1. Helping People – Bringing Hope – Changing Lives
Business Plan
2015-18
West End Impact
2. 4-10 Heysham Road
Morecambe
Lancashire
LA3 1DG
www.westendimpact.org.uk
Charity No:1094125
Charitable Incorporated Organisation No: 1153736
Table of Contents
Table of Contents................................................................................................................................................... 2
1 Our Vision and Mission................................................................................................................................... 5
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3. 2 Our Plan................................................................................................................................................................ 5
3 Need in the West End ..................................................................................................................................... 6
4 WEI Makes a Difference................................................................................................................................. 7
5 Our Services........................................................................................................................................................ 9
6 WEI’s Objectives 2015-18........................................................................................................................... 17
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5. 1 Our Vision and Mission
West End Impact (WEI) is a charity formed in 2002 with a vision of creating a vibrant
hub for Christian community work in the West End, Morecambe and its surrounding
areas.
Our mission is helping people, bringing hope and changing lives. Working from our
centre in the West End, Morecambe, we help those affected by poverty and exclusion
living in areas which are amongst the most deprived.
One of the most profound features of many of those we support is their sense of
hopelessness. We passionately believe that there is always hope and we reach out to
adults and families facing pressing need who have been unable to find help elsewhere.
Our faith inspires our work but we support people regardless of their faith or
background and we do not expect clients to become Christians to qualify for our
services.
2 Our Plan
Our Business Plan sets out a roadmap for WEI’s vital work:
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6. • meeting the needs of people who are often in crisis
• offering support that is practical and helps to rebuild lives and bring hope.
We have 3 Objectives as an organisation for the next 3 years:
PEOPLE - we will make a difference to people’s lives, meeting acute need and
supporting change through existing and new work.
ORGANISATION - we will strengthen how we are governed, managed and
organised so that we are effective.
RESOURCES - we will work to become more sustainable with resources that
enable us to meet need.
3 Need in the West End
The West End is an area in Morecambe, Lancashire, one of the poorest coastal towns in
England. It has a population of approximately 5,000.
The West End is typical of many coastal communities where tourism has declined with
poor employment opportunities and a legacy of low wages and has a large number of
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7. privately rented, poor quality houses in multiple-occupation with many being former
seaside guesthouses.
It is ranked amongst the 10% most deprived areas in England, with a local population
affected by low income, poor health, low educational attainment, poor housing and
homelessness and high levels of crime with problems such as drug use and anti-social
behaviour (Indices of Deprivation 2015 & West End Millions Community Profile 2015)
The West End also has low male and female life expectancy and relatively high levels of
child and working age poverty (Statistics for Sandyland Parish: Church Urban Fund).
4 WEI Makes a Difference
In the last 12 months (2014-15) we supported 416 individuals from our centre and
provided 5,326 items of help:
• from food parcels, gas and electricity top ups, information and referrals
• to housing and benefits advice, help with external appointments and emotional
support.
These individuals found it difficult to engage with statutory services for many reasons.
Most beneficiaries have multiple needs – we summarise this as jobless, homeless and
hopeless - without job, home or hope – with issues such as depression, low self-esteem
and addiction. More than 70% of our clients are male of which more than half are
between 40-65 years of age and a third are between 25-40 years of age.
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8. Our support in 2014-15 involved nearly a 40% increase in demand compared to the
previous 12 months. We expect this upward trend to continue, as other services like
Help Direct have closed and benefits, housing and mental health services are becoming
more challenging to access with public funding continuing to be cut.
Through our work:
• over 55 people received intense support for their depression & anxiety
• 100+ interventions helped people find a home or keep their tenancy
• 34 people and families could switch their lights on and heat their home
• 45 people received or kept the benefits they are entitled to because we
supported them with advice, phone calls, computer access, letters,
appointments and appeals
• we gave out nearly 400 food parcels to people when they had absolutely nothing
• we served over 3,500 meals to vulnerable adults and families (including
Christmas Dinner for 75 people)
• 6 vulnerable adults went to crucial appointments because we went with them
• 2 people who have struggled with addiction, 2 people with extremely low self-
esteem and 1 student who struggled through school are now in employment
having been through our Volunteer Programme
• 10 people said that without WEI they would probably not still be alive.
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9. 5 Our Services
Impact Drop-In Sessions with Information, Advice and Guidance
We run 2 sessions a week where we offer a free hot meal, tea and coffee, as well as a
welcoming, comfortable and safe environment for people struggling with joblessness,
homelessness and hopelessness. Many of our clients also struggle with substance abuse
and poor mental health. For most clients WEI’s drop-ins constitute their last port of call
after they have exhausted all other help available and have fallen through the net.
The free meal attracts people who do not engage with any other (statutory) service.
Our information, advice and guidance staff (trained to NVQ4) are at hand for benefit
advice, support for tribunals, dealing with jobcentre sanctions, housing issues, support
regarding addictions and general in depth emotional support. We provide a “one-stop-
shop” for people to access specialist help and advice.
Lancaster City council send their homelessness prevention team to work alongside us
once a fortnight, the probation service come and see their clients during our session
and a local councillor also holds a surgery for any other community related issues.
Other agencies we work with include Lancaster Homeless Action, NHS, Inspire, LESS,
Police, Fire Department, Social Services, Birchall Trust and Citizens Advice Bureau.
We also operate a foodbank and administer a small fund from the local catholic church
for emergency gas and electric top ups for our clients.
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10. WEI’s drop-ins:
• meet people’s needs, often acute, from food to housing and accessing benefits
• provide a turning point for people whose lives have been in crisis for many years
including from alcohol, substance misuse and mental health problems with all
other help having failed
• help bring stability to people’s lives through receiving emotional support,
sometimes over a long period and accessing our other services (see below).
Food bank
The last few years’ cuts to public spending and the current job market have had a
negative impact on the needs of those that WEI supports.
Growing hardship for those in receipt of benefits following changes by national
government has meant that demand for WEI’s food bank has grown. We also saw an
increase in people and families in work who need support for food poverty.
No referral or vouchers are needed as clients are taken through a short questionnaire,
not to see if they are eligible for a food parcel, but to see in which other ways we could
assist them to move on from their current difficulties.
WEI’s Food Bank:
• meets individual’s and families’ urgent need for food and sustenance
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11. • provides an entry point to other WEI services.
Living Life to the Full
Living life to the Full is a 9 week CBT based, NHS accredited peer-led course helping
people to overcome or deal with depression, anxiety and low mood. It is meant as the
first step in the 5 step mental health step care plan GP’s follow and they are able to
refer clients to this course.
Here are some specific outcomes of Living life to the full based on the PH9 NHS
depression support questionnaire.
o 4 people who never went out are now going outside again
o 10 are now employed, 2 self-employed and 6 now in volunteer positions
o 9 sought rehab and 3 are now totally clean
o 2 now living back with partners and no longer talking of divorce
o 5 are better nourished
o 2 soldiers sought help for ptsd and 4 sought professional therapy
o 15 felt less suicidal
Innovate Art Group and Renovate furniture project
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12. INNOVATE art group is teaching new skills in art and crafts and creativity, and has been
a great source of rehabilitation and therapy for clients who are suffering from
depression, low self-esteem, abuse or substance misuse. Our sessional worker adapts
the level of art and creativity to the ability and skills of the client.
RENOVATE is our furniture upcycling project where some of our clients restore
furniture. They experience this practical work as therapeutic. Some of the furniture is
sold on with profits put back into this project.
Community Café with Boogie Babies
Our community café opens once a week and offers very reasonably priced meals, free
wifi and comfortable atmosphere. It helps individuals feel less isolated and part of a
wider community and has a positive impact on people’s mental health. It is open to the
general public as a ‘normal café’ but our information, advice and guidance staff are at
hand to offer their assistance. The income from the café goes toward financing the two
impact session, where we provide a free hot meal. We also operate a ‘suspended
coffee’ scheme where people pay double for their coffee for someone to have a coffee
for free.
Boogie Babies is a parent and toddler play and singing group. After the session many
will have lunch at the community café.
Impact Kids and Impact Youth
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13. We run two weekly Youth Clubs one for 5-10 year olds, and another for 11-16 year olds.
This provides a safe environment for young people at risk with good role models, great
activities ie crafts, games and play for the younger children and Xbox, pool, table tennis,
music, creative projects for the older teenagers. Our youth worker visits the local High
School to help with lessons, lunch time club, and assemblies. We provide a volunteer
placement each year for a student struggling with their education for many reasons,
this is through the Special Educational Needs department at Heysham High School. The
school have seen our work as a great encouragement and asset as we have contact and
relationship with around 30-40 students. Our contacts with the local primary schools
are also building.
WEI’s work with young people helps:
• reduce anti-social behaviour
• provide role models that impact positively on young people’s lives
• reduce young people not being in education, employment and training
• the taking up of volunteering opportunities with WEI enhancing young people’s
lives and social skills.
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14. Volunteer Program
The Volunteer Program helps people who are presently unemployable find new skills,
gain confidence and get back into employment. We have two types of volunteer at
West End Impact, those who just want to give back into the community and get great
satisfaction in being part of our team ie some retired people or young mums, and those
who need gentle persuasion to get involved as they lack confidence and feel they have
nothing to give. The volunteers are given a job description appropriate to their role and
are mentored in their role. This is sometimes a long road for some volunteers but
others immediately gain confidence and new found pride in what they do.
We recently have started our first official Work Placement through Job Centre Plus and
Learn Direct.
Our volunteer programs manager is currently studying for a Level 4 Preparatory
Certificate in Education and Training (PET), which will further enhance the mentoring
available to our volunteers.
Chapter 12
Chapter 12 is a support group for people struggling with long term alcohol addiction.
The name is based on the 12th step of the 12 step programme: “Having had a spiritual
awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and
to practice these principles in all our affairs.” and the Bible verse: “…be transformed by
the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12.2)
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15. John’s story
(an actual and typical story - name changed to protect confidentiality)
John first came to us in crisis, without food or money. He had been coming to us for a
free meal and food parcels for a while before he built up the confidence to admit that
his benefits had been 'sanctioned'! He hadn't been getting any money for about 12
weeks and he was really struggling before he admitted he needed help. John has a bad
speech impediment and can't read or write so dealing with any paper work or phone
calls is a big embarrassment for John.
After many phone calls and letters to head office where decisions on 'benefits
sanctions' are made, we managed to get a reconsideration and John’s benefits were re-
instated. The reasons for him not turning up to appointments were mainly due to his
communication and literacy problem but also down to Job Centre and work placement
administration error. Through the work we did with John, he started to build up trust in
us and he gained confidence. He subsequently started to help clear up after sessions
which helped him feel like he was starting to be part of the team of volunteers who
help each week with our various projects.
Eventually we suggested he get some help with his literacy issues and one of our
volunteers, who is a retired SENCO (special educational needs coordinator), met with
him each week to help him with literacy. John continued to have battles with the job
centre and was pushed onto work placements that meant he could not engage in our
service as he was expected to work for 30 hours. They were also not suitable for him. I
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16. fought to find out if John could do his work placement officially through West End
Impact in a more encouraging environment. His placement with us started in August
2015. The job centre recently rang to say they have known John for 12 years and they
have never seen so much progress and change in him.
We hope with our continuing mentoring he will find employment in the future.
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17. 6 WEI’s Objectives 2015-18
WEI began in 2002, providing a free meal to around 20 people each week. It was
immediately evident that much more needed to be done to meet need in West End.
Since those early days WEI has continued to develop in response to the many issues
people are facing and struggling with.
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18. This Plan and our Objectives reflect our continued focus on meeting need. We are
currently operating in a very challenging environment for people affected by poverty
and we are determined to maintain the vital work we do with those in crisis whilst
looking for new ways of meeting need.
Our Drop-In Sessions with Information, Advice and Guidance, remain our core service
and the gateway for people to get help. We are continuing to develop support in areas
such as mental health (Living Life to the Full), alcohol support (Chapter 12) and a range
of volunteering and other opportunities (Innovate and Renovate). These are essential
as they offer our drop-in clients the “next step” as they move away from crisis and
begin to address the challenges in their lives and become more stable.
Our strengths include a good reputation and strong local links. In 2015-16 we hope to
bring more agencies to our centre so that our clients can access more services – with
mental health support and Probation on site each week. Partnership working and
collaboration is important for WEI to get the best results for our clients and it remains a
priority in our approach.
Securing resources for our Centre Manager post is a key priority for 2015-16. We would
also like to extend the space in our building to allow more room for confidential
interviews.
We are always asking ourselves “how can we up our game” and improve our offer for
clients. This has resulted, for example, in 3 of our staff recently becoming qualified to
NVQ Level 4 in Information, Advice and Guidance and our volunteer programs manager
currently studying for a Level 4 Preparatory Certificate in Education and Training (PET).
It has also seen us strengthening our governance over the last 2 years - and we are now
looking at enhancing our approach in areas like outcomes measurement.
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19. We will also continue to work hard to develop WEI’s financial resilience and resource
base - crucial for us to be able to to do our work.
We aim to further develop our centre in the longer-term as a hub for services that:
• reach those most in need in West End, Morecambe and surrounding areas
• help people to change their lives with support that responds to crises, addresses
the causes and enables people move on.
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20. 7 WEI Objectives 2015-16
OBJECTIVE 1 PEOPLE - we will make a difference to people’s
lives, meeting acute need and supporting change through
existing and new work.
1.1 Maintaining Services
Continuing to provide:
Drop-In Sessions with Information, Advice and Guidance
Impact Youth & Kids Project (including production a Project succession Plan)
Living Life to the Full
Chapter 12
Community Café with Boogie Babies
Innovate
Renovate
Volunteer program
1.2 Working Collaboratively
Working as part of West End Millions Initiative and partnerships such as Morecambe
Interagency Group
1.3 New Work
Establishment of a new charity shop (linked to Renovate volunteers)
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21. Working with the local Clinical Commissioning Group to help host community based
mental health support
Providing a Job Centre Plus Placement at centre
Probation using the centre to work with our clients
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22. OBJECTIVE 2 ORGANISATION - we will strengthen how we are
governed, managed and organised so that we are effective.
2.1 Governance
Annual Trustee skills audit and follow up actions e.g. trustee recruitment
Holding of annual strategic planning review session
2.2 Staffing
Secure funding for the Centre Manager post.
2.2 Finance
Introduction of new accounts software package to improve accounts presentation and
to provide effective management information
2.3 Outcomes Measurement
Enhancing of outcomes measurement tools
2.4 Volunteers
Further development of volunteer roles and opportunities
2.5 Marketing and Publicity
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24. OBJECTIVE 3 RESOURCES - developing WEI’s finances and
capacity - we will work to become more sustainable with
resources that enable us to meet need.
3.1 Income
Maintain efforts to secure funds for core work (including Centre Manager post)
Develop WEI “Angels” scheme
Continue to develop income from Community Café
3.2 Building
Loft conversion to increase interview room space
3.3 Volunteers
Develop volunteer capacity
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26. 26
By 2018 WEI will have
OBJECTIVE 1 PEOPLE
• Further developed its centre as a hub for services that reach those most in need
in West End, Morecambe and surrounding areas.
• Helped people to change their lives with support that responds to crises,
addresses the causes and enables people move on - becoming happy, healthy and
safe and able to access opportunities including volunteering, learning and
employment.
OBJECTIVE 2 ORGANISATION
• Continued to strengthen WEI’s governance so that the organisation is effective in
its work and use of resources.
• Developed its mix of staff and volunteers with skills and capacity to make a
difference.
• Put in place a range of monitoring and impact tools that show the value of its
work.
• Further developed its physical space and facilities to meet people’s needs.
OBJECTIVE 3 RESOURCES
• Developed its funding including earned income so that it has a healthy resource
base with free reserves and is not dependent on a single funder or income
stream.
27. 8 Finance
WEI’s budget for 2015-16 is £81,971 including staff salaries and day to day running
costs. Expenditure comprises £57,500 staffing costs, running costs for activities and
building maintenance of approximately £18,000 and mortgage/loan payments for WEI’s
building of £6,741. WEI intends to meet this expenditure through a mix of grant
funding, earned income and donations.
Approximately £51,000 of income is restricted funding from a range of trusts most of
which contributes to salaries and running costs. WEI is used to making limited resources
stretch and the contribution of volunteers adds considerable value to its resources.
The Board of Trustees will keep its finances under review throughout the period and
has contingencies in place to deal with changes in its financial position.
Its main financial challenge in 2015-16 is securing sufficient income to maintain staffing
capacity throughout the year and, particularly, funding for the Centre Manager post.
At the time of writing there was an approximate gap of £14-15,000 between projected
income and expenditure for 2015-16 (our year runs from June 2015 to May 2016).
The Board’s oversight of finances will enable timely responses to income shortfalls as
needed.
Commitment such as mortgage repayments will be fully covered by donations (as they
have been for the last 3-4 years.). Possible work on loft conversion in 2015-16 (to
increase interview space) is not included in the budget as it will be funded by
contributions in kind (we have already secured labour for the work as a donation).
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28. WEI does not currently envisage a significant change to budgetary assumptions
between 2015-18.
9 Funding Strategy
WEI is seeking to develop a mix of grants, contracts, earned income, donations and
legacies. WEI understands that whilst there is a need to consolidate earned income, it is
located in an area where deprivation levels are high and local people’s ability to pay for
activities are often limited.
Immediate funding priorities cover staffing and capacity as detailed earlier. We are
taking steps to enhance our publicity as part of a long-term aim to develop donations
and legacy funding.
We will also continue to work in partnership with local agencies including public bodies
and will review opportunities for funding relationships.
10 Review
WEI’s Board of Trustees will oversee implementation, monitoring and review of the
Business Plan. This includes monitoring progress and periodic review.
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29. The Plan will be fully reviewed and updated after twelve months including holding a
Planning Session.
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