900th anniversary for St Mary Magdalen Hospital

St Mary Magdalen Hospital was due to celebrate its 900th anniversary in 2020 but had to postpone due to the pandemic. Trustees are hoping to be
able to reconvene festivities this year and are planning a wonderful celebratory day at Castle Park in Colchester later in the summer.

Michael Siggs is Clerk of St Mary Magdalen and a number of other charities too, so all being well, it will be an incredibly special
day for the almshouse movement.

“We are all ready to start enjoying the longer evenings and the welcome of spring. Now that everyone has had their vaccinations we are looking forward to a return to some ‘normality’ and the excuse for a party is welcomed!
Here in Colchester we have had our fill of plagues and civil wars! 2020 was to have been a celebration of ‘900 Years of Mercy’ but we had to cancel. Our jabs may give us hope that on July 17/18 we can combine our celebrations with the beginning of the end of Covid 19 as well as the 75th anniversary of The Almshouse Association.

We also lost friends and neighbours in 2020, not necessarily to Covid 19, but were not able to remember them at funerals. Perhaps we will also be able to raise a toast to their memories in the formal part of the celebrations.”
Michael Siggs, Clerk of St Mary Magdelene

APPG report on loneliness: Association comments

The CEO of The Almshouse Association welcomes the recent report published by the APPG on Loneliness.

“From our research and that of others it is clear that everyone needs a warm and safe home, but more than that they need a friend and something to do that engenders pride. Almshouses are a 1,000 year old housing model that takes neighbourliness to its heart.”
Nick Phillips, CEO The Almshouse Association

It seems from both this recent independent review and other reports that we have come to recognise loneliness as a debilitating factor. It is this aspect that was highlighted in the almshouse study undertaken by the Whiteley Foundation for Ageing Well that suggested that small scale communities can help people live longer. It seems that the forefathers of today’s almshouse movement had this in mind and although an ancient model of housing its strength is often put down to the fact that the design and spirit of almshouses encourages, promotes and enhances neighbourliness.

The almshouse movement provides homes to over 36,000 people, but more are needed as there are not enough to satisfy the high demand not just for low cost homes in the community but for the added value of small scale community run housing.

Nick Phillips goes on to say “Almshouses are built with compassion and supported with companionship. Whilst they can be considered as a small provider in the UK’s housing world that are available specifically to those in housing need, they make a vital contribution to the affordable housing stock in Britain and it is heart-warming to hear the great bonds of friendships that develop around the courtyards and gardens of Britain’s almshouses. We are working hard to ensure that more almshouses continue to be provided for those in housing need”.

Posted 25 March 21

Councils granted more freedom

Councils can provide greater support to new almshouses through Right to Buy

The Almshouse Association welcomes the Government’s announcement granting more freedom to local councils on how they spend funds raised through Right to Buy. Local councils can spend the money raised on housing which is at affordable and social rent level, something which The Almshouse Association believes should be used to help develop new, genuinely affordable almshouses.

By choosing almshouses, local councils can help contribute to national housing targets of providing 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s and also ensure that there is a permanent source of genuinely affordable housing in their community. There is growing momentum to see greater levels of truly affordable housing, particularly for groups such as key workers. We must use this momentum, and greater funding to provide a new generation of affordable homes, with almshouses at its heart.

Posted 24 March 21

Webinar recording: Working practices in almshouse charities

90 members logged in for an Almshouse Association webinar on 23rd March 21 with Ros Hammond, Director and Founder of Employment Law in Action employment issues faced by almshouse charities.

The webinar covered:

considerations for engaging employed vs self-employed individuals
the challenges in respect of working hours and ‘on call arrangements’
how to review salaries in accordance with your structure and market value.

If you were not able to attend or would like to recap on all the topics, please click in the buttons below to view a recording and powerpoint slides of the webinar.

Webinar Recording: Working Practices in almshouse charities – click here

Powerpoint Slides: Working Practices in almshouse charities – click here

Posted 23 March 21

Government guidance on pets

Almshouse Association Response to New Government Guidance on Pets

The Government recently announced a new template tenancy agreement which can be use by landlords in the private rented sector.

The new template states that private landlords cannot have a blanket ‘no pets’ policy and that they must consider allowing well behaved pets. This guidance is not applicable to almshouses as they make use of licences, not tenancy agreements, however, following discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, we have received confirmation that it is expected that almshouses would follow the spirit of the guidance and consider allowing pets on a case-by-case basis.

NOTE: It is not a requirement to allow pets in all circumstances, such as the property not being appropriate for pets, but this decision should be fair and justified.

As part of this process, members may wish to consider:

Whether your almshouse dwellings could practically accommodate a pet
The benefits which allowing a pet may bring to residents, this could be achieved by consulting with residents for their opinions
If necessary, updating your Letter of Appointment and Resident Handbooks to include clear guidance on pets
If your charity does choose to allow residents to keep pets, we would recommend having a policy in place which requires residents to have plans in place (e.g. a named contact person) should they no longer be able to look after their animals themselves.

Posted 23 March 2021

9 new purpose built homes set to be completed in 2021!

Thomas Parsons Square residents to benefit from move to purpose-built bungalows

Thomas Parsons’ Charity has been granted planning permission to build nine purpose-built bungalows for residents on land the charity owns on Deacons Lane in the Cathedral City of Ely in the heart of Cambridgeshire to be named ‘Chorister Court’.

The bungalows, which are set to be finished by autumn 2021, will replace the current almshouses at Thomas Parsons Square in the city and will help residents stay in the accommodation for longer.

The Thomas Parsons’ Charity almshouses at Thomas Parsons Square were built in 1884 and originally comprised of 30 units. In 1961 the Charity started to modernise the almshouses, enlarging the accommodation by amalgamating two or more units in to one.

The new bungalows have been designed so that residents can maintain their independence with step free access, convenient internal layouts and high levels of insulation. The almhouses will also come with digital and satellite TV, broadband connection and storage for electric chairs and buggies with charging points.

The decision to relocate residents was made following a long-term review by the governors of the charity, after taking advice from The Almshouse Association. They deemed that, because of its Grade II Listed status, the existing almshouses could not be adapted to help residents maintain their independence for as long as possible. The scheme will provide six one bedroom and three two bedroom single storey units with gardens.
Chorister Court is located adjacent to the Charity’s other almshouses at Bamford House and Deacons Lane Bungalows meaning that all of the Charity’s residents will be in one location, where there will be 25 units in total. This will benefit the residents who will be in a close knit community.
Thomas Parsons Square will be retained by the Charity and a decision on its future use will be made in due course.

David Brand, Chairman, of the Thomas Parsons Charity, which was founded in 1497, said:

“The governors all felt that building new almhouses that were specifically designed for older people would greatly benefit residents and the fact is we could not do that with Thomas Parsons Square, because of the constraints of the building having listed status. The residents needs are of paramount concern to the governors of Thomas Parsons Charity and we look forward to welcoming the residents to the new almhouses once they have been completed.”

Policy & Governance update – March 2021

Each month, the Association 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 Feb/Mar 21 Summary.

Charity Commission

Five-minute guides for charity trustees – The Charity Commission has published a series of five-minute guides with some basic guidance for trustees. Members may wish to refresh their understanding or distribute to new trustees:

Adult Social Care

Free PPE for unpaid carers – The Department for Health and Social Care has announced that, following a successful pilot scheme to establish the distribution method and logistics, free PPE is now being made available to “extra-resident” unpaid carers who need it. Beneficiaries who receive care from family members or similar may be eligible.

Energy and Environment

Energy price cap to increase in April – Ofgem has announced that, that from 1 April 2021, the price cap will return to pre-pandemic levels, principally as a result of changes in wholesale energy prices. Ofgem also notes that support is available for those struggling to pay their energy bills, especially those in vulnerable circumstances. It also states that consumers who want to avoid the increase and save money should shop around ahead of the increase in the price cap on 1 April.

Taxation

Submission of charity accounts – More than 13,000 charities missed the deadline to submit their financial documents in January, according to the Charity Commission. This is more than double the number which missed the deadline last year, when around 6,000 were late filing. Charities with financial years ending on 31 March – a large chunk of the sector – needed to file their accounts and annual return with the Commission by 31 January. The regulator received accounts on time from 35,689 charities. It will be following up with the 13,093 charities that have not met the deadline. Members should reach out to The Almshouse Association if they are in need of support.

Coronavirus

You can find all our Coronavirus updates here

Posted 8 Mar 21

Asymptomatic testing for Covid-19

The Government is currently expanding the provision of asymptomatic testing to help identify and isolate positive cases of Covid-19 among those who need to leave home to go to work.

There are currently two routes to testing available:

Workplace Testing

Workplace testing is provided by employers (with more than 50 employees) to their staff in both the private and public sectors. This is unlikely to be an option for the vast majority of almshouse charities given their size. If , however, you do employ 50 or more staff and would be interested in offering workplace testing, you can register your interest at:
www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests.

You will then be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and invited to a webinar to find out more information and decide whether to take part. Testing would be delivered by sites at the workplace.

Community Testing

Local authorities are delivering community testing via asymptomatic testing sites for those who need to leave their homes to go to work but are not offered testing by their employer. This is likely to include almshouse charities, particularly those that employ resident wardens who continue to work on site. If you charity wishes to use community testing, you should direct your employees to the DHSC postcode checker available at:
www.gov.uk/find-covid-19-lateral-flow-test-site.

Further Information

If you are a small charity with fewer than 50 employees and would like to know how to access testing for asymptomatic cases in your community, please contact CommunityTesting.CentralOps@dhsc.gov.uk.

If your charity has more than 50 employees and you have questions relating to workplace testing, please email p-and-psector@dhsc.gov.uk.

For more general queries about how these options for testing might work your charity, please contact MHCLGTestingEnquiries@communities.gov.uk.

Posted 8 March 21

CEO guest speaker at webinar event

On Thursday 11 March, Almshouse Association CEO Nick Phillips will be taking part in Aberdeen Standard’s Charity Matters virtual event together with legal expert Gordon Reid, Partner at Moore Barlow.

During this webinar, the panel will be discussing a future vision for almshouses in the 21st Century and current legal/governance issues.

Almshouse charities are not the only organisations facing the twin challenges of being shaped by a long history whilst also looking to be ready to address the challenges of today, so it is expected that other heritage bodies will find the webinar of great interest, making for a captivating and useful live Q&A session.

If you would like to register for the webinar, please click in the link below

Click here to register

Posted 2 Mar 21

Webinar Recording: Trustee Roles and Responsibilities

Almshouse Association panel member Geoff Trobridge from Lester Aldridge LLP, hosted a webinar on behalf of The Almshouse Association on the topic of Trustee roles and responsibilities on 25th February 2021.

85 members signed up for this popular webinar which covered: