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Gloucestershire Business News

VIDEO: The Gloucestershire charity whose business is caring for their whole community

Community is everything at Lilian Faithfull Care - whether it is residents being happy in their new home, staff feeling comfortable at work or businesses becoming a trusted and valued partner.

Founded by Lilian Faithfull 75-years ago, the charity now has five care homes and two day care community hubs across Gloucestershire, caring for in excess of 300 residents.

At a time when central funding is never going to get close to meeting the demands of an ever-rising elderly population, Lilian Faithfull have been forced to adapt in order to thrive.

They have trump cards in their pack, like the fact that they own the five substantial properties that their residents call home - and the fact that they don't have shareholders to answer to.

But as chief executive Martin Hughes explained that while the ship he oversees has advantages compared to others in the sector, it's not all financial plain sailing.

"The problem the government has is that funding in adult social care has gone down, there is no way of sugar-coating that," he said.

"The number of over-65s is also set to increase by as much as 67 per cent by 2034, meaning that there will be in excess of 220,000 in Gloucestershire alone.

"The number of people suffering from dementia is also set to double over the next 20 years.

"The local authorities don't have enough money to support as many people as they need.

"We are not for profit, so we don't have to make profits each year and worry about paying back loans or debt.

"We concentrate on looking after as many people as we can who have little or no means.

"All our properties are owned. We're financially very, very strong. My job as chief executive is to be a custodian.

"Lilian Faithfull has been here for 75 years and it's my job to ensure that it's here for another 75.

"I can afford to look at a longer-term view and take longer term decisions."

At the heart of those decisions are a desire to put the residents and 420 staff first in almost everything the charity does.

Since becoming chief executive Mr Hughes has made a conscious decision to delve deep into every facet of the charity's operations in order to see what works best.

"All of our homes in Cheltenham and our property in Pitchcombe are at the heart of communities," he said.

"They have school children walking past each day and they have people going about their business each day outside, and that's important. People don't want to feel isolated.

"All of residents can personalise their space and bring furniture, picture and bits'n'bobs with them.

"We don't want them to think of this as a temporary stopping off point, this is their home and that is vital.

"It's the same with our staff. We are one of the highest payers in the county. We have put pay up seven years on the trot and that's something I am incredibly proud of.

"But more than that, we offer our staff free life insurance, subsidised meals, free uniform, subsidised critical illness insurance and free counselling.

"We pride ourselves in saying to all of our staff 'if there's something going on in your life and you need help, come to us first and we will help you.'

"That builds commitment from both sides. I am in awe of the people we have here. They work hard and do such a difficult job, but they do it superbly."

One trusted member of that team is Kelly Richardson, who joined the company in April as marketing and fundraising manager.

Her task is to add as much money as she can to the pot, but also - crucially - to explore opportunities to create partnerships with local businesses that provide mutual benefit.

"Fundraising is incredibly important to what we do," she said. "We contribute £1.3 million to our residents in support each year, working in association with local authorities.

"But we want to help even more people in Gloucestershire. The population of elderly is rising and we want to be able to support them.

"I did the half-marathon in Cheltenham this year to raise funds, so there are many ways to get involved.

"We are always open to linking up with local businesses, schools, and community groups as their charity for the year.

"We have strong links with the Ladies College and Cheltenham College where their students visit our residents and day guests.

"And Cheltenham College's Queens House and Typecraft printers have both chosen us as their charity of the year..

"But it's not just about raising money, it's also about getting involved with us and being part our community."

Mr Hughes added: "Part of that community are our business partners. Others would call them suppliers, but they are much more than that to us.

"We have businesses like Creed Foodservice who supply our food, BPE, Bamboo Technology, SK Refrigeration, Allstone Group andSnape Construction who have been around us for years.

I am passionate about forming those partnerships. It's not just about money, it's about understanding us, getting involved in our events and becoming part of that community."

To become part of the Lillian Faithfull Care community visit www.lilianfaithfull.co.uk/about-us/support-us  or call 01242 500411

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