Colin, resident, Shepton Mallet Almshouses

Back in 2015, Shepton Mallet Almshouse trustees were midway through a comprehensive refurbishment of their mainly listed almshouses and at the time,  their historic “Breadroom” which was  serving as office space was also in dire need of attention.

After discussions, it was agreed that this facility would serve a much better purpose  if it was relinquished and turned into a much needed 12^th almshouse, much of which would be funded through a very timely grant from the Quaker Housing Trust.

The charity’s area of benefice includes a number of small villages and it was apparent from applicants (for almshouse residency) that they felt very isolated and abandoned because facilities were almost non-existent and there was an acute lack of public transport.

The Charity’s Ex-Officio got to hear about Colin, a retired soldier who rented in one of the villages who did not drive and had to catch two buses a day to get into the nearest town.

Furthermore his nearest neighbour had found that she was no longer able to cope and had taken her own life, leading Colin to feel depressed and alone.

When interviewed for the new almshouse, he emerged as the person in most need and it was decided to offer him a place.

Colin soon settled in, moved in his “library” (he has a great many books) and relishes his access to the town and particularly that he is now more easily able to see his daughter and support the Somerset and England cricket teams as an avid supporter.

Physically he probably lives just 5 miles from where he did but in reality he has moved a million miles.

He said to the trustees,

“Coming to live in an almshouse has changed my life”

Jeff Curtis of Shepton Mallet United Charities responded

“ this is why our trustees do what they do, to know that gives us immense satisfaction and our lives are irredeemably better for it.”

If you are an almshouse resident or family/friend of a resident, or a trustee and you would like us to tell your almshouse story, please get in touch by emailing karenmorris@almshouses.org

[top photos: LEFT Christmas party with almshouse residents; CENTRE Colin (left) with Treasurer Graham Cockill; RIGHT trustees and residents of Shepton Mallet United Charities]

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Clerk to the trustees- Lynda Clarke-Jones

Lynda Clarke-Jones has been a part of the almshouse movement for many years. She was initially employed in 1994 as the Parish Council Clerk for Littleport, helping out with minute taking, agenda writing and handling a daily stream of enquiries that came in to the office. When her predecessor retired in 1998, Lynda was offered the role of Clerk and eagerly accepted.

She enjoyed the busy office environment and liked interacting with people in her local community. She held these two roles until 2018, when she retired. After retiring, she continued to support her local almshouse charity as Clerk to the Trustees and her office is now situated on-site at 5 Victoria Street. Lynda also supports an additional small almshouse charity called William Marshalls Charity, Welney. 

Littleport Town Lands Charity has 28 almshouse units on 4 sites located around the picturesque village of Littleport, with, currently 34 residents.

Lynda says, “I knew very little about almshouses until I became involved with the council and the Littleport Town Lands Charity, who run the almshouses here.  However, by the time I took over as Clerk, I got to know the residents really well. It helps being in close proximity to the almshouses as it’s easy for residents to contact me. They pop in and say hello or give me a call. I am restricted at the moment from visiting them, due to Covid-19, so we spend a lot of time on the phone!

Our charity supports the elderly and also the educational needs for the under 25’s. We give annual grants to two local primary schools, university students, apprentices and any eligible requests which fall within our remit. The grants are funded by income derived from letting our agricultural holdings. We also support requests from social services, Poss+Ability  and AGE UK, in the ancient parish of Littleport.

I really enjoy being part of this community and supporting the needs of our wonderful residents. The job is incredibly fulfilling and you really feel like you are making a difference to local people and the needs of the local community.”

Currently, Lynda’s office is just across the road from her own home, which means she can keep a caring eye open for any issues or difficulties that may arise. The charity also has a dedicated mobile phone number for resident to call in an emergency. When Lynda goes on holiday or has a weekend away, the Chairman of the Trustees monitors everything to ensure all the residents are safe and happy. He has access to the mobile phone so residents still feel they can contact someone if they are in need.

Lynda’s role includes budget management, paying bills and ensuring contributions are paid on a regular basis. She also manages the daily running of the office, as well as maintaining the waiting list for almshouse residents. Her hours are flexible and usually coincide with the daily delivery of post.

Being a locally based charity, the local community often connect with the Trustees. This means the Trustees have local accountability in how they run the charity.  Lynda is also kept up to date with any queries or issues that she may not have heard about via the residents.  Outside agencies including Occupational Therapy Services and the local Medical Centre are both aware of the almshouses in Littleport and often seek information on the application process, for those in need.

All the residents know where to find Lynda, which is really helpful for them. It gives them a sense of security and they know there is someone available to help them, if they need anything. This doesn’t impact on their independence though. The residents are able to live independently, but also know they have people to contact, if necessary.

Lynda comments: “out of hours, the residents only usually contact me if there is a real emergency; I am always on hand to help them if they need any support and feel honoured that the residents hold me and the Trustees in high regard. This is incredibly heart-warming.”

The maintenance of the almshouses is a priority for the charity and any reported problems such as leaking taps, toilets, electrical issues and any small building works are usually carried out very quickly. 

Lynda remarks:  “luckily a band of local tradesmen are on hand within a day to fix any problems. It’s a great sense of community spirit and the almshouses have contributed to local people collaborating.

Our residents know they are in affordable, warm accommodation (some have never had central heating), surrounded by others in prime locations, near to local conveniences and family.  The sense of camaraderie is lovely. The residents look out for each other helping the less able with grass cutting, shopping, etc.

It’s been a wonderful experience getting to know the residents and their families and helping those less fortunate than myself.”

Lynda’s special memories include a time when she arranged to drive a couple to view a vacant almshouse bungalow. They put on their ‘Sunday best’ for the viewing and were enthralled by the facilities offered, such as a fitted kitchen with work surfaces.  They moved in and were delighted with their almshouse. Very sadly the wife was in poor health and passed away a year later. Her husband, every year, on the anniversary of his wife’s passing, and until he passed away, gave Lynda a tomato plant from his greenhouse.

The Littleport Town Lands Charity has a special relationship with The Almshouse Association. The Almshouse Association granted the member charity a loan to build a new pair of bungalows on a site where a single bungalow once stood. (see before and after photo above)

Lynda notes, “the support and knowledge we have gained from The Almshouse Association, has been really helpful to us, and we were so pleased to be able to provide two new bungalows on the existing site, thus helping another local person in need.”

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Clerk to the Trustees – Eric Williams

70 year old Eric Williams lives in Ludlow Shropshire. He is married and has three children and six grandchildren.

He worked in local government for 42 years, spending 34 years with the former South Shropshire District Council where he headed up the Information Technology department, before retiring in 2009. He has been a parish clerk for 43 years, and is currently clerk to Craven Arms Town Council and three other parish councils. He has also been a clerk to four almshouse charities for a combined total of  37 Years!

Eris has always enjoyed being involved with the local community and since retirement has also been chair of Westfields Special School in Leominster and treasurer to a charitable organisation called Empathy for Special Children.

In 1983 he was asked to take on the role as clerk of the trustees to Sir Job Charlton Hospital Charity. On accepting the position of clerk to the trustees he had no experience about almshouse charities so quickly educated himself by contacting The Almshouse Association for help and advice.  After reading the charities charter and reading the previous minutes, as well as understanding the financial records and working with the chairman of the charity, he soon familiarised himself of the responsibilities of a clerk and the almshouse charity itself.

One of the first changes Eric suggested to the trustees was that he personally collected and banked the weekly contributions from residents, as opposed to paying an agency to do this. Two benefits materialised from this approach; it saved the trust money and it resulted in Eric really getting to know the residents through his weekly visits. This proved to be one of the most satisfying and enjoyable roles of his work.

Eric is proud to be clerk of the trustees to four almshouse charities:

• Sir Job Charlton Hospital Charity
• Hosyer-Foxe Charity
• Elizabeth Massey Almshouses
• Louisa Powell Almshouses

Almshouse charities can have different beneficiary groups, which are derived from the wishes of the benefactor and stated in the ‘Objects’ of the charity in the Governing Document (Scheme).  Regarding the charities that Eric works for, all support the elderly.

As clerk to the trustees, Eric is responsible for the administration, financial management and the management and implementation of all improvements and repairs to the dwellings.

During his regular visits to see the residents, he takes an interest in their welfare and loves to have a chat with them and catch up on all their news. This is the part of his role that he really enjoys and from which he has derived a great deal of pleasure.

He has also been fortunate to have worked with dedicated chairpersons and trustees; some of whom have been involved in the charities for the same length of time as Eric has and have now become life-long friends. Mutual values and a passion for almshouses have provided enduring relationships.

Due to Eric’s involvement in local government, he has been engaged with many areas of the local community, enabling him to gain an understanding of housing, planning, finance, welfare benefits, grants and working with other stakeholders such as social services, Citizens Advice Bureau, The Almshouse Association, housing associations and various other central and local government services, all of which have been a benefit in his work as a clerk to the trustees.

His daily/weekly/monthly work varies from visiting and resolving issues raised by residents, repair and maintenance activities, to health and safety issues, letting of vacant almshouses, administration of the charities and discussions with the chairpersons and scheduled meetings with the trustees. Eric comments,

“My wife Ann says that to the residents “I am open all hours” if she wants to get anything done, she just adds it to my almshouse list and includes herself as a resident!”

With the Hosyers-Foxe Charity, help is provided with Independent living and for many years there was a residential warden at the Hosyers Almshouses although the role does not cover health provision for residents. The last resident warden was the late Mrs Marion Morgan who also looked after the front garden which brought pleasure to all the residents and passers-by and for which she regularly won an annual award from’ Ludlow In Bloom’ for the floral displays. In Marion’s memory the residents now look after the garden and have continued the success in obtaining an annual award.

Hosyers-Foxe almshouses now have a facilities manager appointed who has experience of Health and Safety, providing independent housing support and working with other support services/stakeholders. Eric mentions that the three other charities also utilise the skills of the facilities manager in a similar role, enabling Eric to step back from the daily routines and concentrate on the more strategic/policy issues. 

Eric has been fortunate enough to have built a team of reliable contractors to deal with gardening, cleaning, maintenance and repairs of the buildings as they occur and has established good maintenance contracts as part of his role for items such as boilers, gas and electrical appliances, lift, fire alarms etc. Residents and colleagues alike know Eric as

‘the man who always knows someone who can mend it!’

What motivates Eric the most is working for the welfare and benefit of residents, some of whom have been at the almshouses for a long-time. He also appreciates the close relationships he has with trustees, colleagues, the contractors and finally the historic buildings themselves, situated in such a beautiful town.

“It has become more of a hobby rather than a job!” he says joyfully. “Some of the key benefits that our almshouses offer are the continued opportunity for residents to live independently but also have a community around them if needed. There is a real ‘community spirit’ here and everyone looks out for one another. This is special. Almshouses also provide that independent living for a relatively low weekly financial contribution. This enables our residents to live in an environment that is supportive and helps their general wellbeing.”

The two main challenges for the trustees of the four charities that Eric is involved with are:

• Attracting new trustees – this is partly being overcome with some trustees sitting on each board of the four charities.

• Ensuring that the properties are well maintained and that there are sufficient long-term funds available for the trustees to work with.

Eric says of The Almshouse Association,

“The Association has always been there in the background, providing solid advice. They have visited on occasion too, to support us when in need. The guidance manuals for support and care for residents and Standards of Almshouse Management are my valued reference documents and I also enjoy reading the almshouse magazine, the Gazette, which is really informative and provides details of other almshouse charities. It’s good to feel part of something bigger.”

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Hilary Livingstone has been a trustee of the Eleanor Hirst Trust since 2016.

Hilary was born and brought up in Huddersfield. She is a retired civil servant, having worked at several government departments starting at the Department of Employment, now the Department of Work and Pensions, where she was a Benefit Office Manager working all over West Yorkshire.

After five years she joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office latterly dealing with administration of Embassies/High Commissions in South Asia and Afghanistan.

Hilary moved down to live in Buckinghamshire where she was employed by Buckinghamshire County Council Social Services as their Court of Protection Receiver managing the Receivership Department dealing with clients who, because of mental incapacity, were unable to look after their own financial affairs. These clients were often victims of financial abuse, so Hilary worked closely with local police and solicitors.

After a varied and successful career, Hilary retired to Wilshaw with her husband, Ian, in 2011.

Becoming a trustee for the Eleanor Hirst Trust has been a fulfilling role. Hilary was aware of the historical significance of almshouses prior to joining the Trust and felt compelled to get involved in such a community led housing model that supports local people in housing need.

The Eleanor Hirst Trust owns six Grade II listed almshouses in the village of Wilshaw, West Yorkshire. At present there are 10 residents in six two bedroomed almshouses.

The almshouses are dated 1871, by John Kirk of Huddersfield, for Eleanor Hirst of Wilshaw. They are built in beautiful hammer dressed stone with pitched slate roofs with gable copings and barge boards, and tall stone stacks to each gable. They are all two storeys.

At the first floor level there is a central round arched plaque inscribed:

“A.D. 1871. These almshouses were erected by Eleanor Hirst the beloved wife of Joseph Hirst of this place, in loving remembrance of Mary, their deeply lamented and only child whose love and sympathy for the poor when living. These houses are intended for the aged and destitute a fitting memorial to an affectionate daughter who was always ready to add comfort to those in want and declining years.”

Hilary mentions that she was asked by a previous trustee, who was retiring, to join the board and she felt it was such a compelling and worthwhile cause that she couldn’t say no!

The almshouses that Hilary supports are for the poor and elderly of the local area. This criteria was defined in the Will of Eleanor Hirst.
As a trustee Hilary works closely with the chair to enable the smooth running of matters relating to the almshouses. Usually this involves maintenance and day to day running of the almshouses as well as making sure the residents have whatever they need. Hilary comments,

“I have close contact with the residents, which is lovely. They ring when they have a problem which we address as soon as we can.”

From a pastoral side the trustees are always informed if anyone goes into hospital or has health issues etc. Hilary continues,

“We always make sure there is a bunch of flowers from the trustees in times of trouble, which is appreciated. It’s the personal touch that I love about being a trustee of an almshouse charity. You get to know the residents and hear all their fascinating stories and histories. ”

The challenges that the trustees face are making sure repairs etc., to the almshouses are carried out in a timely manner to alleviate any concern and worry for the residents. This is a priority.

Hilary mentions that her motivation for being a trustee is making sure the residents are happy and identifies the key benefits of almshouse living as having a community spirit that is integral to the health of residents. She comments,

“Some of the residents have been with us for many years. They say they enjoy the social discourse ‘up the avenue’ and are very happy in their little community.”

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