Case Study: Burkitt Homes, King’s Lynn

The Board of Trustees of Burkitt Homes Almshouses in King’s Lynn have just finished their latest significant project of ongoing refurbishment and improvements to the original 12 apartments.

Originally built in 1909, Burkitt Homes is a traditional quadrangle build in red brick under clay plain tiled roofs providing what were originally 12 bedsit type homes with central castellated entrance tower, board room, separate wash house and, by the standards of the day, modern external bath houses (removed many years ago). The buildings were clearly of a high quality specification in their day and weathered well over the years.

About ten years ago, the trustees of the charity agreed that the homes were due a significant internal upgrade and renovation to bring them up to modern standards. It was essential in order to find new residents as very old and long standing occupants passed on. At the same time, it was decided to combine the smallest apartments into neighbouring units to create the option of units with separate living rooms and bedroom. It was not necessary to combine all the units as the prime location of the almshouses, right in the historic heart of one thousand year old Kings Lynn – a former Hanseatic League port town – has meant that, once refurbished, these ones are in high demand from new residents when a vacancy occurs.

This case study concentrates on homes 11 & 12; the combining of these two smaller units that were both in immediate need of complete internal renovation in order to make them suitable for occupation.

BEFORE

The trustees used their previous experience to design the combination of two units and add improvements. Rewiring was carried out, all new kitchen fitted, new shower room with sealed wet floor and all new sanitary fittings. There had been previous alterations and basic additions in about the 1970s and these were reversed. Internal floor levels were all re-levelled to remove trip hazards. Complete internal redecoration was carried out which, along with new lighting provision, vastly brightened the accommodation. The Trust’s policy is to provide carpets and curtains for a new ingoing resident.

and AFTER…

The new apartment provides accommodation of entrance hall, utility room with plumbing for washing machine and a drier, living room with dual aspects to Queen Street and the internal lawned quad, double bedroom with large store area (created from the former second entrance hall), rear lobby with cupboard, large shower room, and rear hall with a separate WC and entrance door to an enclosed courtyard. The shower room, separate WC and utility room have had wet wall board applied to the walls for easy maintenance and insulation, and the kitchen and other ancillary rooms (except the living room and bedroom) had lowered false ceilings put in to improve insulative qualities. Secondary glazing is due to be fitted.

Following the completion of the works the new, enlarged apartment was advertised seeking a resident with a connection to or from King’s Lynn, over the age of 55 and “in need”. Within a short while a new resident was appointed and is now happily ensconced.

The trustees are grateful to The Almshouse Association for their assistance in providing an interest free loan of £65,000 that has gone a long way in covering the up-front capital costs of this job. They are now embarking on another refurbishment!

Sent in by Tim Landles – Chairman of the Burkitt Homes Board of Trustees.

The Association is looking forward to seeing the impressive results from their next project!
Well done to everyone involved !

Posted March 2023

Case Study: Jarvis Eleemosynary Almshouses

The 12 almshouses at Staunton On Wye, Herefordshire, were built in 1858/9, with money left by George Jarvis (1704-1793).

George Jarvis was born in 1704 at The Green, a farmstead in Staunton-on-Wye, and later lived at Old Weston in Bredwardine. When he was 13 or thereabouts he decided to join his older brother in London as an apprentice currier, and he is believed to have walked there with cattle drovers. He prospered as a currier and leather cutter, and bought properties in central London and Weston Green in Surrey. 

With assistance of funding from The Almshouse Association, the almshouses at Staunton On Wye have been undergoing refurbishment works including:

  • damp proofing
  • fitting new kitchens
  • transforming the bathrooms into wet rooms
  • new flooring
  • decorating.

The Charity was able to cover some of the costs by drawing down from their investments and a £50,000 loan from The Almshouse Association.

“Thank you very much for doing the refurbishment works. It has improved my life and it is a completely different world having a new kitchen and bathroom”.

Jarvis Eleemosynary Almshouses Resident
Resident stands in his new kitchen and wetroom

posted March 2023

WORCESTER CHARITY SCORES 100 NOT OUT

Worcester Municipal Charities has created another 4 flats for the single homeless in Worcester city centre, taking the total they own to 68, which, together with their other 32 “retirement almshouses” makes it a grand total of “100 not out”.

Robin Walker, Worcester MP and Worcester Mayor Adrian Gregson, with Paul Griffith MBE, Chairman of the Charity, together with the Charity’s trustees and onlookers at “Inglethorpe Court” in the Hopmarket Yard on Friday 13 January 2023 .

Since 2012 the Charity has created 68 new “affordable” almshouse flats for the single homeless, raising the money by selling some commercial properties and then a generous grant of £200,000 from Homes England which made the whole project immediately viable.  

The four flats were created from two ancient former warehouse annexes for the old Anderson and Virgo’s Chemists shop at 12 Foregate Street. When it closed down and became the Good News Shop, the warehouses became surplus to requirements and deteriorated over the years. They were landlocked, so repairs were problematic and they were taken over by pigeons. For a short time they were used as offices by Citizens’ Advice but were no longer needed after the pandemic.

The appointed architects for the building works were Lett & Sweetland, with builders D & S Contractors. The very high quality of the conversion and fitting out was generally the subject of much admiration on the day.

Richard Inglethorpe, in whose memory the 4 flats have been named, was a wealthy benevolent brewer, who originally donated six almshouses to the Charity, now long since gone.

Inglethorpe’s will of 1618 ordained that the almshouses should be awarded to:

“six poor men of the said City being of honest life and report, and such as are either very aged, blind, lame, sick of the palsy, or falling sickness, and by reason of their age or infirmity of body, are not able to work and labour for their living, and also one poor woman, being likewise of honest life and report, and of the age of 50 years at the least, or upwards, which woman shall wash the clothes of the said six poor men, make their beds and attend upon them in all times of their sickness to help them and provide things necessary for them.”

Charity Chairman Paul Griffith commented,

“We won’t be appointing a similar handmaiden here, as I understand times have changed since then, and that some men may even make their own beds!”

WORCESTER MUNICIPAL CHARITIES (CIO) met on 25th January for their ANNUAL TRUSTEES’ MEETING 2023 and agreed to £453,170.62 in grants to “charities doing the most, for those in greatest financial need in Worcester”. To read about how the charity will be spending their money in 2023 and past projects, click here: www.almshouses.org/news/worcester-municipal-charity-awards-435170-62-in-grants

posted March 2023

More New Homes Completed

Girton Town Charity Celebrates Handover Of New Homes for local residents

A Cambridge charity is marking the completion of a £5 million building project to create 15 new energy-efficient almshouses for local residents.

Following an 18-month building programme, Girton Town Charity took ownership of Dovehouse Court, where all the homes have been built to stringent Passivhaus standards to achieve maximum energy efficiency. The development also includes a new office for the charity.

The project was funded by Girton Town Charity (GTC) and a £675,000 grant from the Combined Authority, and delivered by Barnes Construction, Northmores and Mole Architects.

The homes have been designed for extended independent living with an internal layout that includes a master bedroom and small second room, open plan living/kitchen/dining area with access to balconies or individual terraces on the ground floor. There’s also a central communal landscaped garden with seating, an orchard and allotments. 

Being built to Passivhaus standards results in low energy costs and improved indoor air quality, all made possible by installing energy-efficient windows and doors, with stricter levels of airtightness,  mechanical ventilation and heat recovery, as well as high levels of building insulation.

Ann Bonnett, Chair of GTC said:

“This is a major milestone for us and we are delighted to have now taken ownership of Dovehouse Court and after many years, seen our plans to futureproof housing in our Village come to fruition. I’d like to thank all the contractors who worked on the site for doing such a splendid job over the last 18 months as well as my fellow trustees.

“We are also very grateful to the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority which has given us a grant of £675,000 towards the cost of creating these new homes to be appreciated by residents for many years to come.”

Matthew Ramplin, Senior Contracts Manager, Barnes Construction added:

“Dovehouse Court has been a special project for us, building to Passivhaus standards to create energy-efficient almshouses that will be cost-effective to run and comfortable for residents. I’d like to thank our consultant team, our own team on-site and also GTC for giving us the opportunity to be part of its vision to expand housing provision in the Village.”

Over the next few weeks, GTC will be welcoming back residents who lived in the former bungalows on the site, as well as inviting applications from Girton residents over 55 or those who have a close connection to the Village and would like to be considered for one of the homes.

To photo, left to right:  Jamie Saunders, Director, Northmores; Matthew Ramplin, Senior Contracts Manager, Barnes Construction; Ann Bonnett, Chair, Girton Town Charity; Robin Hiley, Trustee, Girton Town Charity and Ian Bramwell, Director, Mole Architects.

 www.girtontowncharity.org.uk

posted March 2023

Award win for Wyggestons in Leicester

The last 12 months have seen major changes for Wyggestons, the charity which has been successfully providing sheltered housing, housing related support and care services for vulnerable older people in Leicester for the last 500 years.

Not only did they complete an impressive extension to their facilities, but they were also named as one of the best construction projects in Leicestershire, having won one of only seven awards given by ProCon Leicestershire awards.

Submitted by Corporate Architecture, Wyggestons were thrilled to win the award for ‘Large Residential Scheme of the Year’ at the annual award ceremony at the King Power Stadium on 10th November 2022.

‘Lancaster House’, the imposing new three-storey extension to the already established facilities, has added high quality accommodation, comprised of six bungalows and eight one and two-bedroom flats, as well as a new administration hub, conference room and community lounge.

Originally founded as an almshouse charity in 1513, Wyggestons has now improved current facilities for residents and staff, bringing them in line with modern day requirements whilst providing more housing to expand the amount of older people Wyggestons can assist, through a sustainable development. The project has enabled the charity to accommodate hundreds of residents across the almshouses and residential care facilities, set within five acres of private grounds in the Westcotes suburb, within easy reach of the city centre facilities and transport links.

Chris Jones, CEO of Wyggestons, says:

“The ProCon award really was the icing on the cake last year. We’re so proud of our new facilities and the difference they are making to our residents and visitors, and not to forget the staff too. It’s just wonderful that that project has been recognised in this way.”

Wyggestons worked with Andrew Granger and Co. whose role was to manage all the elements and liaise with the key stakeholders to bring this project to fruition, whilst working alongside local architect Corporate Architecture.

More information on Wyggestons can be found at www.wyggestons.org.uk.

Posted March 23

Digital switchover – what is it?

The Almshouse Association was delighted to welcome Mark Law, Partnership Manager at Careline365 to present a webinar on the digital switchover on 15th March 2023.

Mark went through how the change will impact charities with an alarm system in their properties, the technology available and how members can prepare.

A recording of the webinar is available via the link below:

What is the digital switchover?
Webinar recording

Click here to view

The digital switchover is happening in 2025 so the earlier you prepare for this the easier the transition will be.

16 March 2023

Government Consultation: Association response

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities consultation seeks views on revised Directions from the Secretary of State to the Regulator of Social Housing in relation to Tenant Involvement and Mutual Exchange.

The Regulator will review its consumer standards later this year, which is a key step to implementing the new regime. Ahead of this, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities will issue revised directions to the Regulator which will instruct on the contents of the standards in two areas:

  • tenant involvement and
  • mutual exchange.

The tenant involvement direction includes requiring engagement opportunities to be meaningful, giving “tenants” greater opportunity to scrutinise their “landlords’” activities and offering support so all tenants can engage with involvement activities.

The mutual exchange direction covers tenants’ right to access a service that helps them exchange their property with other social housing tenants. This has been revised to give providers more freedom in how they allow tenants to access mutual exchange services and require providers to support tenants who might otherwise be unable to use the service.

Our contacts at DLUC have urged us to comment on this consultation paper, the full details of which can be found here.

It is not easy to respond to a consultation which does not seem to fit well with the almshouse model itself, however, the overriding factor that must be conveyed is our support for the highest standards in providing warm, safe and secure homes. The Association will continue to work with the Charity Commission and the Regulator to explore how their objectives can be met in ways that are consistent with small charities delivering a very unique form of housing.

Our draft response can be downloaded here. If you have any comments on the consultation and/or our response, please email nickphillips@almshouses.org before 25th March 2023.

14 March 2023

Register of Merged Charities

The Register of Merged Charities on the Charity Commission website has just been updated on the gov.uk website.

Listed are charities that have notified the Charity Commission they have merged with or transferred their assets to another charity. The mergers register is updated monthly. To view the Register of Merged Charities, please click here.

For government guidance on how to merge or link charities, please click here. The pages also include information on when to register a merger, when to link charities, advantages of linking, limitations of linking and how to apply to link charities.

Decide whether merging is in your charity’s interests.

It could be less risky and more efficient to work with another charity more informally. More helpful guidance can be found by via the following Charity Commission links:

Charities often consider merging as an option. Other options are available including holding “linked charities”. Please contact us for guidance if you are looking into merging or linking your charities. .

Charities can merge by either:

  • one charity taking over another’s work and assets
  • forming a completely new charity to take over the work and assets of all the charities involved
  • one charity taking over the management of another charity but keeping it (temporarily or permanently) as a separate entity or brand within a group.

Mergers, or other forms of collaborative working, can make better use of charitable funds and property and provide better services for your beneficiaries. For example, if two charities in the same area are doing similar work and competing for funding, a merger may be the best way to secure funding and provide a united voice.

When thinking about a merger, you must make sure that:

  • the governing documents of the charities involved allow the merger
  • all the charities involved have similar aims
  • there are sound financial and management reasons for merging.

You will need to get permission from the Charity Commission before you merge, so an early discussion with them or us could save you a bit of time.  You always need the Charity Commission’s permission to merge two or more CIOs.

Posted 6 March 2023

P&G update: 6.3.23 – Energy Bill Relief Scheme

Latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact and/or may require action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS)currently provides a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic consumers. This includes public sector organisations, voluntary sector organisations like charities, and businesses.

The scheme came into effect on 1 October 2022 and was always intended to run until 31 March 2023.

The EBRS was designed as a temporary 6-month measure to protect non-domestic consumers from soaring energy costs, cutting the cost of power bills and providing them with the certainty they needed to plan through the acute crisis this winter.

In light of this, the significant intervention was brought in to help keep people in jobs, prevent unnecessary insolvencies and afford breathing space for businesses to identify measures that protect themselves from high energy costs.

The government has been clear that such levels of support were time-limited and intended as a bridge to allow businesses to adapt. The latest data shows wholesale gas prices have now fallen to levels that applied just before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and have almost halved since the current scheme was announced.

The new scheme therefore strikes a balance between supporting businesses over the next 12 months and limiting taxpayers’ exposure to volatile energy markets, with a cap set at £5.5 billion based on estimated volumes.

The EBDS will run for 12 months from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Eligibility for Energy Bills Discount Scheme

As with the original scheme, the new scheme will be available to everyone on a non-domestic contract including:

  • businesses
  • voluntary sector organisations, such as charities
  • public sector organisations such as schools, hospitals, and care homes

who are:

  • on existing fixed price contracts that were agreed on or after 1 December 2021
  • signing new fixed price contracts
  • on deemed / out of contract or standard variable tariffs
  • on flexible purchase or similar contracts
  • on variable ‘Day Ahead Index’ (DAI) tariffs (Northern Ireland scheme only)

The amount your bills will be reduced

As per the current scheme the government will provide a discount on your gas and electricity unit prices. Eligible non-domestic consumers will now receive a per-unit discount to their energy bills during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024, subject to a maximum discount. The relative discount will be applied if wholesale prices are above a certain price threshold. For most non-domestic energy users in Great Britain and Northern Ireland these maximum discounts have been set at:

  • electricity – £19.61 per megawatt hour (MWh) with a price threshold of £302 per MWh.
  • gas – £6.97 per MWh with a price threshold of £107 per MWh

For full details on the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, please go to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bills-discount-scheme

posted 6 March 2023

RECORD OF PREVIOUS Policy and Governance updates

Southwark Charities new almshouse project

Chris Wilson, CEO/Clerk to the trustees of Southwark Charities recently recorded a podcast about the charity’s plans to build a new almshouse development in central London with construction starting shortly.

The architect of Southwarks new development, Justin Nicholls of Fathom Architects and Chris Wilson were contacted by Christine Murray from ‘The developer’ to talk about housing for older people in the city of London. 

“Figures from the 2021 census revealed there are 2.5m people aged 50 or older living in London, while the OECD estimates that older adults comprise 15% of the population of metropolitan areas of the UK. The OECD report calls for infrastructure and urban forms to be redesigned to consider walking, affordable housing and social participation as effective measures of preventative care.“

As Christine Murray from The Developer

“We know almshouses have been in existence for over 1,000 years yet they stand the test of time. They support independent living, yet alleviate the isolation and loneliness that exist in anonymous tower blocks. They are places of sanctuary and safety where residents experience a sense of community and compassion.”

Chris Wilson, CEO/Clerk Southwark Charities

To read the article and listen to the podcast, please click in the link below:

the developer
Ageing in place: a new almshouse for London

Could a new almshouse in Blackfriars be a future model for independent, affordable living for older Londoners? Chris Wilson, CEO of Southwark Charities and Justin Nicholls, founding director of Fathom Architects share their vision.

click here

posted 1 March 2023