On Friday 17th May, we joined forces with the fitness experts from Power 10 to host the ‘100 Second Challenge’ – an event to raise awareness of local charity, Sporting Family Change. For a small entry fee, participants were able to test their strength and endurance as they took on the challenge of hanging from a bar for 100 seconds.
Over 40 people from St John’s, Sporting Family Change and Power10 took up the challenge – with the same number cheering on their colleagues and friends from the side lines. Our courtyard was packed, with several members of the public drawn in to see what was happening.
Who knew that simply seeing if you could hang for 100 seconds from a metal bar, could engender such camaraderie, support and ‘togetherness’.
Commenting on the event, our Director of Funding and Impact, Louise Harvey said,
This was one of the most uplifting and life-affirming happenings we’ve ever had at St John’s. It was wonderful to see such a mix of abilities, ages and life situations, all united in raising funds for the great charity that is Sporting Family Change.
With over £675 raised in just two hours, we are already planning the next one!
Find out more about the Hangin’ Tough: 100 Second Challenge and all those involved by watching this short video produced by Meaningful Films.
Bishop of Bath and Wells visits Bath’s oldest charity to unveil their stunning new stained-glass window.
On Monday 29th April, residents, staff and trustees from St John’s Foundation gathered at the Chapel of St Michael’s Within for Bishop Peter Hancock’s service of dedication to the window.
A church building has stood on the Chapel Court site (adjacent to Bath Thermae Spa) since around 700AD, with the most ‘recent’ chapel, the Georgian-designed St Michael’s Within, just celebrating its 300th birthday; the commissioning of the new window seemed a fitting way of marking this tercentenary.
Designed and created by local company, Bath Aqua Glass, head designer Themis Mikellides explained to guests at the service how he had leapt at the chance of creating such a unique window for St John’s Foundation. And while the window is undoubtedly contemporary, the methods employed remain traditional.
We were able to use naturally occurring minerals found in the waters, such as copper and iron, to create the colour pigments in the glass” he said, “and glass discs were all blown by hand.
The new window proudly depicts both St John’s former incarnation as St John’s Hospital, together with the new St John’s Foundation of today: one panel features John the Baptist, drawing on the chapel’s Christian heritage, while the second panel features St John’s new logo and a myriad of circular discs, symbolising the bubbles within the City’s spa waters.
The design combines a theme of flowing water over a rectangular grid, which is reflected in the adjacent leaded windows currently housed in the chapel; it has been designed to create a visual sense of balance.
concluded Themis.
The resulting window is a striking meld of the old and the new, which also better reflects the ethos of the St John’s Foundation that exists today:
While many people in Bath are aware that St John’s Foundation has been offering almshouse and care provision since the 12th Century, fewer are aware of the organisation’s other charitable activities – last year alone, the charity awarded £2million in funding to local organisations and individuals in need of support. Additionally, their Community Outreach Service Programme, established in 2015, has made real inroads into tackling loneliness and isolation in the community.
Referencing the breadth of St John’s work during the church service, the Bishop urged everyone to show more compassion and love to one another – a timely reminder in current times.
At the close of the service, St John’s resident, Sue Roden, presented a beautiful, handmade cake depicting the new window, which was duly enjoyed by everyone present.
Let’s hope the chapel’s beautiful new window helps shine a light not only on the chapel’s interior, but also on the inequality and deprivation bubbling beneath the surface of our city.
We were thrilled to be one of ten local charities nominated for ‘Charity of the Year’ at the Bath Life Awards.
Whilst every charity nominated was a worthy winner, we were delighted to congratulate Southside Family Project and Bath City Farm for being the first ever joint winners of this annual award. Both organisations have such an incredible impact on our community and were deserved winners.
St John’s has funded and supported these two hardworking charities for many years and we are delighted to see the city-wide recognition of their work.
You can find a full list of winners here.
St John’s Foundation is delighted to support the roll out of Slow Shopping across the SouthGate shopping centre in Bath.
Slow Shopping is an initiative designed to help people who need a little extra support when visiting the shops, catering for individuals with anxiety or mental illness, those who struggle with communication or literacy, the elderly, those with dementia and all those who suffer from visible, invisible or intellectual disabilities. It’s really exciting because Slow Shopping is an inclusive project which is open to anyone!
Within SouthGate, a wide range of stores will offer a dedicated time each week where additional care will be available for any shoppers who need extra support.
The types of support provided range from specially trained staff, help points and chairs in stores to give shoppers the opportunity to rest while browsing, should they need it.
Slow shopping in SouthGate was launched on Wednesday 10th October 2018 and will be offered every Wednesday morning between 10am and 12 noon.
Nicole Jemson – Customer Engagement Manager, SouthGate Bath, said:
This has been a fabulous project to be a part of and we are delighted with how engaged the retailers are, they really understand that providing this valuable service encourages an environment where everyone feels comfortable to shop.
Slow Shopping was founded by Katherine Vero, following her experiences of shopping with her Mother as she developed dementia. Katherine has been working hard to roll out Slow Shopping across the country, and this partnership with SouthGate Bath will provide access to this valuable service to potentially thousands of shoppers in and around Bath, including our very own Almshouse residents.
During the 850 years that St John’s Foundation has served its community, time has never stood still, and change has unfolded from without and within our organisation to propel us ever forwards in our mission to change lives for good.
So it is, that in our milestone year we close a chapter and open a new one by announcing the retirement of CEO David Hobdey and sharing the exciting news that St John’s Trustee Catharine Brown will take up the Interim CEO position later this month.
Having joined St John’s Foundation in 2016 as Finance Director, David became the charity’s Chief Executive two years later. During his tenure, he was instrumental in developing and launching our current 10-year strategy in 2020, alongside our Board of Trustees.
This extended our work to help under-served children in the region with the ambitious goal of narrowing the academic attainment gap at Key Stage 2 and it has already proven to be making an important difference.
Indeed, early data indicates encouraging progress in literacy levels in primary school age children and improving speech and language development in pre-school age children through our Language for Life programme.
Meanwhile, David has also overseen and built on the charity’s core work to support people at a point of crisis and our community’s older adults, including through our almshouse accommodation, Good Living Service and wider initiatives to foster an age-inclusive community, in collaboration with other local organisations.
The culmination of David’s six years at the helm came earlier this year, in welcoming Queen Camilla in her capacity as Patron of St John’s Foundation in a special service held at a packed Bath Abbey in February. Catharine Brown has been appointed to the position of Interim CEO, and she is no stranger to St John’s Foundation.
She joined the charity as a trustee in 2023 and has extensive experience within the sector spanning more than 20 years. These include long-term interim Director roles at five national charities such as Young Lives vs Cancer and Bath-based charities Ripple Effect (previously Send a Cow), and Designability, where she was permanent CEO for more than four years, delivering transformational change for disabled people across the UK.
In addition to holding several interim Director roles, Catharine has also established a consultancy business working with Trustee Boards and leaders to help them achieve greater impact, making her a perfect fit to take up the interim reins. She has been living in Bath for over 20 years and is well versed with the city’s challenges, opportunities and networks.
David says:
“It is humbling to have played a part in the history of this vitally important local institution. My decision to retire at this juncture has been long in planning and with the extraordinary senior sector experience in my interim successor, Catharine, the transition of leadership couldn’t be smoother.”
Catharine says:
“I am delighted to step into the Interim CEO role at St John’s Foundation and play my part in guiding this important charity as we move into the second half of our strategy. My time as a Trustee to date has allowed me to build up a detailed knowledge of St John’s work and the many stakeholders involved.”
This is an important and equally exciting time for everyone here at St John’s Foundation. Our commitment has and will always be centred on improving the lives of the communities we serve. As we start the next stage of our 10-year plan, we are extremely grateful for David’s significant contribution leading to this point and very much look forward to working with Catharine in this new chapter.
