What we`ve been up to

What we’ve been up to
2013 - 2014
Hello
My name is Cyril and
I’ve joined in with You’re
Welcome, Barnwood Trust’s
ten year plan. I got involved
because, like the Trust,
I am passionate about
creating more welcoming
and inclusive communities
across Gloucestershire.
Life is so much richer when we get together and create
something – whether that’s a lively piece of music, a beautiful
vegetable patch, a batch of cupcakes or simply a few kind words
which give you that wonderful feeling of belonging.
But life can also sometimes throw obstacles in your way, making
it very difficult to achieve your ambitions. I should know – I’ve
lived with mental illness for over a decade. I want to show others
that living a good life is possible.
What is You’re Welcome?
It’s about getting together to create more welcoming and
inclusive communities across Gloucestershire.
It’s about your neighbourhood, your block of flats, your street, estate
or village.
It’s about knowing someone to say hello to and have a cup of tea
with, having something to do you enjoy, joining in and feeling
welcome and most of all including everyone, especially those people
who can sometimes find life a bit tricky.
How does it happen?
We’ve been focusing
so far on three ways to
achieve our vision:
Finding people
who share our
vision
So, no matter what your disability might be, or what’s happened
in your life so far, You’re Welcome can help you to discover
your strengths and reveal your passions. You will uncover
opportunities that you might not have been aware of, link up with
other people who care about and enjoy the same things as you
do, and do things together.
This booklet tells you about what’s happening in You’re Welcome
and offers a taste of what we’ve all been doing over the last year.
I hope we might meet you during this next year!
Best wishes
Cyril
Weaving
relationships
Inspiring action
Planting seeds of
inspiration through
sharing stories about
what is happening across
the county
Growing capacity
Supporting people to
develop the confidence,
know-how and skills to help
make You’re Welcome happen
Weaving Relationships
You’re Welcome is all about people and the
connections they create with others. So we’ve been
having conversations all over the county, building
new relationships with people, communities and
organisations who share our vision for You’re Welcome.
When we find people who get as excited as we are about the possibility of
building stronger, more connected and inclusive communites we aim to link
them up with others in their area. And we explore together what we can offer to
help grow the confidence, know-how and skills to get involved.
We’ve met so many different people who care about creating inclusive
communities: residents, people living with all sorts of disabilities and
their families, those who commission health and social care services in
Gloucestershire County Council and the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group,
people who work in Housing Associations and the Voluntary Sector, District
Councils and the Police.
This is what they have said to us about You’re Welcome:
“I feel very inspired to get involved in my local
community. I can really see the benefits.”
“The opportunities we’re getting to make local
contacts who are like minded, and an open
door to continue discussions on Asset-Based
Community Development, are brilliant.”
“I’m inspired to link up with others and involve
myself in my local community.”
“Barnwood Trust has provided the opportunity for
disabled people to meet, engage and talk in a more
equal and balanced way with statutory organisations.”
“I feel even more passionate now about social
sustainability within communities, especially on new
housing developments.”
“Until recently I didn’t realise just how ignorant
I was about exclusion within society.”
The impact of a conversation – how we met Cyril
Hello again
I first came across Barnwood
Trust in 2009 when I received a
Wellbeing Grant from the Trust
for a new carpet. At that time,
my whole life was ruled by my
disability and I didn’t think that
was ever going to change.
I was interested in creative writing,
so when I also later applied
successfully for an Opportunities
Award from the Trust to enrol on a
writing course, I was thrilled.
Sally introduced me to Lucy
(Barnwood’s Communications Manager)
who encouraged me to contribute to
the You’re Welcome website. I started
to write small articles. Then Lucy
asked if I would like to become a Social
Reporter, helping others to share their
stories online. I’d already turned down a
lot of things in my life. But not once did
Barnwood Trust mention my disability
– they saw beyond that to a person who
had skills to offer. What a breath of fresh
air! So I said yes and couldn’t wait to
get started.
It was then that my life plan
completely changed and I
realised that the only way I
can feel happy with myself is
to do the things I love.
I met Barnwood Trust again when I was part
of a creative therapy group in Tewkesbury.
People from the Trust were travelling all over
Gloucestershire, meeting people, finding out
what they cared about and putting people in
touch with each other. So I took my opportunity
to tell Sally (Barnwood’s Chief Executive) that,
above everything else, I absolutely knew that I
wanted to write.
In the old days, I could only travel
if my wife was with me. She never
complained, but I did sometimes feel
guilty about stopping her from doing
things she wanted. But now, I travel
on my own to do my social reporting.
That is a massive achievement for
me. You can see for yourself how I’m
doing now on www.yourewelcome.to!
By this time, I have to say
that my confidence was
growing and I didn’t even
think about some of my
fears any more.
Growing Capacity
There are lots of places in the county that are shining
examples of ‘You’re Welcome’ already, but we want to
ensure that everyone lives somewhere where they feel
welcome and included. So we’re supporting people
across Gloucestershire to develop the confidence, knowhow and skills to help make You’re Welcome happen.
So far we’ve been doing this by:
•
•
•
•
Offering workshops to help people gain know-how and confidence to get
involved in You’re Welcome
Building inclusive community, using an ‘Asset-Based Community
Development’ (ABCD) approach
Providing grants – Small Sparks, Small Grants to organisations,
Opportunities Awards & Wellbeing Grants
Fostering action, leadership and decision-making by disabled people
You’re Welcome workshops
In February we launched a series of free workshops which provide fun
and inspiring opportunities to support people living in the county to grow
more welcoming and inclusive communities. They have been designed to
enable people to get better connected with everyone who lives in their
neighbourhood. The workshops are open to everyone living in Gloucestershire.
Around 400 people have come to the first programme of 26 workshops,
and feedback has been so enthusiastic that we are planning a follow-on
programme. Over 60% are people with first-hand experience of disability
themselves or in their families.
Maureen from Gloucestershire Bike Project said
“The workshop has really got me thinking about
my own attitudes to where I live and where I work,
and how sometimes it is easier to try to ‘fix’ other
peoples areas than to be part of enhancing your
own! Shows how we have as a society become
accustomed to the deficit mentality!”
Building inclusive community
In Asset-Based Community Development people called ‘community builders’
talk to local people to find natural connectors. They, in turn, bring people
together around their interests and passions. These groups get together and
dream about how they’d like the place they live to be. From these dreams
people start to take action right across a community to help make it the kind of
place where everyone is welcome and included. As You’re Welcome is a plan
for ten years, there is plenty of time for these dreams to take root; no quick
fixes or short-term projects!
I’ve seen what some of these new
groups are doing in places where
ABCD is happening. I can tell that
the Community Builders have been
working hard to make sure that
everyone is included and everyone
has a chance to show what they care
about or can offer
Katie and Amy are the ABCD
Community Builders in Matson
and Robinswood, Gloucester*.
This is what they’ve been
doing recently:
“After our assemblies with Matson and Robinswood primary
schools, children posted their thoughts in our Ideas and
Ambitions Post Box. We took to the street and the school
gates to chat with parents about their children’s optimism and
ambitions for our community. Many parents and children were
keen to get involved so the ‘Activity Team’ was born! The Team
now meets together to plan events. They’ve used some of our
local connections and assets to put together a two day family
event.
Thanks to GL1 we were able to offer free swimming sessions,
complementary transport came from another community
‘asset’, Fairshares and a local street dance tutor, Syreeta
helped children and parents learn and laugh together. It was
great to pair the children’s great ideas with the skills of people
that we were connected to in the community: citizens young
and old drawn together by a shared desire to have fun, share
and enhance the place they live in.”
*Supported through financial contributions from the community, Gloucestershire County Council
and the Clinical Commissioning Group and training sponsored by Barnwood Trust
Providing Grants
Sometimes small amounts of money can help make a big difference.
Barnwood Trust gives grants to individuals and groups to benefit people
living with disabilities and mental health challenges.
Small Sparks
In 2013 we started a new fund called ‘Small Sparks’, grants of up to £250 for
anyone in the county who wants to join with friends and neighbours, including
people with disabilities and mental health challenges, to do things together that
they enjoy, for the benefit of their community.
For example, two new knitting groups were set up - one in Brockworth (see
below) and one in Coleford - bringing people together for friendship and
support, whilst knitting to benefit others. A group of people in Stroud are
creating a 3D model of the town, to help them identify places where they feel
safe when they’re in crisis. An art drop-in group has been set up in Cheltenham
and a group of people in Tewkesbury who have dementia have joined forces to
create a singing group.
Grants to individuals
The Trust also gives grants directly to individuals who have disabilities or
mental health challenges. The Wellbeing Grants enable people to live more
independently and the Opportunities Award gives people the chance to try
something new that will enable them to move on to employment, volunteering
or give them the ability to help others.
33 Opportunities Awards were made last year. For example £700 enabled
someone with a mental health challenge to support other people with similar
challenges to take part in an art course and exhibit their work (see below) and
£1,200 covered a book-keeping course for someone with mobility difficulties.
She told us that the grant provided her the opportunity to change her life,
allowed her to look for employment and really gave her a purpose, enabling
her to gain hugely in confidence.
In 2013, the Trust awarded 689 Wellbeing Grants ranging from £30 to enable
someone with mental health challenges to visit her sick grandmother, to £3,800
towards adaptations to a wheelchair accessible vehicle, to help someone with
cerebral palsy to drive independently.
Small Grants to organisations
Small grants of up to £750 are available to organisations which work directly
to benefit the quality of life of people with disabilities and mental health
challenges. These include funding towards summer holiday play schemes, day
trips, or group holidays, or for new projects, pilot schemes or specific items to
continue or expand a service. In Tewkesbury, £650 was given to a group of
visually impaired people towards their club start-up costs. A group of people
with mental health challenges was awarded £720 towards minibus hire, so that
they could get out and about and learn about protecting the environment.
I was lucky enough to get a grant for a
laptop, so that I could write whenever
and wherever I wanted to.
Fostering action, leadership and
decision-making by disabled people
Leadership
We’ve been providing some support in the background to groups run by
people who live with impairments, and often find themselves disabled by
society. Groups like DROP (Disabled Responsible Organised People www.
drop-associates.org.uk), Gloucestershire Voices (www.glosvoices.co.uk), PING
(Physical Inclusion Network Gloucestershire www.pinglos.org.uk). We’ve
offered practical help, ranging from support to get the right governance
structures for their organisations, practice to manage meetings as decision
makers, contacts to network with, to just a friendly ear to listen as these
organisations meet the challenge of growing and changing.
“As a group we are very grateful for the words of encouragement
and tangible support from many over the last few months as
DROP has coalesced. In particular to ….. Barnwood Trust for the
training wheels”
Iain Riddell, Development Worker, DROP
Action
Decision Making
People living with disabilities have also been coming together in different
places across the county with support from Barnwood Trust to explore how
they might support each other. We have used ‘community animation’ methods
to encourage people to make plans and take action for themselves, rather than
depending on others. Community animation enables people with disabilities
to join together and to become clear about their strengths and their ambitions.
As groups gain confidence, people start to do more for themselves, and for the
group.
We’ve also been including people living with disabilities and mental health
challenges in making some of the decisions about grants. For example,
we have panels that consider the Small Sparks and Opportunities Awards
applications (see below); many of the members are people with first-hand
experience of disability.
The groups we’ve supported have taken off and gone on to develop their own
agendas. For example the ‘Grove Tuesday’ group developed and performed
a play called ‘Invisible People’ (see picture below) to raise awareness about
attitudes and assumptions made about disability.
I don’t like the idea that people with
mental health illness and disabilities
get pushed to the side. So I agreed to
join the Small Sparks panel (pictured
above). I was looking forward to
seeing what groups would be coming
forward and if an idea was declined, if
there was an opportunity to tell people
why, so that they could submit a more
successful application the next time.
I didn’t sleep too well the night before,
but after I got home from the first
panel I was bouncing off the walls! I
realised that I was able to help other
groups and I was a part of something
important. Just knowing that I was
there to help the quieter people that
don’t really speak up for themselves
– just like I used to be a while back –
was a great feeling and helped build
my self-esteem.
I took part in one of the Learning
Programme workshops and was proud
to be named as the first Social Reporter
for the Trust. I’ve been using the things I
learned in the workshop when I’ve been
working on the Small Sparks panel as
well as my Social Reporter Role. Here
is a picture of me in my new Social
Reporter role (you’ll read more about
this next).
Inspiring Action
Through sharing stories of what people in communities
are doing far and wide, we aim to plant the seeds of ideas
and inspiration, to encourage others to join in and take
action. We’re celebrating what’s happening across
the county.
So far we’ve been doing this through:
• The You’re Welcome website
• Jubilant Stories films
• Developing Social Reporters
• Research
Jubilant Stories
There are great things going on already all over the county, which we
want to share to inspire everyone about what’s possible. Barnwood Trust
commissioned local film makers Pip and Ali Heywood to make into films the
stories we’ve been hearing of people doing fun and helpful things together,
which we call Jubilant Stories. Some of these films and also the Small
Sparks grants have been supported by the Office of the Police and Crime
Commissioner Gloucestershire.
Social Reporting
You’re Welcome website
You’re Welcome is about giving everyone in Gloucestershire a voice, especially
people with disabilities and mental health challenges. In 2013 Barnwood Trust
launched www.yourewelcome.to. It’s for anyone in the county to share what
they are doing so that other people can get involved or get connected. It’s
already made an impact: more than 400 people have signed up as active users,
over 100 groups have established a presence, over 100 community building
resources have been created and over 70 personal stories have been shared.
If you have a few
minutes to spare, I’d
be thrilled if you’d
read my blog on
the You’re Welcome
website and let me
know what you think.
Social reporting is all about telling people about the things that are happening
in your community or in your group, using the power of the internet to help
you share your story. We’re supporting people to learn how to do this through
offering workshops and practical experience.
My role as a Social Reporter means that I gather and share the
stories of people who’ve been given a Small Sparks grant. I get
people to tell me about their experiences and how they’ve used
their skills and strengths in a positive way. Stories bring people
together and help us to understand each other better. If writing
isn’t your thing, you can tell your story with photographs, create
pictures or make an audio recording. You can even make your story
into a sculpture or a song. What about a dance? It’s up to you!
I think the Jubilant Stories are really inspiring.
If you go to the You’re Welcome website, you
can see for yourself. A particular favourite
of mine is the Tewkesbury Garden Mentors
story, where volunteer garden mentors,
wildlife experts and people who’d otherwise
struggle to enjoy gardening have the chance
to experience together the pleasure of both
creating a beautiful garden and encouraging
in the wildlife.
How the cake (or biscuit!) is cut
Research
Because You’re Welcome is a ten-year plan, Barnwood Trust is keen to track
what happens as a result of building relationships, growing capacity and
inspiring action. As part of our programme of research to see what effect
You’re Welcome has, we commissioned a research study involving well over
a thousand residents across the county to take a snapshot of the wellbeing of
people in the county and of how strong social networks are now. Then we will
do this research again in a few years’ time to see if things are changing.
The results emphasise the importance of the
aspirations of You’re Welcome. Interestingly,
the people who had the highest levels of
wellbeing and feelings of being worthwhile
were those who had the highest levels of
involvement with community groups. The
things you do in your life that you find
worthwhile are the most important factor in
feeling satisfied with life. This, and satisfaction
with social life, were particularly important for
disabled people. For many who had mental
health challenges, joining social and support
groups and leisure activities were really
important to keeping well.
“Taking part in the
Barnwood Trust
Investment
management
£264,367
Wellbeing Grants &
Opportunities Awards
£281,188
Small Grants &
Small Sparks
£132,594
Support of
charitable activity
£342,856
Governance
and admin
£181,849
research survey really
got me to stop and
You’re Welcome
ten year plan
£859,287
think, and for some
people I think that
this could be a life
changing interview”
There was also an interest among over a third of people questioned in
becoming more involved in community and interest groups of different
kinds. And around half of all residents wanted to become more involved in
volunteering in their local area. This was strongest among younger residents
aged 16 to 29, and people with disabilities and mental health challenges.
This study marks the beginning of a wider programme of research that we will
commission, and that will help us to steer the direction of You’re Welcome over
the years. Property
maintenence and
management
£413,648
Research
£184,916
This information is provided to give an overview of how the Trust allocated its income
in 2013. It has been agreed by our auditors, Clement Keys LLP, as being consistent with
the full financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2013. These were prepared
in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice ‘Accounting and Reporting
by Charities’, published in March 2005, and the Companies Act 1985, and received an
unqualified audit opinion. The pie chart alone does not provide sufficient information
to enable a full understanding of the financial affairs of Barnwood Trust during the year
featured. For further information, full financial statements, the auditor’s report and the
report of the Board of Trustees should be consulted. Copies of these can be obtained
from Barnwood Trust, Ullenwood Manor Farm, Ullenwood, Cheltenham, GL53 9QT. The
full financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 19 June 2014 and
have been submitted to the Charities Commission.
Get Involved
Bacl cover
Log on to the website
an online community hub for Gloucestershire
www.yourewelcome.to
Take part in a workshop
free workshops to support you and your community
www.yourewelcome.to/learning-programme
www.yourewelcome.to/learning-programme
Apply for a grant
from Small Sparks for neighbours and friends to get together to grants for
individuals living with disabilities, visit our website to find out more
www.barnwoodtrust.org
Get some support
if you want to build on ideas, enthusiasms and
energy in your community we can support you
in practical ways using asset-based
community development approaches
01452 614429
Sponsored by
team@yourewelcome.to
www.yourewelcome.to
Registered charity number 218401