Richmond upon Thames

Annual Review 2010

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Board of TrusteesWe are extremely grateful to our Board of Trustees, many of whom have supported us for a number of years. The trustees volunteer their time to oversee the running of the charity and bring with them a wealth of experience gained from working in the private, public and voluntary sector. Our special thanks go to the three retiring trustees who have worked tirelessly for our charity.

Veronica Schroter (Chairman)Veronica joined the board in November 2007. As Chairman she leads the charity

and is responsible for governance, funding of the charity, leadership, networking, running fundraising events and supporting the Chief Officer. Her experience was gained in chairing many other organisations in the Borough.

Clive Bradley CBEClive joined the board in 1997 and has previously served as Chairman. He is currently Treasurer and chairs

the Committee which is responsible for the financial matters of the charity. As

Our Mission

“To be an effective organisation, that is recognised as a leader, committed to involving and empowering all older people in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.”

PatronsAndrew AylingDr Vincent Cable MPZac Goldsmith MPSusan Kramer Baroness Tonge of Kew

Contents

Board of Trustees 2

Welcome 4

First Contact 6

Richmond Community Partnership 8

Whitton, Meadows Hall and Barnes Green Centres 10

Outreach Programme 11

Handyperson Service 12

Richmond Independent Brokerage Service 14

Insurance Products and Services 16

Quality Monitoring Service 17

Funding 18

Donating 19

Finance 20

Our Staff and Volunteers 22

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a lawyer, journalist and broadcaster he brings much experience to this role.

Geoff BoyesGeoff joined the board in 2008. He sees his experience in marketing and running a profitable small business as

his main contribution to ACRuT. As well as developing the marketing and communications strategy for ACRuT, Geoff also volunteers for the Handyperson Service.

Mavis CunninghamMavis joined the board of Age Concern Richmond in 2005 after several years as a Patron. Her main

area of work for ACRuT is on the Social Centres and Social Policy sub-committee. She is retiring this year.

John VosperJohn joined the board in 2003, bringing with him 35 years of experience gained from the Civil Service.

He is the board’s official link with ACRuT volunteers and a member of the Social Centres sub-committee. John also volunteers in the front office at Meadows Hall, the Age Concern Social Centre based in Richmond. He is retiring this year.

Councillor Frances BouchierFrances joined the board in 2001. In 2002 she was elected as a

Richmond councillor. This together with her experience gained from working with the Citizens Advice Bureau has contributed greatly to ACRuT. Living in Richmond she is a member of Meadows Hall Social Centre and supports both their fundraising activities and regular events.

Mike PhelpsMike joined the board in 2000. He was Chairman from 2003 - 2007. His experience was

gained from holding various CEO positions in British Petroleum marketing companies, this together with his voluntary work with many local organisations has been a great contribution to ACRuT. He is retiring this year.

Keith AtkinsonKeith joined the board in 2008. He was previously a Trustee for Age Concern Kensington and

Chelsea and is also a trustee for Richmond Citizens Advice Bureau. His finance and business experience help him in his role as trustee.

Mike CollasMike joined the board in 2006 after a long career in local government. He represents the users of the social centres and is Chairman of the Social Centres sub-committee.

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Last year we reported on the changes facing Age Concern Richmond and indeed all services for older people in the Borough; the pace of which has been fast and unpredictable. We are apprehensive about the future for the voluntary sector, both locally and nationally, however, the last year has proved how resilient the sector is and how well we have all survived so far. This is certainly a reflection on the quality of our services, the hard work of our professional staff and our very committed volunteers, together with the excellent relationships that have been fostered with the Council, our voluntary sector partners and, most importantly, by the use of the feedback we have gained from the users of our services. Their verdict underpins our purpose and our aim - a quote from one of our feedback forms - “you make such a difference to our lives and give us hope for the uncertainties we face in older age.”

A major triumph in July 2009 was securing the LBRuT contract for the Barnes Green Centre, participating in a competitive tendering exercise and having to compete against organisations throughout Europe. We were successful not only because

we had already managed the Centre for four successful years but also because we were a tried and tested organisation offering value for money and a very high quality service. It needs to be stressed that although the contract provides the building and the basic cost of the service we offer, it is also essential for our funding streams to remain diversified in order to pay for programmes, such as computer courses, art groups and health and fitness classes; all of which help older people keep up with advances in technology, lead healthier and happier lives and be better able to cope with social isolation. This is, of course, also true for our other two Social Centres and other essential services.

Another incredible achievement this year, with our partners in the Richmond Community Partnership, was successfully helping older people in the Borough claim over £2.5 million, over £1 million more than last year.

We are very fortunate to work with a very experienced and committed Board of Trustees and we would like to pay tribute to them, the staff team, our wonderful volunteers and all our supporters during a difficult year.

Welcome to our Review of the YearWelcome to our 2010 Annual Review. Our theme this year is how giving your donation of time or money can make such a difference to our local community. In the pages that follow you will see how your donations have been used for the benefit of older people throughout the Borough during the last 12 months.

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Without this support Age Concern Richmond would not be able to carry out its essential work.

During the year we have been negotiating with the newly merged national Age Concern and Help the Aged charities (now formally called Age UK), about our future partnership with them as a national body, along with the other 320 independent Age Concern charities across the country. We will, of course, continue our independent status as a local charity working for local people when all the details in the Brand Partnership Agreement have been duly considered. To help us in the future it is vitally important that our supporters and funders

continue to work with us as we will need to diversify our funding streams to sustain this independence.

We look forward to the next year and will face the challenges realistically, but with the hope that we may all work together to provide support for the frailer and more vulnerable members of our community and continue to make a real difference to their lives.

Veronica SchroterChairman

Sandra MorrisonChief Officer

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First Contact Independent Telephone Helpline

Our “First Contact” telephone helpline provides information and advice for people over 60, their families, friends and carers in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

In 2009 - 2010 1,421 people were helped by this service in the areas of money and benefits, help at home, health, housing, legal issues, transport and general issues.

The telephone helpline is manned by an advisor, who can answer queries on rights and entitlements over the phone, send out accurate and up to

date information and connect people with other services.

The service is free, impartial and independent. Further in depth support and advice is available for more complex issues. Home visits can also be arranged for those who are housebound.

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Success Story

Mrs W called our First Contact Telephone helpline for advice. She lived alone and suffered with back pain and breathing difficulties. She had trouble sleeping as her mattress was very old but she could not afford to buy a new one.

We arranged for one of our benefits officers to visit her at home to carry out a benefits check. As a result, she was awarded Attendance Allowance of £71.40 per week and her Pension Credit increased by £53.65 per week. We applied to two local charities on her behalf for financial help. She received a grant of £300 to buy a new mattress and another for £360 towards fuel costs.

As a result of her call to the First Contact Helpline, Mrs W’s income has increased by £125 per week and her quality of life has greatly improved.

Mrs W said:“One phone call changed my life completely and it was all down to the wonderful staff at Age Concern Richmond.”

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Richmond Community Partnership

Age Concern Richmond works in partnership with Richmond Council, the Pension Disability and Carers Service and Richmond AID to provide a valuable benefits advice service.

Success StoryAt the age of 66 Mrs F lost both her accommodation and job after the company for whom she worked went into liquidation. A friend offered her temporary accommodation and rent was agreed at £60 a week, out of Mrs F’s income of £132.00. She contacted Age Concern as she had very limited income and was referred to Richmond Community Partnership for a visit. She was advised that she could claim help with her rent and that she should make an application for housing; she was not aware this was possible. Shortly afterwards Mrs F contacted the service again to say that she had been offered accommodation but needed basic items such as a bed and fridge before she could move in. She was helped to make applications for grants which enabled her to purchase these items.

Last year the service helped residents claim in excess of £2.5 million in unclaimed government benefits. The money, which includes housing benefit, council tax and various disability benefits, helped more than 2,000 people.

Our visiting officers visit people in their own homes and advise them on benefits and claims that are available. If benefits need to be claimed they will also complete any application forms on behalf of the customers.

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Getting older can take its toll, which is why looking after yourself, your health and wellbeing are important. Our centres, located in Barnes, Richmond and Whitton, encourage people over the age of 50 to enjoy a healthy and rewarding life style in friendly and lively venues through a variety of social, educational and physical activities such as Tai Chi, Pilates, outings, events, art classes, computer courses, chiropody and health checks. In 2009-2010 we provided 27 different activities each week throughout our three centres and a freshly cooked lunch each weekday at our centre in Barnes.

Our small team of staff alongside 45 volunteers work closely together to welcome almost 1,000 members through the doors of our centres on a regular basis. We do charge for some activities but we continue to subsidise the costs by widening our income base ensuring that those people who would not otherwise be able to access our services are able to do so.

We aim to develop further the range of activities on offer over the coming months to give people more choice and to continue to make a positive change to people’s lives.

Whitton, Meadows Hall and Barnes Green Centres

Some quotes from members and volunteers:“New friends, new activities, keeps you young - a chance to laugh and chat” (member)

“Listening and learning with friendly folk” (member)

“It’s life itself – without it I will say goodbye” (member)

“To be away from the house, meeting new friends and keeping my mind active” (volunteer)

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Age Concern Richmond is committed to reaching as many older people as possible. We understand that not everyone can reach us. To solve this we have a comprehensive Outreach Programme which offers a variety of activities including:

Home visits - these take place across the borough by all of our services for housebound and disabled people.

Social Activities and Learning Opportunities - a range of activities such as computer classes, exercise classes and dance events are offered in Mortlake, Ham, Whitton and one-off events take place in other areas.

Health checks, nutritional advice talks and chiropody - this is a regular chance to get tips from professionals for good health and wellbeing for people in Mortlake.

Presentations, training and exhibitions - staff and volunteers deliver weekly sessions in all areas of the community

It is very rewarding to see activities put in place and people feeling more engaged in their local community. For most the important part of the activity is to simply meet up with others and have a chat and a cup of tea.

Home visit quote - ‘As I cannot hear very well, it is a struggle to speak over the telephone. I was visited by Beverly from Age Concern in Richmond who helped me to get in touch with the local housing department. I am now living in my new home and am delighted’

Social Activities quote - ‘It is so nice to meet up with other people, I have made friendships and now have people to talk to’

Health checks quote - ‘A very useful local service as we have no local pharmacist in Mortlake’

Outreach Programme

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The majority of people we work with, who are over 60 or have a disability, tell us that they would like to remain in their own home for as long as possible. We believe that this is one of the reasons why the Handyperson Service is so popular, completing some 3,500 jobs for over 1,000 people in 2009-2010. The Service offers assistance with practical jobs around the home and garden. Work can include every day wear and repair jobs, such as fitting new locks, putting up shelves, changing light bulbs, safety and security checks, fitting key safes and grab rails as well as providing advice to keep you safe, secure and independent.

2010 saw the introduction of a much needed garden tidy up service and increased installation of Telecare products; a combination of alarms, sensors and other equipment to help people live independently.

To support our growing Handyperson Service we doubled our staff and volunteer team last year to 16 highly skilled people working together

to make a difference. All staff and volunteers are trustworthy, reliable, Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checked and will carry Age Concern I.D.’s. They also provide all the necessary tools to complete the job.

The Handyperson Service receives spontaneous daily feedback from clients who are so pleased with the service they feel the need to let us know. 99% of the calls cite a positive experience and advise us they will be using the service again.

Handyperson Service

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Success Story

A regular client of the Handyperson service called to ask if we could help as she had returned from a stay in hospital and needed a few jobs doing to make life easier in her first floor flat. Upon visiting, we installed two grab rails in the bathroom, re-secured the curtains and greased the door locks. Whilst on site it turned out that she really wanted telephone sockets putting into the kitchen and bedroom as she kept missing calls and she thought that she would have to contact her supplier. We purchased a wireless telephone with two further handsets and installed them for her within hours, saving time and money.

The client also had a problem with the leaseholder who was insisting that she did not leave her walker downstairs in the hall owing to safety concerns. We contacted the leaseholder and pointed out that there was plenty of room for the walker and it would not impede access to the building.They agreed finally to let her keep it downstairs. So it goes to show that the Handyperson Service can help with a lot more than people think!

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Richmond Independent Brokerage ServicePlanning Your Support

If you are entitled to support from Social Services they will complete an assessment then tell you how much money is available for you to buy the support you need. This money is called a Personal Budget.

Richmond Independent Brokerage Service (RIBS) has Support Brokers who can help you to plan the support you need to live your life in the way that best suits you.

We can help you to: Think about what is working and •not working in your life Think about what you would like •to change and achieve Write your Support Plan and get •it agreed by the council Get the support you have •chosen set up once your plan is agreed

We are also happy to support people who are ‘self-funders’ - people who have been assessed by Social Services as needing to contribute the full cost of their support and people who want to arrange their own support without having any input from Social Services.

RIBS Support Brokers are employed by Age Concern Richmond upon Thames, Advocacy Partners Speaking Up, and RUILS (Richmond Users Independent Living Scheme). We are available to let you know about other sources of support.Your Broker will work for you and is not part of the Richmond Adult and Community Team. They won’t tell you what your needs are, or make decisions for you. They will give you advice about what they think will or will not work, but they will not decide what is best for you. That is your choice.

The Support Brokers are also working with the Volunteer Co-ordinator at RUILS to set up a Peer Brokerage service with the aim that people will be able to get assistance from those who have already been through the process of planning their own support themselves.

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Age Concern’s Support Broker Jo Mundy says:

“I recently worked with a very independent lady in her late 70’s who had just been diagnosed with dementia. We spent some time talking about what is important to her and who she would like to help her plan her support. Together with her daughter we then planned out the type of support that would best suit her to ensure that she is able to stay healthy, safe and well and living in her own home. It was vital to this lady that she only gets support from people she knows, and we arranged for two family friends who she likes and trusts to be employed as her Personal Assistants. We also planned out what to do in emergency situations, and she now has a care alarm and keysafe (fitted by the Handyperson Service) in place. I also put her in touch with voluntary organisations such as ‘Contact the Elderly’ who take people out for afternoon tea one Sunday every month. She is now looking forward to meeting new people at her first afternoon tea.”

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Insurance Products and Services

Mimi Moores - Trading ManagerSuite 301, 3rd Floor, Parkway House, Sheen Lane, East Sheen, London SW14 8LS Tel: 020 8878 3294 (direct line) / 0845 601 1149

Email: mimim@acrut.org.uk Trading Hours: Monday to Friday 10.00am - 3.00pm and face-to-face Tuesday - Wed 10.00am - 3.00pm (by appointment preferably)

Over 50?

Products and services you can rely onAnd a unique face-to-face service at competitive prices

The Age UK group offers a wide range of products and services designed with the needs of the over-50s in mind namely, Home, Travel, and Car Insurance are provided by Fortis Insurance Limited (soon to be known as Ageas Insurance) and Motor Breakdown is provided by Europ Assistance Holdings Limited, Great Holidays made easy, Age UK Energy (gas and electricity), Age UK Personal Alarms, Age UK Guaranteed Funeral Plan, LifeBook, Wills & Legal Services, Age UK Weekly Lottery, Charity Flowers

For more information you can visit us at Age Concern Richmond upon Thames, Suite 301, 3rd Floor, Parkway House, Sheen Lane, East Sheen, London SW14 8LS

Alternatively, if you would like to arrange a face to face no obligation quotation or obtain immediate cover on Travel, Car and Home Insurance range contact our Trading Manager, Mimi Moores, on 020 8878 3294 (direct line) or 0845 601 1149. She is also able to provide home visits if necessary

Net profits generated by Age UK from these products go directly to support Age UK’s charitable activities both locally and nationally

ACRUTE Ltd, the trading company of Age Concern Richmond upon Thames, is an Appointed Representative of Age Concern Enterprises Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for insurance mediation

ACORUT1328V1OCT10

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We offer independent scrutiny on some of their services including:

Monthly mystery shopping •exercises on the Access Team (first point of contact for social services) An annual visit to each of the 19 •Care Homes in the Borough Home visits to monitor •satisfaction levels for people receiving a high level of care in their home

The overall aim of the service is to collect independent feedback to improve the quality of services for older people in the Borough. Our team of volunteers are older people who have empathy with the people receiving the services. In the last year the service carried out 48 mystery shopping exercises,16 visits to people in residential homes and 74 visits to people living in their own homes.

Mystery ShoppingFour mystery shoppers regularly telephone LBRuT’s Access Team. The feedback has directly contributed to improving the quality of customer care provided.

Visits to Care HomesFour volunteers have been recruited and trained to visit and talk to people living in care settings.

One volunteer commented:

“I visit care homes in the borough and ask various questions in a friendly and chatty way. I really enjoy meeting new people and talking to them. All the homes I have visited have been quite different in many ways. I am particularly interested in homes for people with dementia, as I believe this adult group could be more vulnerable.”

Quality Monitoring Service

Age Concern Richmond provides a Quality Monitoring Service on behalf of the London Borough of Richmond (LBRuT).

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Last year our funding grew by 15% and this has helped us to expand and enhance many of the activities outlined in this review.

Funding

Our funding comes from contracts, grants, service level agreements, donations, income from our trading company, ACRUTE Ltd, and self-generated income through training and consultation.

On behalf of the trustees and staff of Age Concern Richmond, we would like to thank all our current funders, without their support we could not continue to provide the current range of services.

Our current funders include:Age UK •Awards for All •BAA •Barnes Charity Players •Barnes Workhouse Fund •City Bridge Trust •Garfield Weston Foundation •Hampton Fuel Allotment Charity •London Borough of Richmond upon Thames • Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust now known as NHS •RichmondRichmond Adult Community College •Richmond Parish Lands Charity •St Margaret’s Fair Committee •

Archdeacon Cambridge’s School Choir singing at the 2009 Christmas Party

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It is through your help that Age Concern Richmond has been able to continue to work with older people in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for a great number of years. In our centres for active, but often lonely older people, we provide social activities of all kinds, talks, classes and the promotion of health and wellbeing. We are especially concerned about working with the most vulnerable people, many of whom are isolated and housebound. We rely on donations from you to carry out our valuable work.

How you can helpDonating Money£10 pays for leaflets that give

advice on our services to older people

£25 pays for a home visit to a housebound person

£50 could buy materials for our art groups

£100 could pay for an entertainer at one of our social centre Christmas parties

£150 could help us to pay for a trainer to provide keep fit classes for older people

£500 could help for training volunteers to have listening and befriending skills

Ways to Donate:OnlineYou can donate online through JustGiving, using a credit or debit card or with paypal. You can choose

to make a one-off or regular monthly donation. Regular giving gives us more confidence for planning our future activities. If you are a UK taxpayer, we can claim the tax paid on your gift of money, however small, to make a gift even more valuable to us.

PostIf you prefer, you can download and print out our donation form and return to the address below. Alternatively, please send a postal order or cheque to:Age Concern RichmondSuite 301, 3rd FloorParkway HouseSheen LaneLondon SW14 8LSPlease make cheques and postal orders payable to Age Concern Richmond.

Stocks and SharesIf you have shares standing at a gain, giving those shares instead of cash would be even more advantageous because you could qualify for both income and capital gains tax relief. Contact us for more details.

Leave a legacyAnother way of helping us is by a bequest in your Will in favour of Age Concern Richmond. Such a legacy is free of inheritance tax and will make a real difference to a person in need of help. Contact us for further details.

Donating

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FinancePlease contact us on 0845 601 1149 for a full set of accounts.

Balance Sheet at 31 March 2010 2010 2009

£’000s £’000s

Fixed Assets 10 19

Amounts owed to Age Concern Richmond 61 25

Cash at bank and in hand 156 209

Amounts owed by Aged Concern Richmond to our suppliers

(67) (78)

Net Assets 160 175

Funds

Restricted 0 6

Unrestricted 160 169

Total 160 175

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2010

2010 2009

£’000s £’000s

Income

Voluntary Income 29 33

Activities for Generating Funds 31 28

Interest Received 1 8

Income from Charitable activities 801 678

862 747

Expenditure (876) (828)

Net (Expenditure) / Income for the year (14) (81)

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0

100

200

300

400

Income by Funding Type

Expenditure 2010

2010

2009

HandypersonInformation,

Advice & Advocacy

Social Centres Other

Salaries, NI & Pensions63%

Publicity1%

Depreciation1%Activities

9%Audit, Accountancy,

Legal & Insurance3%

Office Expenses4%

Occupancy17%

Recruitment, Training, Travel & Volunteer

2%

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Our Staff

Our Volunteers

Chief OfficerSandra Morrison

Deputy Chief OfficerMargaret Reynolds

Office Manager/Trading ManagerMimi Moores

First ContactBeverly Walsh/Liz Harrison

Richmond Community PartnershipChris Cheney/Vera Barnes-Wells

Social CentresAllan Lockett/Lorraine Bradley/Chrissie Penfold/Margaret Waldeck/Janet Thompson

Outreach ServiceChrissie Penfold

RIBSJo Mundy

Handyperson ServiceIan Hutchison/John Neville/ Eric Wooder/ Marnie Coster

Volunteer Co-ordinatorSue Hollins

Quality Monitoring ServiceRita Cowperthwaite

Volunteers are at the heart of our organisation. We now have 85 active volunteers, who provide valuable support for our social centres, handyperson service, care home visiting and head office reception and finance. We also have increasing numbers of people with professional skills, enabling us to offer new services such as computer support for older people in the borough.

Each year, our volunteers give nearly 10,000 hours of service to Age Concern Richmond. Our annual “Thank You Event” shows them how grateful we are for their commitment. We all vote for the Volunteer of the Year, recognising the person who has made the biggest contribution.

In addition to our regular helpers, ACRuT has benefited from employee-volunteering days. We would like to thank Pepsi, eBay and the Prince’s Trust, who all provided large teams of enthusiastic people to help make our events a success. We look forward to working with them again.

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Quote from eBay:“We were delighted to be able to provide 25 members of staff to be volunteers for the day at the Age Concern Richmond Inter-Centres Christmas Party. The event was hugely enjoyable and our staff turned their hands to all manner of tasks from manning the cloakroom and serving lunches to (most importantly) chatting and dancing with members! We not only gave valuable support to Age Concern Richmond but found the experience up-lifting and memorable.”

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Registered OfficeAge Concern Richmond upon ThamesSuite 301, 3rd FloorParkway House, Sheen LaneEast Sheen, London SW14 8LS

T: 0845 601 1149F: 020 8876 5387E: info@acrut.org.ukwww.ageconcernrichmond.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1084211

Design by www.joshhooledesign.comPhotography by John Barnett

Richmond upon Thames