusive, economically viable and greener future reflects well and mirrors its own strategic plan. These themes are central to the wellbeing and future prosperity of our communities as we emerge into a post Covid environment.”
Economic Recovery and Renewal Board members will be working together over the coming months to further progress One Shared Vision, including wider engagement with local communities, particularly with the voluntary and community sector and with young people.
Young refugee children who have settled in Bath & North East Somerset had a prominent spot to highlight their artistic talent when a mini art show went on display in Old Bond Street on Monday the 14th June.
The initiative was to help celebrate National Refugee Week. The pieces produced by the children took pride of place in the main window of the former Gap shop, owned by St John’s Foundation, on Old Bond Street, over the course of that week.
Using Home Office funding, B&NES Council commission Julian House to resettle people with refugee status through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). The scheme exists to enable the resettlement of those who have been identified by the United Nations as being the most vulnerable people fleeing persecution, violence, and life-threatening challenges in their countries of origin. The charity works mostly with families, many of whom have significant medical conditions and/or who have survived torture. The project supports and empowers families to rebuild their lives, move on from trauma, and live happily and independently in the UK. Julian House works closely in partnership with local charity Bath Welcomes Refugees amongst other local, regional and national organisations.
Sally Harris is the Team Leader for the Julian House Resettlement Service “We have been doing this work now for 4 years and in that time we have supported some very vulnerable individuals. Despite the massive emotional challenges of leaving behind friends and family it has been humbling to see how well they have adapted and assimilated into local communities – taking on volunteering opportunities and paid employment. People often say that children are more adaptable than parents but it’s still not been easy for them. Again it’s been inspirational to see how well they have done – making new friends, learning a new language and culture.
We are indebted to St John’s Foundation for giving us such a great site to show off their artwork. They enjoyed doing it and it will be such a thrill for them to see it on show to a big public audience.”
Refugee Week (14-20 June) is a platform for people who have sought safety in the UK to share their experiences, perspectives and creative work on their own terms. Through a programme of arts, cultural, sports and educational events alongside media and creative campaigns. It enables people from different backgrounds to connect beyond labels, as well as encouraging understanding of why people are displaced, and the challenges they face when seeking safety.
The TRC was founded in 2011 by Betsy de Thierry after she had a vision of seeing children find lasting recovery. Taking her 20 years of experience as a teacher, a psychotherapist, an author and a mother of 4, Betsy set about creating the charity and finding a way to help families recover from significant trauma and crisis.
Since that day, the TRC have worked with over 1,000 clients and delivered over 20,000 hours of face to face recovery intervention. Over the last 10 years, the TRC has worked with many families in the South West and have opened more centres in Oxford and Guernsey.
Working with a highly trained team of complex trauma professionals, psychotherapy is provided at the TRC via play, music, art and creative therapy sessions for the child or young person, with therapeutic sessions provided for the parent/carer happening at the same time. The TRC also provide specialist help for other professionals working with the child, such as help with an EHCP plan in educational settings. Working holistically in this way, gives the family a chance to recover from the trauma as a unit and brings hope in what can be a really difficult time.
Betsy de Thierry says “It has been an incredible 10 years of helping families find restoration from the traumatic experiences they have survived. As a core team we have been surprised that what started as a small local therapy centre has grown into a nationally recognised centre of excellence for complex trauma. When I founded the charity I was not aware that the important topic of recovery from trauma is not often understood because it is not often taught in qualifying courses around the world. We have been honoured to consult and help families and professionals from all over the UK whilst remaining as a local specialist resource for families in Bath.”
The effectiveness of their work has been evaluated by Christ Church Canterbury University Salomon Applied Psychology Department using our clinical data from 248 clients in 2019 and it was found that 98.8% of the sample had significantly clinically improved through the TRC’s intervention, with difficulties significantly decreasing, and strengths significantly improving.
More than that though, are the many hundreds of positive stories from families and children of lives completely transformed due to the specialist care and love from the TRC team over many months and often from families who have not found help or hope from anywhere else.
A former TRC client says “The support we have received as a family has changed our lives. Before we were at the TRC we felt shamed, alone and hopeless. You have supported us through our worst times and you have helped the children’s schools to understand too. You have never judged us but have shown patience and kindness as we all changed and recovered.”
If you would like to help the work of the Trauma Recovery Centre continue to bring hope to children, young people and families then you can donate via their website.
For more information about the Trauma Recovery Centre visit www.trc-uk.org
