The Hospital of St John the Evangelist and of St Anne in Okeham is believed to be the oldest charity in the county of Rutland, having been established for the provision of almshouse accommodation in 1399.
The story of the charity begins with its foundation by William Dalby in 1399, by virtue of a Licence granted by King Richard II. The original intention was that the hospital should have two chaplains, and should provide accommodation for twelve poor men.
The property was confiscated during the Abolition of Chantries actions of the 16th Century, before being rescued by Archdeacon Robert Johnson, who bought back the land and then obtained a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I. This 1597 Royal Charter extended the purpose of the charity to helping both men and women, with a single Hospital able to accommodate up to 20 individuals.
During the late 18th / early 19th century the properties fell into disrepair, and most of the buildings (with the exception of the original Chapel) disappeared when the Midland Railway was constructed across the charity’s land in the 1840’s.
Today it has over 100 properties and is managed on a day-to-day basis by a team of six staff, who are answerable to a Board of Governors which form the Trustee Body.
David Pattinson (Chairman); Mrs Margaret Ward (Resident); Mrs Elaine Woodhead (Chair – House Committee)Paul Martin is CEO and Clerk to the Governors and has been with the Hospital of St John the Evangelist and of St Anne in Okeham (SJSA) since 2014, having previously been employed in a senior management role within two other large almshouse charities.
Paul manages the resident’s satisfaction survey, which is distributed bi-annually in March and is a professional benchmark for small housing providers. It provides a measure for the running of small charitable organisations, managing staff, repairs and location.
This year’s survey had a tremendous response from their residents with a whopping 97 percent of responders indicating satisfaction with the service. 99 percent of responders highlighted they found the service provided by SJSA helpful.
This incredible response is remarkable in the face of the pandemic and Paul said: “This excellent set of results was a ringing endorsement that the structural and staffing changes, introduced at the time of the last survey, have had a positive impact on the wellbeing of the beneficiaries.”
David Pattinson, Chairman of the governors commented: “What a brilliant result! I am delighted that virtually all our residents are so happy with what we provide. It is a great tribute to the hard work of staff and governors in what has been really challenging times.”
References:
Kerry Coupe ; kerry.coupe@iliffepublishing.co.uk
Published in Rutland and Stamford Mercury 17:00, 25 May 2021
Posted 7 July 21
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