The Harpenden Trust (“the Trust”) was founded in 1948, coinciding with the creation of the National Health Service. Despite the introduction of the “cradle to grave” welfare state, some residents in Harpenden at the time felt that there would always be a need to take care of people who fell through the net. It was this group that formed the original Harpenden Trust.
Today the activities of the Trust are managed though a Company, limited by Guarantee, which was incorporated on 29th September 2006 with registration number 5951591. It is governed like all companies by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. On 1st June 2007 the assets of the Harpenden Trust, Charity Number 212973 (the “Former Trust”), were transferred to the Company and the former Trust ceased to exist. Those assets now constitute the Care Fund. On 17th April 2008 the Abbeyfield (Harpenden) Society Limited transferred all its assets to the Trust and these assets now constitute the Community Fund.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
The Trust has four charitable purposes, as formally set out within the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association:
· the promotion of volunteering in the community of Harpenden;
· the promotion of civic responsibility and good citizenship amongst the youth of Harpenden;
· the relief of residents of Harpenden either individually or collectively who are in need by reason of their youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other social and economic disadvantage by:
o the provision of grants of money;
o the provision of items;
o the payment for, and/or provision of services;
o other such means as will address their needs; and
· to promote for the benefit of the residents of Harpenden the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure-time occupation of individuals who have the need for such facilities by reason of their youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the life of the said residents.
The Board has resolved that all references to “Harpenden” mean the postal district of Harpenden and its immediate surroundings.
SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY
The story of the Harpenden Trust since inception has been one of good neighbourliness. Harpenden as a town has, within its community, both the needy and the well off. “One could help the other” was at the heart of our founding principles, and “Funded by Harpenden people, managed by Harpenden people to benefit Harpenden people” continues to be our mantra.
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE TRUST
The main activities of the Trust which form the strategy for the Trust to achieve its charitable purposes continue to span three core areas: The Care Fund, The Community Fund and Community Halls.
The Care Fund
During the last year, the Harpenden Trust Care Fund has continued to offer support for individuals and families within Harpenden. The work of the Care Fund covers both financial and emotional support. In recognition of the dramatic increase in befriending requests and the new wellbeing initiatives, a separate Wellbeing group has been created within the Care Fund. The work of the Care Fund relies heavily on the money raised by the Harpenden Trust Annual Appeal and the Care Fund is grateful to the Fundraising team for once again raising a substantial amount of money for this work.
At the core of the Care Fund activities is the Home Visits initiative. Our home visitors meet clients either in person or on the telephone and help those in need by arranging confidential help. They arrange financial help for utility bills and provide clothing and food vouchers. Our Home Visitors also organize the provision of items of furniture and white goods for clients who find themselves with little or no furniture or basic appliances. This year, in conjunction with the Harpenden Town Council and other charitable groups in Harpenden, we have been assisting our Ukrainian guests living with host families in Harpenden.
Supporting young people whose families feel unable to meet the cost of school uniforms or essential school trips has continued. Last year we awarded grants to over 40 students to help with cost of essential school trips. We have also been able to help some of our Home Visits families with an outing to a theme park during the year. A special outing was also organized for our Ukrainian guests.
Our regular programme of events and support has now returned to normal after a difficult few years due to the pandemic. Our Seniors Coffee Mornings are now in full swing again welcoming our clients on Tuesdays at the Harpenden Trust Centre and on Thursdays at the Salvation Army Centre in central Harpenden. We are regularly hosting more than 40 clients on Tuesdays and over 20 clients each Thursday. The increased in numbers is in part thanks to our Transport Team who have been able to offer lifts to and from the coffee mornings. The Transport team have also helped clients get to many of the other Harpenden Trust events.
Harpenden Seniors have again enjoyed outings with two major outings taking place in 2022, one to Westcliff on sea and the other a boat trip on the River Ouse, as well as several mini-outings in 2022 to the Dunstable Downs Cafe. The Senior Outings team also hosted a Jubilee Tea party in June 2022.
The Trust has also been able to provide those who might be lonely or housebound over Christmas with a Christmas hamper. Last Christmas we were able to deliver Christmas hampers to 150 clients across Harpenden. We have also supported over 70 seniors on a low pension by the provision of a utilities grant of £350 each. This grant has been invaluable in helping pensioners with their utility bills especially during this cost of living crisis.
The Seniors Fair last April was a great opportunity for seniors in Harpenden to attend the event in the Eric Morecambe Centre. The Fair brought together over 30 charities and businesses providing services to senior people and was attended by over 300 Harpenden residents. The Seniors Fair was originally run by the Seniors Forum in Harpenden and since the Forum has joined the Harpenden Trust this was the first opportunity for this annual event to take place.
We have also been pleased to support the Salvation Army Christmas Day lunch and the Batford Memorial Hall Seniors Christmas lunch with grants towards the cost of these annual events.
A special thanks this year to our Office Team who have kept the Harpenden Trust office running throughout the year ensuring the vital flow of information between clients and volunteers.
The Care Fund – Wellbeing
The Befriending and Wellbeing initiatives are now grouped under the heading ‘Wellbeing’ within the Care Fund.
Our Befriending section has seen a dramatic increase in clients over the past few years and we now have over 100 befriending clients. We offer befriending to older, isolated or housebound residents and our clients receive regular visits from a befriender which may take the form of meeting at the client’s home or, for example, enjoying a walk together.
We are working in partnership with the Harpenden Health Primary Care Network (PCN) and Mind in Mid Herts, to support better wellbeing across the town for all age groups through the Harpenden Wellbeing Hub.
We now provide volunteer wellbeing friends to support the PCN’s social prescribers in supporting referred patients to engage with social activities and fund 12 hours a week of support from a Mind in Mid Herts Outreach worker.
We have brought specialised initiatives to Harpenden so that residents can receive support on their doorstep; funding the Frazzled Cafe - a peer to peer support group; Stormbreak, delivered in Harpenden’s primary schools, supporting children’s’ mental health and Youth Talk – a charity providing group counselling sessions for 13 -25 year olds.
We also partner with other groups; Memory Lane Cafe for those living with dementia is funded by the Trust and run with the Town Council and Salvation Army. Arts on Prescription is funded by the Trust and hosted by Everyone Active at the Eric Morecambe Centre.
Our Harpenden partnership and initiative, with Trust volunteers running a Library Express service on Wednesday afternoons, also forms part of the Wellbeing Hub as the library is a welcoming place for people who value the companionship of other library users and find the surrounding soothing or simply enjoy a good reading experience.
A further initiative, the creation of a community café, the Well Bean Café, within the newly acquired Harpenden Trust Halls in Southdown will also enable our wellbeing and befriending clients the opportunity to meet up with their wellbeing friends and befrienders in a welcoming community space.
The Community Fund
The Harpenden Trust Community Fund provides support for community schemes and projects in the Harpenden area from a substantial capital donation received in 2008 from the Abbeyfield (Harpenden) Society Limited. Since that time it has made over 230 grants to local organisations – from schools, youth and sports clubs; to choirs, churches and charities – in support of their projects.
The Community Fund looks to make grants on condition that these are for defined projects or specific purposes, rather than funding regular operating costs, although it considers all applications and is able to help cover temporary funding gaps that can arise in austere times. As always, to decide between different applications can be a challenging task, but the Community Fund sets out to support specific projects which will benefit all sectors of the community; young, old, disabled, sporting, educational.
Covid had caused delays in a number of projects but with easing of restrictions this year these delays have now been resolved. Particularly affected were local schools whose budgets remain under considerable pressure but the Community Fund were able to support projects for both learning and playground facilities at the following schools: the Manland Primary, The Lea Primary, St Dominic Catholic Primary, High Beeches Primary, The Grove Primary and Nursery, The Grove Junior, Sauncey Wood Primary, Katherine Warington School, Fusion Pre-school and United Reform Pre-school.
Children have also been supported with a grant provided to Hornbeam Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary for toilet facilities to complement the provision of an outside shelter erected in the previous year with the help of the Community Fund. Harpenden Rovers Junior Football Club has continued to grow in numbers and this has been helped by the provision of funds for additional kit and equipment as well as a professional training resource. Funding has been provided for the Harpenden Plus project which provided support to children in Harpenden schools that are experiencing mental health issues. Support has also been given to the Harpenden Lions who have organised a Life Skills Programme for delivery in Roundwood Park and Sir John Lawes schools who have also benefitted from funding of the Young Enterprise project enabling pupils to learn and experience running their own business.
The residents of Willow Court Care Home have also benefitted by their external gazebo being repaired and internal decorations completed providing a much-improved environment for residents. Residents have also benefitted from another project assisted by the Community Fund - Sing From the Heart - which has provided online musical entertainment. Mencap's residential home in Harpenden has also been helped with money to improve their internet service which is so important for residents. Pop up Pottery based in Highfield Oval who offer residents a chance to experience making pottery have been provided with new equipment to meet increasing demand for pottery making experience which has proved very beneficial to those with mental issues.
Finally, the year has seen the successful utilisation of major projects funded from previous years budgets - the Rothamsted Playpark, Batford Springs Boardwalk and Reed Fen and the Foodbank Shed at the Salvation Army Hall in Harpenden Town Centre. All these projects have significantly benefitted the residents of Harpenden.
Since the creation of the Community Fund in 2008, approaching £1.1 million has now been given to local organisations.
Community Halls
The Harpenden Trust was delighted to announce in January 2023 the purchase of the lease on the Southdown Methodist Halls at 130a Southdown Road. The purchase of this lease will continue to allow the existing hirers access to the halls at No. 130a and also provide the Harpenden Trust with additional community spaces to hire out externally and use for Harpenden Trust activities. The Southdown Methodist Halls, subsequently renamed Harpenden Trust Halls, provide a gross area of 7,500 sq. ft. They comprise 2 large halls, a lounge meeting room, a communal area being developed as a Community Café, offices, kitchen and toilets. These halls are currently undergoing an extensive programme of modernisation which will include replacing the heating system as well as creating better access within the halls via the creation of a corridor in the large hall. An expanded Property Team has been created to manage both the development projects related to the new halls and the ongoing maintenance of both No. 90 and No. 130a.
Currently, the Harpenden Trust Halls provide the following community spaces:
Large Hall - 1,500 sq. ft. with a capacity of 140 people seated or 200 people standing
Small Hall – 1,200 sq. ft. with a capacity of 110 seated or 160 standing
Meeting Room – 370 sq. ft., Community Café – 580 sq. ft., Office Spaces – 1000 sq. ft and Kitchen and Toilets.
In addition to the new Harpenden Trust Halls, we continue to hire out the existing Harpenden Trust Centre at No. 90 Southdown Road. The Centre has two modern, well-equipped halls for hire to both regular hirers and one-off activities. The Harpenden Trust Centre at No. 90 comprises:
Renwick Hall – 1,080 sq. ft. with a capacity of 80 seated or 120 standing,
Randall Room – 300 sq. ft. with a capacity of 40 seated or 50 standing.
Across both venues, The Harpenden Trust currently has 34 external hirers. These include those providing classes for children: Dance, Theatre, Girl Guiding, Martial Arts, Expedition Club and Science. The Adult classes include: Education groups, Exercise and Dance, Choirs, Bridge club, German Language group, Marquetry and Martial Arts. Once the programme of works has been completed in September 2023 we hope to attract many more groups to the Harpenden Trust Halls. The extended provision of community spaces at the new halls will allow us to hire out the halls for more one-off activities such as Children’s parties, Quiz nights, Charity events, AGMs and Art exhibitions as well as to continue to provide spaces for our regular hirers.
Community Halls – Well Bean Café
The refectory space in the newly acquired Harpenden Trust Halls has been redeveloped to create a community café. Named the Well Bean Café, this café is donation only and run by a team of volunteers from the Harpenden Trust. The Well Bean Café is to open its doors in June 2023 creating a community meeting place for all. In particular, the Harpenden Trust hopes to encourage clients and friends from the Wellbeing group to use this welcoming space to meet up for a chat over coffee, tea and cakes. The newly refurbished space also includes a gallery wall to display the work of local artists and students.
Community Minibus
Last Autumn also saw the proposal for a Community Minibus begin to take shape with an available team of Trust volunteer drivers. The minibus will be available to all local organisations for a small contribution and will also support the needs of clients in several teams within the Trust.
VOLUNTEERS
The Trust operates almost exclusively on a volunteer basis and is most fortunate to have had the services of approximately 500 unpaid volunteers during the course of the year. The Trust would not function without the generosity of time donated by so many dedicated local people.
To put this into some perspective, without the enthusiasm, drive, professionalism and commitment of all the Trust’s volunteers, the Trust would not have:
· been able to respond to 648 calls for Home visits, including 61 new clients and so enabled families to be assisted by financial and other means, also assisted 39 residents with furniture needs;
· ensured that 70 people received help with their utility bills;
· enabled 151 residents to receive Christmas parcels;
· provided an expanded befriending service for 109 residents;
· delivered c.10,000 Christmas Appeal envelopes in 370 roads, received over 3,600 donations involving 250 Area Organisers, collectors and volunteers counting the collections;
· helped with the provision of wheelchairs on short term loan for 32 residents;
· organised a family outing for 42 home visits clients with children;
· organised 2 full day outings and tea party for 44 senior residents;
· launched the Harpenden Wellbeing Hub in partnership with the Harpenden PCN for 80 residents;
· assisted 44 pupils with school trips.
Whilst remaining true to our principles of supporting the residents of Harpenden, we continue to broaden and widen the areas of support work that we are setting up and becoming involved in. As a result, our database of volunteers continues to broaden and widen too. We are very grateful for the skills and expertise that many of our volunteers bring.
Having taken on the old Southdown Methodist Halls, (above the Co-op supermarket), a Property Team of 8 volunteers was set up, to oversee a programme of essential works at the new premises. We are very fortunate to have the expertise of Colin Ratcliffe in the field of Buildings Development to take a leading role in the team. A Facilities team was also set up to manage facilities at both premises. As well as the new premises giving us several more halls to hire out, it will also have a (donations only) Community Café.
A new, and very successful, Trust partnership was set up last September with West Herts Library service. A team of 12 Trust volunteers now run a Library Express service on a Wednesday afternoon, when the library would otherwise be closed.
Our volunteers have continued to support the PCN with a presence at all 3 surgeries welcoming and checking in the patients at the Autumn and Spring vaccination booster programmes.
Our Wellbeing team have also formed several new partnerships, all of which have required more volunteers; Memory Lane Café, Arts on Prescription, Frazzled Café, Youth Talk and soon to start, the Ribbon Cancer Support Group.
The Trustees would like to thank every one of the Trust’s volunteers who give so generously of their time and skills. Their enthusiasm and dedication is much appreciated by everyone.
(For the Year Ending 31 March 2023)
Link to Annual Report 2023 here.
05 October 2023
