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Your local charity for older people

Annual Review2017/18

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Chairman’s Message

My first year has simply flown by and it has been a pleasure to have been so ably supported by the trustees, including Ian, who is tireless in his commitment even though he has stood down as Chairman.

The dedication of the trustees and professional staff so ably led by Vicky, and magnificently supported by all the volunteers who give so much time generously, are the cornerstone for Age UK Blackburn with Darwen. As ever, we have continued to rely on this team of volunteers to work with staff to deliver across every aspect of our service provision. At the end of the year we had 119 volunteers who had contributed 14,272 hours during the year, which is vital to enabling us to continue to reach as many people as we do.

We are extremely grateful for all the financial support from many donors and benefactors, as well as the local authority and NHS commissioners with whom we have very important contracts guaranteeing invaluable levels of financial support and it is important to know that every penny is used locally for the benefit of older people throughout Blackburn with Darwen.

Our key focusses for the year have been to increase support to people with dementia and to increase our support for people to learn digital skills. For the former we have focused on developing the Dementia Action Alliance to encourage dementia friendly communities and continue to seek funding to increase our support offer. For the latter we were successful in securing funding via Age UK from the Big Lottery as one of only two Age UKs to deliver the One Digital programme.

Our services continue to grow and extend their reach working across the spectrum of older people from the most frail to those who can be supported to be more active and remain independent. In particular, our Befriending and Active Ageing services are helping more people, through activities and support which promote social inclusion and encourage people to be as active as they can be. The Advice and Information service continues to be well used, helping local people secure in excess of £1.8 million in additional income to improve their quality of life

and wellbeing. Our integrated care programme has gone from strength to strength becoming an integral and valued partner within the developing Neighbourhood Teams.

We are pleased this year to have successfully retained the quality mark for the Advice & Information service during the year and in early April 2018 to have successfully renewed the Age UK Organisational Quality Standard and our ISO:9001 standard.

On behalf of the trustees, I would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us throughout the year.

Best wishes

Tony Hedley Chairman

Welcome to our Annual Review

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Chief Executive's Message for 2017/18

Welcome to our annual review which aims to provide a summary of the work the charity has done during the year and the impact that this has on local older people. If you would like to know more about our work or services I would be pleased to talk to you.

Throughout the year we have continued work to deliver our 2014-17 business plan which focussed on four key areas - continuing to deliver the services that we do well and that we know the increasing numbers of older people need and want: • readying the organisation to be able to take new opportunities to develop and grow our range of services to meet new needs and challenges facing older people • continuing and enhancing our influencing and campaigning activities to improve the lives of all local older people • ensuring the organisation has effective enablers in place to meet these objectives, including developing increased and diversified income generation, effective volunteer recruitment and support and workforce development.

Throughout the year we have also maintained our commitment to quality and continuous improvement and we were pleased to have successfully retained our Age UK Information and Advice Quality Programme accreditation and to have successfully completed the three yearly renewal of our Age UK Organisational Standards award and our ISO:9001 award during the year. In addition to maintaining our core service offer, we have continued to have a focus on our key priority areas

of extending our support for people living with dementia and enhancing what we can offer to ensure that older people are digitally included. We were pleased to be selected as one of two areas to participate in the Big Lottery funded One Digital programme which will really support our work in this area. We have also focussed targeting our promotion and marketing activities in areas where we can see potential to further increase uptake to reach more older people who could benefit from our services. In March 2018 we agreed a refreshed business plan for 2018-2020 which will retain a focus on our key priorities whilst supporting the further development of an enhanced neighbourhood and community offer.

In common with many local charities we are working in a time of continued financial pressure and growing demand and need across both the voluntary and public sectors. So, in addition to increasing our fundraised income we have continued to develop the way we work in partnership to make best use of all resources locally through: our Integrated Care programme, our joint company with Age UK Lancashire and numerous ‘on the ground’ delivery partnerships with organisations, large and small.

We are working in a fast changing landscape of service development and delivery with programmes of transformation both Lancashire

wide and across Pennine Lancashire which are beginning to significantly change the way health and social care provision is delivered.

We recognise that we can and should play a key role in these developments and in strategic and operational planning for them. As such we have continued to put resources into working with older people to hear their voices and support their involvement in services and into working with our partners; developing new initiatives, strategies and plans to support the improvement of the health and wellbeing and quality of life of local older people.

We strive to be an innovative and effective organisation finding resourceful ways of meeting the needs of the growing numbers of older people, and are pleased to have been able to reach more older people in 2017-18. We value our local partnerships and will continue to play the strongest role possible in the local community within Blackburn with Darwen.

Vicky Shepherd Chief Executive

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Our Vision Our Mission

Introduction

To deliver our vision, mission and our business plan priorities, the organisation delivers a range of community based services to improve the health and wellbeing of older people and to support people to remain independent as long as possible and to be able to continue contributing to their community.

We also work to influence the development of services for older people through a variety of mechanisms including delivery of the Age Well Partnership and sitting on a number of key strategic boards and groups, and through supporting national campaigns. As a local, independent charity we have an ongoing need to raise funds from a diverse range of sources to support our work that is not funded through grants and contracts, in particular the Advice and Information service, volunteer recruitment and support, and our campaigning and influencing work;

along with core functions that ensure the quality of our provision. We are pleased to be a Brand Partner of Age UK and we play an active role in the Age UK network, sub-regionally, regionally and nationally. This review provides an overview of our activity in each area during 2017/18 and seeks to illustrate the impact of our services on the lives of older people and the benefit to the community that we provide.

For all older people in Blackburn with Darwen to have the opportunity to live the life they choose.

To enable the voices and views of older people, in all their diversity, to be heard and to deliver quality, person centred services to meet local needs and support independence.

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Volunteers

Volunteers continue to be a vital resource to the organisation enabling us to provide the range and quality of services that we do, and providing huge added value to our work; through the skills, knowledge and experience they bring. However, the cost of volunteer recruitment and support has to be met through our core fundraising activity.

This year we have focussed on targeting our marketing for volunteers to recruit for specific roles, and to try to reduce the drop out rate from enquiry to recruitment. We have also reviewed our communication with volunteers and moved to a more digital approach, whilst retaining the important face to face support on a regular basis. To support this we have also been offering digital training to those volunteers who were not digitally able, to increase their skills and abilities.

At the end of March 2018 we had 119 active volunteers across our services and activities and these volunteers contributed 14,272 hours during the year. This is equivalent to £188,676 (based on average North West earning rates). This is a highly valuable and vital contribution to the organisation without which we could not deliver what we do. Demand for placements and work experience

continues to be high, and in the year we have been able to increase the services within which we can offer placement opportunities, providing 23 placements in total. We feel this is a really important role for us to continue to develop, playing our part in the local community and creating opportunities for old and young people to mix and share skills and experiences.

It was pleasing to see that 100% of volunteers who responded to our annual survey felt that they were appreciated, recognised and supported by the organisation. Our priorities for 2018/19 include identifying more ways to celebrate and champion the contribution of our volunteers, and developing opportunities for micro/short term volunteering and volunteering through local businesses to increase the range of people who can volunteer for us.

Facts & Figures

6436

119

239

8

2174

14,272 hoursvolunteers contributed

during the year

People supported through our range of Health and Wellbeing services.

Recorded compliments from our service users and supporters.

Contacts for Advice and Information.

Volunteers gave us their time.

Complaints.

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All our services are based on the principles of working with individuals to provide person-centred, tailored support whilst enabling them to do as much as they are able. Our aim is to improve and maintain health and wellbeing and to enable people to remain independent for as long as possible.

Advice and Information

The provision of free, independent advice and information is one of our core functions and through this activity we offer older people and their carers holistic advice to enable them to make their own decisions based on timely and accurate information; and ultimately to improve their quality of life and wellbeing.

The service is provided through our offices in Blackburn and Darwen and through outreach services, and also includes a specific money advice service on a range of financial issues. We have retained the large and longstanding team of volunteers who support this service and without whom we could not support the number of people that we do. Whilst the outreach provision is currently funded by a grant from the Henry Smith Charity, securing funding to continue the core service and to meet the rising demand is an ongoing challenge and priority for the organisation. In 2017/18 the core Advice and Information service was funded from a range of sources including Age UK for specific delivery programmes, a number of charitable trusts and from reserves, and we continue to seek sustainable and

diverse sources of funding. During 2016/17 and the first half of this year the service experienced an increase in demand for help with working age benefit issues; along with the general ongoing increase in demand and complexity across the service. As a result of this in October 2017 we took the decision to introduce an age eligibility criteria for our benefits advice restricting this to advice on benefits for pensioners. This has resulted in demand returning to a more manageable level and enabled us to target the resource we do have on those older people most in need.

Achievements

• 6436 enquiries responded to

• 2022 enquiries were dealt with through the outreach service, and we continue to be the only independent advice agency to offer home visits

• Local older people were assisted to claim £1,807,737 in additional entitlements and income, bringing extra resource into the borough and supporting people to be able to buy the goods and services they need

• Successfully retained our accreditation of the Age UK Information and Advice Quality Programme, which also provides a passport to the externally accredited Advice Quality Standard. The assessor commented that our quality of advice assessment was ‘one of the best ever seen’

• Completed a 12-month pilot to trial different ways of providing digital support to people to assist with their advice enquiries. The learning from this is shaping our development of future services offer

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Secure funding from a variety of sources to sustain and develop the service to meet future demand

• Continue to develop and embed provision to support people to access information and advice digitally including to ensure consumers can shop around for best deals

• Deliver a programme of promotion to increase our reach to those older people who could benefit from the service

Our Services

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Mrs X is aged 88 and following the death of her husband earlier in the year, lives alone in her own bungalow. She has a visual impairment which has affected her confidence particularly when out of the house. Her husband was "her eyes" and her carer; and since his death she had been struggling to manage. In addition, her income was low and money tight, and she couldn’t get out to visit a podiatrist which was affecting her mobility and her mental wellbeing.

An advisor visited and carried out a benefit check which identified entitlement to Pension Credit and Council Tax Support. They assisted with the applications, which resulted in maximum entitlement to Council Tax Support saving over £1100 per year and £9 per week Pension Credit, along with passported entitlement to help with NHS health costs. A Blue Badge application was also completed enabling her daughter to take her out and to park closer to where she is going.

Working with Care Network, a podiatrist who provides a home visiting service was identified and put in place. The lady was also added to the electricity priority register and referred for a fire home safety check.

Mrs X told us

“My situation has improved just knowing someone is there to help. I couldn't be more thankful and having my toe nails cut was a real treat!”

Case Study 01

Mr G is aged 71 and lives with his wife, who he cares for as she has dementia. He plays chess via the internet which is his only hobby and respite from caring. He had responded to an internet ‘pop up’ that stated his computer was ‘under attack and vulnerable’ which resulted in him paying £3000 over the phone to a scammer who had said they would fix the problem and ensure it didn’t happen again.

This was some time ago but the scammer had now been back in touch asking for more money as ‘the threat to his pc had returned’.

This had worried him so much that he had become too scared to use his computer so couldn’t play chess and get any respite. In addition, this further demand for money added to his stress and deteriorating mental wellbeing. He had cancelled his bank cards as a precaution and stopped using the computer but was increasingly anxious and unsure of his options. Through liaison with Action Fraud the advisor confirmed that this was a scam and made a formal report. On the suggestion of Action Fraud we helped Mr G arrange to have his computer ‘cleaned’ and have additional protection installed. Mr G was also provided with a range of guides to help him use the internet safely and avoid future scams.

Ongoing liaison with Mr G’s bank continues with a view to recover the original £3000 as this was paid by a visa card. As a result the scam was prevented, and Mr G is more resilient to be able to deal with other fraudulent approaches confidently, and as importantly, he has been able to resume his hobby.

Mr G told us

“I can’t thank you enough. I had never considered that this was a scam that could be stopped." He explained he had been feeling very intimidated by the ‘threat’ and the tone of the person contacting him and now feels like he is supported.

Case Study 02

The Impact

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At Hopwood Court we provide care services for some of the frailest older people who require more intensive support in order to remain independent and able to stay at home for longer. Also included are those who meet the Adult Services eligibility criteria. We also provide support and respite for the carers of day care users and offer monthly courtesy calls to ensure they have the right support in order to maintain good health and wellbeing.

We work with individuals and their carers to develop tailored support and care plans that aim to prevent a further deterioration in health; offering personal care, bathing, adapted transport and support with nutrition, as well as a range of person centred activities. The team of volunteers enable us to provide individual support for a range of different activities to enhance the offer available.

We offer a community bathing service for people who need support to bathe or do not have suitable facilities in their own homes. We also provide additional nail care services for day care service users as well as people in the community.

Again this year we have worked with the National Citizenship Service who have supported and delivered a number of projects including painting the outside space, creating scrapbooks with service users and delivering drama workshops. During the year our relationship with St Thomas’s Primary School has grown stronger, with children attending the centre on a regular basis to participate in social activities, as well as coming along to perform at special events.

For 2017/18 the day care service was funded through a Joint Service agreement with Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council.

Achievements

• Supported and cared for 162 of the frailest older people

• Supported the organisation’s fundraising activities by holding events such as a bazaar, themed weeks and fairs

• Provided 18 work experience and student placements

• Worked with a number of partners including the Older People’s Forum and Carers Service to deliver a range of workshops and open days

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Work with the local authority to actively participate in the day care review and development of models to support a wider range of people

• Further develop our care offer to provide more flexible packages of support

• Extend our volunteer roles and opportunities to offer a wider choice of activities

• Increase our offer of activities to reach more people who are or at risk of social isolation to prevent a decline in health

• Further develop programmes of support for people with mild to moderate dementia and their carers

Day Care

Anna is 78 years old and moved to Blackburn with her husband from Ireland 2 years ago. Anna was diagnosed with dementia in 2014. Their reason for moving to Blackburn was to be close to family as her husband had begun struggling to look after Anna on his own. They now live near their daughter who helps care for Anna.

Anna was not happy with the move to Blackburn and became extremely low in mood, her mobility declined to the point where she was unable to walk and used a wheelchair. Her daughter heard about Hopwood Court and came to visit the centre to see if her mum could attend, as she had started to become verbally abusive with her husband and it was becoming harder for him to cope and he needed some respite.

Following assessment it was agreed that Anna would attend day care twice weekly. On arrival to centre she was very uncooperative, was verbally abusive, refused to eat, refused any form of personal care and was very upset. As a result of her distress it was agreed with her family that she be gradually introduced to the centre until she got used to coming. This approach worked and Anna is now eating three course meals, her mobility has improved so she no longer requires a wheelchair for shorter distances and she now enjoys her baths at the centre. She has started participating in activities, including baking and singing and even got up to dance. Anna now has a smile on her face when greeted and swearing has been reduced.

Anna now has a joke and a laugh with others and says she likes the staff, they make her happy.

Anna’s daughter told us that now she can see the glimpse of her ‘old’ mum back and is very happy with Anna’s improvement and is also happy that Anna takes part in baking activities because she loved baking.

Case Study 03

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Health & Wellbeing Service

Throughout the year 2174 older people received support or attended activities. Through our programmes we provide a range of support, friendship, activities and services to improve wellbeing, prevent a decline in health, promote independent living and reduce social isolation.

The Active Ageing service offers in excess of 25 weekly activities from walking groups to ballroom dancing at a range of venues across Blackburn with Darwen. Our ongoing digital tuition is also provided through this service and in the year has continued to offer one to one sessions and drop in groups in local pubs and community centres, as well as working in partnership with local mobile phone shops to offer assistance on using phones. 694 people accessed Active Ageing activities during the year.

Our Befriending service provides home visiting and a Phonelink for housebound and isolated people, as well as supporting people with early stage dementia to attend community activities. In addition the Stepping Stones befriending offer provides short term support at a time of transition such as bereavement or after recovery from an illness, to enable people to reconnect with community activities. During the year we supported 336 of the most isolated and vulnerable people.

Working in partnership with Lancashire Care Foundation Trust, through our Nail Care service we offer a toe nail cutting service for people no longer able to care for their feet and who are not eligible for NHS Podiatry. We provided the service to 148 people at five community based clinics throughout Blackburn with Darwen during the year.

Here to Help is part of the Integrated Neighbourhood Team provision, working closely with every GP surgery across the borough and alongside health, social and voluntary sector colleagues to provide support for older people who have long term health conditions. Our key role is to provide holistic assessments and coordinate packages of environmental and social support for people most at risk of hospital admission. This year we have provided support and made onward referrals for 718 older people.

The Hub@Hopwood provides a varied programme of activities, events and workshops to reduce social isolation and help to maintain and improve people’s physical and mental wellbeing. This year has seen 176 people attend the Hub activities including; the men’s group, cookery workshops, introduction to reflexology, keep fit, craft activities, training and events.

One Digital is part of a two year national digital inclusion programme with the aim of improving older people's digital skills and the programme was launched in November 2017 in Blackburn with Darwen. The aim is to recruit Digital Champions who offer support and share their knowledge, whilst we provide a range of opportunities for people to learn new skills. From the launch to year-end 102 people received support and 11 champions have so far been recruited.

The Nail Care service is paid for through customer fees. The One Digital programme is funded by the Big Lottery. For 2017/18 the Active Ageing and Befriending services have been primarily paid for through the Families, Health and Wellbeing Consortium contract with the local authority and CCG, and Here to Help is funded by the local authority and CCG through a partnership agreement with our delivery partners, Lancashire MIND and Care Network. Both of these contracts now run until the end of March 2019 and during 2018/19 we will be building strong business cases to bid for continuation funding.

The Health & Wellbeing service brings together our Active Ageing, Befriending, Nail Care, Here to Help, Hub@Hopwood and One Digital provision under one umbrella.

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Achievements

• Provided between 25 and 30 weekly activities running across Blackburn with Darwen

• Delivered activities as part of the National ‘Get Online’ week

• Started two new Seated Tai Chi sessions

• Trained staff and volunteers as walking netball hosts to support the existing sessions

• Continued to develop our programme of working in local pubs to reach harder to engage groups, including a men’s group in Darwen

• Delivered the Stand Up Stay Up falls prevention programme across the borough, funded by Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), and working in partnership with both statutory and voluntary organisations

• Provided exercise classes for the Breast Cancer Support Group

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Increase the number of people attending the activities and continue to work with harder to engage groups such as men and BME groups

• Provide additional volunteering opportunities to support the service, including securing funding to offer accredited training

• Further develop our digital offer providing support and tuition to prevent digital exclusion

• Secure additional funding to offer a wider choice of activities

Achievements

• Supported our service users to attend tea parties at St. Wilfrid’s and Westholme schools and events at Hopwood Court

• Introduced outcome measures to evidence the impact of the service

• Produced newsletters, and sent out regular updates to provide information and ongoing support to our team of volunteers

• Established a resource library for our Dementia Buddy volunteers to support them in their work

• Tested out a ‘Phone from Home’ service

• Worked with partners to develop plans to tackle social isolation in the east of the borough

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Continue to develop programmes for people with mild to moderate dementia and their carers

• Build on our work with local schools for intergenerational events

• Further expand the telephone befriending service to provide a Phone from Home scheme

• Build the Stepping Stones offer to provide opportunities for accessing widespread activities to prevent social isolation

• Continue to provide opportunities for volunteers to share best practice and ideas

Acting Ageing BefriendingCase Study 04

Karen is divorced and has children but was very lonely and did not go out much. Her mum invited her to go along to Age UK’s Ballroom Dancing session with her, but she was very apprehensive about this as she is only in her 50s. Karen reluctantly went along to the session and was amazed at how lovely everyone was. They made her feel so welcome and included. The dancing was at a pace where Karen could learn and she did not feel like she was holding everyone up. The tutor David was very helpful and friendly.

After attending the sessions for a while Karen and David (the tutor) grew close and ended up dating each other. After seeing each other for 12 months Karen and David have set a 2018 date for their wedding! Karen attends each week and helps with the session, her social life has never been so hectic, and her fitness level has improved a lot.

Karen told us

“I never imagined that going along to a Ballroom Dancing session with my mum and Age UK would change my world completely. There are lots of people who have met someone at dancing. You also get to find out what else is going on locally it’s like a support network. We all look out for each other. I just used to clean the house on a Wednesday, now nothing comes between me and my dancing!”

Karen’s mum said “I am over the moon, I have never seen her so happy.”

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Mr B was referred to Age UK by a social worker following hospital discharge. He is a 92 year old man who originates from Poland and who lives on his own in a dilapidated house with a large garden. After a recent spell in hospital with pneumonia he had lost some mobility; he still likes to get out and about but is limited. Mr B has a strained relationship with his family, except for one daughter who is supporting him as best she can. He can be set in his ways and demanding. Mr B was feeling lonely and isolated due to not being able to get out on his own. His primary goal was to get out to visit local museums, canals, and other historical interests so the challenge was to match him with someone who was able to offer this within the boundaries of the Befriending service.

The co-ordinator carried out two home visits to get a full understanding of Mr B and his needs and wishes and also had numerous conversations with his daughter. An existing, experienced volunteer was identified and carried out a further joint visit with the co-ordinator and following this it was agreed that this volunteer would accompany Mr B on visits within some agreed parameters. The match went well and they had a lot in common. Mr B is delighted to share his knowledge of canals, art and gardening which the volunteer is very interested in. This has given Mr B ‘a lift’ as someone who is eager to learn is interested in listening to him. Mr B’s daughter has told us she feels that she also has some support and is able to discuss with the volunteer how things are with her dad.

Mr B said

“He seems a very nice man and I am going to show him around my garden and tell him about my passion for heathers!”

His daughter told us

"Thank you so much I know how difficult it has been to get the right person to visit dad but you seem to have hit the nail on the head.”

Case Study 05

Achievements

• Established a new clinic at Hopwood Court

• Trained additional staff to provide the service

• Carried out widespread marketing to increase the numbers attending the clinics

• Increased the number of people using the service by 23% this year

• Developed a new model of delivery

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Further increase the number of older people accessing the service through targeted marketing campaign

• Recruit additional volunteers to support the delivery of the service

• Increase the number of clinics available in community venues

Harry is 87, lives alone and has no family and few friends. He is a very private person and enjoys his own company.

Harry used to use a private podiatrist out of town, which has since ceased practising. This left Harry without any help to look after his feet. Harry struggles bending down to cut his toenails and has cataracts. Harry saw an advert for Age UK’s nail cutting service and swiftly joined. Harry has now been attending appointments at King Street since 2013.

Harry said

"It feels better when I have had my nails cut as I have trouble walking if they’re too long, the service is very good.’’

Nail Care Case Study 06

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Achievements

• Attended 335 Integrated Neighbourhood and GP meetings further embedding the service within the health and social care structures

• Provided a full package of support to 471 people

• Retained an excellent reputation in delivering a fast, effective and efficient service

• Continued to deliver a quality and timely service with a reduced workforce

• Worked alongside statutory partners to further develop the Integrated Locality teams and participate in the development of the Care Navigation programme

• Developed the Keeping Well partnership with Lancashire MIND and Care Network to offer an all age support model

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Continue to work with our Keeping Well partners to deliver the programme as part of an all age model

• Strengthen existing relationships with partner agencies whilst seeking out new partnerships and ways of working in order to continuously improve our service to older people

• Play a key role in the development of the Pennine Lancashire Together a Healthier Future and the Blackburn with Darwen local integrated care provision

Here to Help

Fakraz is a 74 year old lady who lives alone with no family and was struggling to manage due to mobility issues and a language barrier. She has multiple health conditions and had started to fall more frequently causing her to lose her confidence to go out, and was therefore becoming increasingly isolated.

Fakraz was referred to Here to Help by her GP and a home assessment was completed. During the visit Fakraz was able to explain how she was struggling and how she felt. Fakraz had a number of issues that needed to be addressed including anxiety of falling, better management of medication, maximising her income and reducing her isolation.

Fakraz was referred for a falls assessment and various aids were provided, blister packs for her medication are now delivered, and a benefits assessment was completed by one of our Advice and Information service advisors who assisted in a successful application for Attendance Allowance. She is now also receiving regular phone calls through the Befriending service.

Fakraz’s general wellbeing has greatly improved. She feels well supported and her anxiety has reduced. She is going out again to the local shops and engaging with the community again.

“Thank you so much for everything you have done for me. I feel more confident in going out and feel more relaxed.”

Case Study 07

Achievements

• Strengthened our relationships with partners to offer an increased number of workshops and activities

• Worked with the Carers Service to host an open day for carers

• Widely promoted the centre and built up new networks and contacts

• Established additional volunteering opportunities which have resulted in new activities such as a women’s group

• Developed activities to support people with dementia and their carers

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Extend the range of activities to reduce social isolation and promote independence

• Continue to strengthen existing partnerships and build new ones

• Further develop activities for people with dementia and their carers

• Recruit additional volunteers to support our offer and lead on delivering activities

Hub@Hopwood

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Andrew was raised in Blackburn working at various jobs in the past. He is not working presently due to suffering from mental health issues. Andrew feels lonely and isolated and suffers from depression. Andrew has been getting help from drug and alcohol support services and was introduced to the men’s group through Lancashire MIND.

Andrew has been attending the men’s group at Hopwood Court for a few months now, he says he likes the informal approach and finds the social interaction very therapeutic.

He says that as a result of attending the men’s group he is getting on with life, feels more optimistic, is getting out more and spending less time home alone. This has made him feel less lonely and isolated. “Everybody (at the Hopwood Court men’s group) is nice and well mannered. It has a lovely laid back atmosphere where I feel comfortable. They are good blokes. I wish it was on more often.”

Andrew has also introduced an old school friend to the men’s group who now attends regularly with him.

Achievements

• Supported 102 people to learn new digital skills since being launched in November 2017

• Widely promoted the programme through attending community and voluntary groups

• Recruited 11 Digital Champions to share skills and knowledge

• Working in two GP practices to teach people how to access and use on line patient schemes

Key Plans for 2018/19

• Continue to develop and deliver the digital programme to reduce digital isolation

• Increase the number of Digital Champions

• Secure additional funding to continue our digital inclusion work after current funding ends

We first met Thomas at an informal Digital Awareness session at a sheltered accommodation scheme. Thomas said he was interested in computing and IT but was no longer able to attend his course at the local college due to ill health. When we initially discussed being a Digital Champion, Thomas was curious and said that he may be interested. We returned to the centre a couple of weeks later to carry out another session and Thomas showed us his course materials and his laptop which he described as dated. He was obviously very keen to learn more and was pleased that Age UK were taking his needs into account.

We enabled Thomas to find the Digital Champions Network website and he explored the resources available on it such as the guided learning resources. Thomas was impressed and stated that this may enable him to develop his interest without the need to attend formal classes at the local college. Thomas agreed to be a Digital Champion and said that he would be happy to share his knowledge and experience with others at his sheltered housing accommodation.

Thomas’s motivation to learn was reignited by the sessions. Shortly after becoming a digital champion he traded in his laptop for a tablet and we supported him to register his new device. Thomas said that others at the sheltered housing accommodation had been asking him questions about digital devices and that our visit had generated lots of interest. Thomas said that he thought that a more accessible device such as a tablet would allow him to respond to others questions and queries more easily.

Thomas seems to have gained confidence from becoming a Digital Champion and he has got added opportunities to mix with others at the sheltered accommodation.

Thomas said

“Becoming a digital champion helped me to update skills, and feel useful as I have helped people where I live to adapt to using new technology.”

Case Study 09

Case Study 08 One Digital

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Influencing Policy & Practice

Our range of campaigning, influencing and partnership activities play a key role in contributing towards us accomplishing our mission to enable the voices and views of older people to be heard. In light of increasing numbers of older people, changes to and pressures on public sector services, changes to health, social care and wellbeing service commissioning and provision; and a renewed focus on prevention and community services, we continue to spend a significant amount of time influencing policy and service planning, commissioning and delivery.

We aim to ensure the needs of older people are taken into account, and supporting good practice development. We participate in a range of boards, networks and groups on a wide range of issues both within Blackburn with Darwen and across Pennine Lancashire and the wider Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System. We also play an active role within the local voluntary sector providing representation on the Health and Wellbeing and Local Adult Safeguarding Boards.

Age Well Partnership

We are commissioned to co-ordinate the Blackburn with Darwen Age Well Partnership which is a strategic body with membership from all the main local service commissioning and provider organisations.

The partnership works with a panel of local older people which act as its reference and consultative body and also carries out wider engagement activities with older people through events, focus groups, questionnaires, one-to-one discussions and informal networking to ensure we represent their views.

The partnership is the lead body for the development and implementation of ‘Age Well’ priorities within the Blackburn with Darwen Health and Wellbeing Strategy. For 2015-18 these are developing the borough as dementia friendly, reducing social isolation and the development of integrated services – and these, along with falls prevention, have continued to be the focus in 2017/18.

Achievements

• Continued development of the Blackburn with Darwen Dementia Action Alliance which is a cross sector group supporting the Dementia Friendly communities model, which now has a membership of over 35 organisations and businesses

• Delivery of a full programme of events for Dementia Awareness Week

• Delivery of a partnership programme targeted at people at risk of falling funded by the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) Stand Up, Stay Up falls prevention programme

• Older people were consulted on a range of issues including housing developments, and changes to health services

Plans for 2018/19

• Ensure continued delivery of the priorities in the Age Well theme

• Successfully deliver year three of the ROSPA programme including development of additional interventions

• Continue to work with commissioners to ensure that support for people with dementia is available and accessible from living well with dementia through to end of life

• Ensure digital inclusion support is a key component of the development of the digital first and digital health agendas

Campaigning

During the year we have continued to participate in relevant national Age UK campaigns including the care system and the effects of loneliness. When relevant we tie this into our local influencing work to support strategy development.

Age UK Structures

During the year we have been active members of the Age England Association (the membership organisation for local Age UK Brand Partners, which represents our interests), participating in a number of joint initiatives. The Chief Executive is a member of the national Services for Older People Committee working with Age UK on service development, and is the Lancashire representative on the board of the regional company, Age UK Support Services North West. We work very closely with our colleagues at Age UK Lancashire including through our jointly owned community interest company, Age UK Greater Lancashire, which is currently delivering as a partner in a large pan-Lancashire programme to support people aged over 50 to get back into employment.

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Quality, Management & Generating Funds

Our shop, which is in Darwen, in common with other retailers had a fairly challenging year with difficult trading conditions and fluctuating sales levels.

Despite this the shop contributed £12,312 to core costs, money which would have been difficult to secure from other sources. Positively our gift aid donors continue to rise with 254 signed up during the year and over 1495 donors in total contributing £5,182 in additional income. Our eBay shop has also developed well during the year with the support of a dedicated volunteer. We continue to market the shop on an ongoing basis with the aim of further increasing sales. In addition in 2018/19 we will be actively seeking other retail opportunities that could provide additional income.

We recognise the importance of supporting and developing our workforce, both paid and unpaid, through training, coaching and skill sharing; and the trustees have continued to prioritise this despite funding pressures.

During the year the programme of mandatory health and safety, information governance, safeguarding and other training has been delivered and access to external training has been provided where appropriate. In April 2018 we have moved to an online e-learning platform for all our internal training, as a cost effective and efficient way of managing training and ensuring consistency across the organisation. Our staff continue to achieve other qualifications where relevant to their role and in the year two staff successfully passed their CQF Level 5 in Health and Social Care. In early 2018 we carried out a digital skills audit amongst our workforce and are now implementing an action plan to enhance and increase the skill base.

During the year, in addition to passing the Age UK Information and Advice Quality Programme three yearly reassessment, we carried out all the preparation for both the three yearly renewal of our Age UK Organisational Quality Standard and the ISO:9001 including the transition to the 2015 standard. In April 2018 we successfully passed both of these.

In order to achieve our priorities, we need to ensure the organisation is organisationally and financially sound, that it meets the requirements of Brand Partnership with Age UK and other relevant quality standards.

Quality Generating Funds

As an independent charity Age UK Blackburn with Darwen must raise funds from a variety of sources in order to sustain our services and meet increasing demand.

Although some services and activities are funded or part-funded by grants or contracts, these are restricted to specific areas. We continue to have an ongoing need to raise increased amounts of unrestricted monies to support our unfunded work, including the Advice and Information service; campaigning and influencing activities; volunteering support; and our core business support functions.

We have an ongoing programme of grant applications to support various aspects of our work and we also raise unrestricted funds through our charity shop and community fundraising programme.

Charity Shop

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2017/18 was again a successful year for our community fundraising activity with store collections, bag packs, events, raffles and a ‘Jail and Bail’ event contributing to the total £29,135 raised, an increase on last year.

We were delighted to secure Sainsbury’s Darwen Charity of the Year for a second year and the opportunities from this have been very beneficial. We have continued to benefit from support from schools over the year including the Tauheedul Trust schools, Westholme School and the Abu Hanifah Foundation. We have also benefitted from a number of sponsored events. Our priorities for 2018/19 are to secure increased support from local businesses and corporate supporters, a focus on sponsored events and to deliver a number of fundraising events ourselves

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen Trading Ltd is our trading company, which was established over 20 years ago to offer the range of Age UK trading products.

Due to significantly declining income resulting from changes in the insurance market the trustees of the charity and the directors of the Trading company made the difficult decision to cease trading. On 22nd December 2017 the company ceased operations and is currently dormant.

Fundraising Age UK Blackburn with Darwen Trading Ltd

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• In the year to 31st March 2018 the organisation reported a net deficit of £17,095, this was made up of a deficit of £25,324 on designated funds, a surplus of £6,301 on undesignated funds and a surplus of £1,928 on restricted funds. The deficit on designated funds arose from spend which had been planned for the year to support organisational development.

• 79% of the organisation’s annual income came from grants and service contracts from a variety of sources

• The organisation started the 2018/2019 financial year with a deficit budget and a concerted effort will be made to generate extra income, achieve further income diversification and also to reduce expenditure where it is possible to do so without compromising the quality of our services

• Total reserves at 31st March 2018 amounted to £697,007 including restricted & designated funds. The level of unrestricted, undesignated reserves held at 31st March 2018 is in line with the organisation’s reserves policy that the greater of either six months unrestricted running costs or three months running costs plus the cost of all liabilities will be maintained as reserves.

Financial review

Total Income: £1,133,786

Charitable Activities (83.9%)

Donations & Legacies (2.4%)

Trading Activities (12.25%)

Investment (0.15%)

Other (1.3%)

Where our income come from:

Total Expenditure: £1,150,881

Supporting Independent Living (70.9%)

Advice, Information & Advocacy (13.8%)

Influencing Policy & Practice (3.9%)

Raising Funds (11.4%)

How we spent our income:

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Thank you

Abu Hanifa FoundationAge UK, The Big KnitAll You KneadAsda, BlackburnAsda FoundationBarber & Co Solicitors, DarwenBlackburn Chemicals LtdBlackburn CollegeBlackburn MarketBlackburn Rotary ClubBlackburn Rovers Football ClubBotany BayBridge Street Sports and Social ClubBrookhouse Development GroupCorporation Park Bowling ClubThe Cummins Mellor GroupDarwen Christian Spiritual ChurchDerwent HallDon’t Walk Pasta BarDubai StoresEdgworth Cricket ClubEuro GaragesFinch BakeryGood Shepherd ChurchHerbert ParkinsonThe Hyndburn Restaurant & BarIvy Hotel

Kingsfold PharmacyKingswayLancashire ConstabularyLesley's NewsThe Mall, BlackburnMaxxium LtdMayer’s FishmongersMellor Village HallMorrisons, BlackburnMurraysNatwest, BlackburnNCS The Challenge ProjectNear Howe CottagesNew Pathways, DarwenNorthgate NewsNuts UnlimitedOlly’s Kitchen, DarwenPamela's Cafe & Take AwayPK FoodsPleasington Golf ClubPro Pix StudioR U Comfy Bean Bags LtdRadio LancashireRoebucks SolicitorsRostrons

Sainsbury's, DarwenSanderson’s BakerySantander, BlackburnSantander, DarwenSt Paul’s Primary School, HoddlesdenSt Wilfrid’s Church of England AcademyShadsworth Junior School Smart EnergySpar, Mill HillSOSA DanceTauheedul Islam Boys’ High SchoolTauheedul Islam Girls' High School & Sixth FormTck DeliTesco, BlackburnThwaites Empire TheatreT-PW Design Consultants LimitedTrevor Adams PhotographyValetech Solutions LimitedWatson Ramsbottom SolicitorsWillow GardensWitton Inn

We would like to thank the following organisations and individuals for their support over the last year, along with everyone who made donations to our charity shop and those who gave anonymously.

Companies, organisations & community groups

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D BaldwinMr & Mrs BarnesJ BarnesA BatesP BernasconiL BisphamF BoneS BowkerJ BriggsJ ByrneM CalvertS Clayton

D CokerK CollinsD DunderdaleZ FarranJ FletcherD GibsonMr GibsonJ GilmoreMrs GordonM GreenA GroganC Hardy

M HalsallK HaworthL HaworthE HoweM HaylerE HolmeJ HopeD IrvingL JacksonB JennisonM JoyceA Khan

M LamontK LangR LeoneS LewisB LockettF McCarthyR McNicholasZ MahmoodM MartinD&M MartinE MatherA Patel

W PiggottZ PillingM RamsbottomS ReddyT ReevesD RobertsMrs ShorrockA SmithB & E StattersM TaggartA TattersallJ Taylor

M WalshR WalshMr WanV WeatherburnJ WhiteJ WilcockA WoodsWI Woolley

M HalsteadM LeslieR Tabiner

Age UKAge UK Big Lottery Fund – One Digital ProjectAge UK E.ON Energy Solutions Limited Benefits Take Up ProgrammeBlackburn with Darwen Borough CouncilBlackburn with Darwen CCGBrian Mercer Charitable Trust

The Co-op Local Community FundDepartment of TransportThe Eric Wright Charitable TrustFamilies Health & Wellbeing Consortium – IAGThe Henry Smith Charity ROSPA

H Iago

Individuals

Donations in memory Funders

Legacies

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For more information contact us at:

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen 4 King Street, Blackburn, BB2 2DH

Tel: 01254 266620 Fax: 01254 266621

e: enquiries@ageukbwd.org.uk w: www.ageukbwd.org.uk

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen is a Registered Charity No 1143809 and a Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No 7728630Accolage Ltd is registered in England and Wales No 6505746 Age UK Blackburn with Darwen Trading Ltd is registered in England and Wales No. 2965744Registered Offices 4 King Street, Blackburn BB2 2DHUp to the 22nd December 2017, Age UK Blackburn with Darwen Trading Ltd was an Appointed Representative of Age UK Enterprises Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for insurance mediation

AgeUKBwD@AgeUKBwD

Age UK Blackburn with Darwen is an independent registered charity (number 1143809) and a charitable company that exists to support local older people. As an incorporated body Age UK Blackburn with Darwen is governed by Memorandums and Articles of Association. Within these the object of the organisation is to promote the wellbeing of older people in any manner which now or hereafter may be deemed charitable by law, in and around the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen.

Our services and activities are available to older people in Blackburn with Darwen and our charitable services are provided either free of charge or charged by us at a reasonable cost, based on the cost of delivery.

The charity has two subsidiary companies: Age UK Blackburn with Darwen Trading Ltd (registered company number 2965744) and Accolage Ltd (registered company number 6505746) which are used to provide certain activities, when

appropriate, including when contracts are for all ages or cross-boundary. The charity also owns a 50% shareholding of Age UK Greater Lancashire CIC (registered company number 10086085).

This Annual Review of the Trustees should be read in conjunction with the full Trustees Report and Financial Statements to provide a complete picture of the organisation’s financial activity and governance.

About Us

Board of Trustees

The board of trustees is responsible for the overall governance, management and control of the organisation, working with the Chief Executive and senior staff management team on strategic and organisational development. Decisions about day-to-day operation are taken by the Chief Executive

and senior management team; and decisions on matters with significant implications are brought to the board of trustees. The trustees have overall responsibility for ensuring that the charity has appropriate systems of internal controls in place across the organisation and for risk management.

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on Public Benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning its future activities, which is an annual process.

Officers and Trustees of Age UK Blackburn with Darwen 2017/18

Professional Advisers

Chairman W Ian Woolley (up to 2nd November 2017, remains as a trustee)

Anthony Hedley (already a trustee, Chairman from 2nd November 2017)

Vice Chairman John Thomas

Honorary Financial Advisor Peter Watkins (up to 2nd November, remains a trustee)Alexander Gow (trustee from 5th September 2017, Honorary Treasurer from 2nd November until 3rd January 2018)

Trustees Judith IsherwoodFaizal Patel Chris PorterMarion Ramsbottom

Local authority representative Cllr Mustafa Desai

Chief Executive Vicky Shepherd

Registered office 4 King Street, Blackburn, BB2 2DH

Auditors Beever and StruthersCentral Buildings, Richmond Terrace, Blackburn, BB1 7AP

Solicitor Roebucks12 Richmond Terrace, Blackburn, BB1 7BG

Bank Royal Bank of Scotland plc58-62 King William Street, Blackburn, BB1 7HU