The Taunton Heritage Trust is an almshouse charity based in Taunton, Somerset. We provide 66 almshouse flats in the town for the over 60s in financial need. All our flats are adapted with the older person in mind and have walk-in showers and a 24-hour care alarm system. We also provide live-in Warden support.
[above photo: Grays Almshouse, a Grade I listed building dating back to 1635s | All photo credits: Taunton Heritage Trust]
Each of our sites has the benefit of a community room for the use of residents as well as communal laundries with washers and dryers provided and maintained by the Trust. We ensure our flats and communal gardens are maintained to a very high standard and provide all flooring and white goods in each flat. We also have guest suites so that our Residents’ friends and relatives are able to visit and stay over at minimal cost.
Each site is a special community in its own right. We have two very experienced wardens whose role is that of “good neighbour”. They visit our residents on a daily basis and are able to tailor their visits should a resident need some extra support. If for example, a resident has recently been unwell, had a fall or come home from a spell in hospital, our wardens are able to keep an extra special eye on that individual to ensure they are fully supported.
HUISH HOMES, a Grade II listed building built in 1868 Our wardens organise a range of events and activities for the benefit of our residents and this includes regular coffee mornings, film afternoons, fish & chip suppers, race nights, charity fund raisers etc.
ST JAMES CLOSE, built in 1845 We never put our residents under any pressure to get involved, and some are very private individuals who like to keep themselves to themselves. We completely respect that fact but we work hard to ensure that our residents are never socially isolated and always have a friendly face to turn to if they have a problem.
LEYCROFT CLOSE, built in 1931
The Trust has a fascinating document put together by the Arts Society on the Chapel at Grays Almshouses
click here to view
Due to the very special nature of what we offer at the Taunton Heritage Trust, there is no doubt that some of our residents are able to live independently within our schemes for longer than if they were living elsewhere in the town on your average street.
Some of our residents are well into their nineties, and because of the sheltered nature of what the Trust provides, are able to still live with dignity and a great quality of life, behind their own front door, in the knowledge that help is always on hand.
As well as the support that our wardens provide, our residents look out for each other and there is a real sense of belonging and caring.
The following are some special case studies regarding residents, that have been prepared by our wardens. It is so apparent that our wardens develop a very special relationship with their residents:
“This gentleman joined us in December a couple of years ago. He had lived in his own mobile home on a site for over 25 years, but on return from hospital, he realised that his home was no longer fit to live in, as it had deteriorated so badly. It was also unsaleable.
“This gentleman joined the Trust in back in 2011, having suffered a massive stroke and that left him with a severe right-side weakness.
On his discharge from hospital, his wife refused him access to his home (which was in her name only) and so he was declared “homeless “by the Local Authority. They offered him upstairs single room accommodation at a local hotel, which he accepted. He applied to the Trust for a ground floor flat, being totally independent with his personal care, finance and mobility, and was successful, He remains with us today, living completely independently but enjoying the benefits of 24 hour support through the warden’s visits and the helpline. There is no doubt that he is extremely happy.”
“Resident M was 61-years-old when she came to the Trust and has been with us for 27 years. She was divorced from her husband before moving to Taunton to be closer to family and friends. In her younger days she worked as a supervisor at Woolworths.
M was given the choice of two vacant flats at the time and she decided to have the smaller one which is our only flat that is still a bedsit with the bedroom and living room together; this was ideal for her as it is in a private location overlooking our lovely gardens.
M is a very quiet, solitary lady and lives a very independent life, but she is one of our characters. She has a very quiet presence yet participates in every event within the community, even if she insists that she ‘can’t be bothered with it’! Our warden usually sets the bait with a homemade cake or something tasty and lo and behold she will always turn up and usually is the first to arrive! She is encouraged to join in as her life is quite lonely, however, this is the way she likes to live. She has a poor relationship with her family who have only recently become more supportive since M has been diagnosed with dementia.
At present her mental health is deteriorating but she has surprised us all by accepting help with a carer coming in once a day to prepare lunch and assist with small chores or do shopping. We hope that with the support that we are able to provide, that M will continue to stay with us as long as possible.”
“Resident D has been with us for a year. He is a former homeless man and he is slowly adjusting to a more comfortable life in Trust accommodation. He had been sleeping in an old camper van for over two years and was accessing facilities at a local homeless charity. He was referred to us by a support worker from the homeless charity, initially bringing him along to an Open Morning. D was very distrustful and both the support worker and members of the Trust staff had to work quite hard to persuade D to take up our offer of a flat.
D is a single man and gave up his business so that he could care for his elderly parents who have now both died. He settled in to his flat well, although he still displays traits of having an unconventional lifestyle! D is a quirky character with a great sense of humour, and he mixes well within our community. He has been offered help with furniture etc, but he prefers to sleep on a camp bed and use only a camping chair. The Trust has been able to provide him with a stable home in a safe environment and he has built up a good level of Trust with his warden and close neighbours.”
Mr M is a 68-year-old man who had been living with his partner of 37 years, unfortunately the relationship broke down and his partner had terminated the lease on their rented property giving him a fortnight to find other accommodation. He was working part time as a chef but did not have any savings and was not at that time of pensionable age. He came to the Trust for help on 1st of October in desperate need and very low in mood, fortunately we did have a vacant flat available, but it needed some refurbishment, we basically moved heaven and earth to get the flat ready and Mr M moved in on the 14th of October.
He moved in without a stick of furniture, not even a kettle, we therefore issued him a grant where he was then able to purchase essentials.
Mr M has now been with us for three years and is a model Resident and extremely proud of his flat, he is truly a different man now than he was when we first met. He puts his cheffing skills to good use, often doing barbeques on our event evenings, he is also now in receipt of his state pension, so financially is in a much better position and a very happy man! In a recent conversation I have had with him, he said that moving into his almshouse flat has been the best thing to happen to him, as he is now worry free and no longer in the dark place he was once in.”
Resident D is a 78-year-old widow and arrived in this country from Australia in 2018 courtesy of the Office for Migration. All three of her children are in Australia and whilst living there with her daughter, she tried to get a permanent resident visa so she could be granted state benefits but was unsuccessful. She was staying in temporary accommodation at the time and was referred to the Trust by a local Housing Officer. Being in a community and having the security of living within the Trust appealed to her.
The Almshouse Association is thankful to Taunton Heritage Trust, to the wardens and the residents for sharing their stories with us. If you would like to find out more about the Trust, please visit their website here .
posted June 2023