The Foord Almshouses in Priestfields, Rochester held their Almshouse Association 75th Anniversary Garden Party on a beautiful September day in their stunning grounds.
Deputy Mayor and June Bone Delicious food, special guests and a band ensured everyone enjoyed all getting together for the first time in a long time for their special day.
Clerk Joanne Guise sent in a lovely letter to the Association after the event, together with photos taken on the day.
The sunshine shone all day upon the 70 plus residents & guests who attended including the Deputy Mayor of Medway Councillor Kirstine Carr & her consort Mr Tony Setter.
A wonderful fun afternoon was had by all.
Happy Anniversary and thank you for all your ongoing support.
Joanne Guise
Thank you to everyone at The Foords Almshouses for joining in our celebrations and sending in your fabulous photos!
Foord Almshouses staff
Tiverton Almshouse Trust has been supporting older people in Tiverton with quality homes and friendly warden support for many years and can traces its history back in Tiverton to 560 years ago.
Pic by Mark Passmore photography After such a difficult 18 months with the pandemic, it was good to have a great reason to celebrate. There were events held at each of their two main almshouse community sites in Tiverton to mark the 75th Anniversary of the formation of The Almshouse Association.
Residents were treated to a buffet, drinks and a celebratory cake at each event which was cut by the residents who had lived at each almshouse site the longest helped by John Pulford, Chair of the Charity.
Pic by Mark Passmore photography Everyone was entertained by one of Tiverton’s own residents, Stan, who delivered some wonderful musical entertainment with tunes from yesteryear.
Doreen Woodward, Chief Executive of Tiverton Almshouse said
“The Residents, Directors and Staff felt this coming together was long overdue and it lifted everyone’s spirits, we were fortunate that the weather was warm and sunny which was an added bonus for all.”
Pic by Mark Passmore photography/ www.markpassmore.com.
The 75th birthday celebrations at Greenway Gardens part of the Tiverton Almshouses
Almshouse Association Trustee Tricia Scouller sent us in some great photos of the party held at the Thomas Christie Almshouses in Bedford at the end of August.
Residents, trustees and staff joined in our 75th celebrations and those of almshouse charities all over the country.
It was a day to get on the party clothes and blow away the cobwebs of the last 18 months!
There was lots to catch up on and it looks like everyone enjoyed a wonderful garden party with a delicious afternoon tea and plenty of smiles!
History of the Thomas Christie Almshouse Charity
Thomas Christie was a seventeenth century Bedford lawyer. Not an especially wealthy man, but he cared about the needs of his community and used his money to provide enduring benefits for Bedford.
As part of this year’s Charity Fraud Awareness Week, The Almshouse Association is reminding members of the importance of protecting their charities against fraud and cybercrime.
Trustees can take measures such as appointing a suitable person to champion counter-fraud work throughout the charity, performing stringent checks and due diligence, and assessing each year how well fraud controls are working, what new risks there may be and what improvements are needed.
Further information on Charity Fraud Awareness Week can be found here https://preventcharityfraud.org.uk/
Additional resources are provided by the Charity Commission https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protect-your-charity-from-fraud
And the National Cyber Security Centre also has a small charity guide https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/charity
Posted 21 October 21
Christmas Fund now open !
Christmas is once again almost upon us and we are very happy to be able to announce that requests for Christmas vouchers for almshouse residents are now being taken.
As many of you are aware, every year at the bequest of a late benefactor, The Almshouse Association is able to offer Christmas vouchers to almshouse residents of member charities who are (or will be) 90 years old or older on the 25th December 2021.
Member charities will need to apply for Christmas vouchers by completing and sending in our Christmas Fund application form .
Please be aware that the closing date for applications is 12th November 2021 and because the fund is limited, vouchers will be issued on a first come, first served basis*.
*We politely request that if your charity is able to afford a small gift to your residents that you do not apply .
The Almshouse Association Christmas Fund derives its origin from a generous legacy left to the Association over 70 years ago by Major Allnatt, a successful businessman and philanthropist who worked closely with and supported our founding General Secretary, Leonard Hackett. It was important to Major Allnatt that his gift remained a secret until his death, many years ago now, but his legacy lives on in the form of a gift to every almshouse resident over 90 every Christmas .
Posted 20th October 2021
(Above photo: Member Services Officer Susan Brooks Christmas 2020 posting Christmas gifts)
The Almshouse Association Statement on Rising Energy Costs Members of The Almshouse Association have been in touch to ask what support might be in place for charities who are facing significant increases in the cost of energy. Many are concerned about the impact this may have on WMCs and how this may affect residents.
Unfortunately, almshouses, and charities generally, do not benefit from any special rates when it comes to energy. We would normally advise members to switch providers for a cheaper deal, but currently it is extremely unlikely that switching would achieve a lower tariff.
The appropriate time to review costs is at your annual WMC uplift date.
The Association would currently advise that members evaluate the financial position, the current WMC and their residents’ ability to pay without hardship. This should help you decide. The guidance from various sources is that costs will remain high and may climb higher.
What are our options to balance the books?
These might include adjusting WMCs if there is capacity to do so without causing financial hardship, or potentially exploring using charity funds to subsidise the increase in the short term. Trustees should decide what is the most appropriate solution for their individual circumstances. It would be advisable to discuss your circumstances with your energy provider to see whether additional support may be available to the charity or residents.
The Association is looking to work with the Government to call for charities to receive safeguards from future price fluctuations.
Posted 18 October 21
The Almshouse Association regularly posts a news summary of the latest Policy and Governance legislation that could impact / requires action from our member charities, with links to further information where applicable. Please find below our latest summary :
Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Almshouse Association has advised its members to follow this guidance throughout the pandemic when considering Setting Aside an appointment. Members in England can now return to pre-pandemic procedures.
Charity Commission
Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2021 – The Charity Commission has announced that Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2021 will take place the week commencing 18 October 2021. The purpose of the week is to raise awareness of fraud and cybercrime affecting the sector and to create a safe space for charities and their supporters to talk about fraud and share good practice. Wales
Six-month notice periods extended until end of 2021 – The Welsh government has announced that six-month notice periods will remain in place until at least the end of December as part of COVID-related protections.here .Previous Policy and Governance updates: Policy & Governance: 31.08.21 update | (almshouses.org) Policy & Governance update: 16.08.21 | (almshouses.org) Policy & Governance: 02.08.21 update – 2 August 2021 Summary Policy & Governance update – 19 July 21 Summary Policy & Governance update: 5 July 21 Policy and Governance update – June 2021 Summary Policy and Governance update – May 2021 Summary Policy and Governance update – April 2021 Summary Policy and Governance update – March 2021 Summary Policy & Governance update – February 2021 Summary Policy and Governance update – January 2021 Summary Policy & Governance update – December 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – October 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – September 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – July/August 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – June 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – May 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – Apr 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – Mar 2020 Summary Policy and Governance – Feb 2020 Summary Policy and Governance –Jan 2020 Summary
Posted 15 October 21
The Sir Josiah Mason Trust sent us in some absolutely fabulous photographs of the parties they held as part of the Association 75th anniversary year.
Residents at Mason Cottages Over a two week period, they invited residents from their three main sites, Mason Cottages, Mason House and Mason Court to join in the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of The Almshouse Association.
Residents and staff were all treated to a delicious afternoon tea and live entertainment.
Residents listening to Ruby Ann Sing at Mason House 2021 Chief Executive David Healey Mason House residents 2021 Residents at Mason Court being served by the Housing Manager Debbie Westwood. In the background David Healey and Akram Shan the Wellbeing Support officer 2021 Chief Executive of the Trust, David Healey (seen above) said
“This was a much needed an long overdue opportunity for residents across our 3 main sites to come together with each other and staff and enjoy afternoon Tea and Live entertainment.”
Thank you to everyone at Sir Josiah Mason Trust almshouses for joining in our celebrations and for sending in these fabulous photos. It looks like you all had a really great time!
More photos can be viewed on the charity’s website here
[top photo: Sir Josiah Mason Trust – Residents dancing at Mason Cottages 2021]
2021 ALMSHOUSE ASSOCIATION AWARDS ARE NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES! We are delighted to announce the opening of our 2021 Almshouse Association Awards!
* Has your charity completed a major refurbishment or new build project during 2021? *
If so, we want to hear from you and are very pleased to invite entries for…..
Please click here for details of our submission format, tips and design guidance, Patron’s Award design brief and information about previous award recipients.
Please send your submissions to admin@almshouses.org
The deadline for entries is Friday 14th January 2022
Inside Housing has recently published an indepth article on almshouses and how we are experiencing a groundswell of interest in almshouse development .
Almshouse Association CEO Nick Phillips was interviewed for the piece together with a number of other leading figures in the almshouse and building sectors, including Dr Alison Pooley and Anne Taylor, chief executive of Thorngate Churcher Trust.
“Almshouses: a few, often centuries-old homes dotted around the country. Blink and you might miss them. Or will you? The numbers may be small: 30,000 almshouses across England and Wales provide low-cost housing for around 36,000 people who are mainly, but not exclusively, older. Yet in recent years, these charity-owned homes, the oldest dating from the 10th century, have been steadily growing in number .Records are patchy, says Nick Phillips, chief executive of umbrella organisation The Almshouse Association, but he estimates that almshouse charities are today building between 700 and 800 new homes a year, up from just a few hundred annually 20 years ago. He wants to sustain that momentum. “We would like to support almshouses to build another 5,000 between now and 2030,” he says. So what is behind the trend, how are today’s new almshouses taking shape – and being paid for – and are they offering something that other affordable housing providers do not?” INSIGHT 13.10.21 BY CAROLINE THORPE
To read the article in full, please click here please click here
Posted 13 October 21