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Five Lamps recognised at Queens Garden Party

On Wednesday 25th May 2022, two year later than originally planned, four Five Lamps colleagues attended the prestigious Queens Garden Party at Buckingham palace.

The Five Lamps organisation received the invitation in recognition of its extensive charity work with young people particularly through our purpose built youth facility, The Youthy, in Thornaby plus for its 35 year track record of delivering social, financial and economic inclusion including youth employment, small business starts up, delivering a home care service and supporting people in financial hardship or excluded from main stream banking to access affordable loans.

Darren Iveson, Youth Inclusion Manager said

‘It was an absolute honour for Five Lamps to be given recognition for our great work in supporting young people and delivering activities from our youth service for the last 20 years. Spending the day with great company, soaking up the atmosphere and being with other charities and organisations who have also been given recognition; the experience of attending Buckingham palace was incredible.‘

Lauren Riddle, the Charity’s HR Adviser was invited to represent Five Lamps due to her journey and first-hand experience; having first attended The Youthy 13 year ago, she went onto volunteer, the obtained a role of Receptionist and with support has worked her way up to become our HR expert. This was Laurens first trip to London and said,

‘It was a surreal experience to be invited to attend the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, the whole day was perfect, and I was extremely proud to be there as part of Five Lamp and being recognised for the fantastic community work we do.’

Lisa Pickard, Group Chief Executive, who also attended, stated

‘I am always proud of the work we do and the difference we make to people’s lives and within local communities. Receiving the invitation and recognition was a real honour but taking colleagues who put their heart and soul into what we do, made it extra special. Be parting of their excitement and pride and sharing this with thousands of others, made the experience all the more meaningful and memorable.‘

As Nichola Storr, Head of Business Development and Assurance, who also attended said

‘I felt incredibly proud to represent Five Lamps. We do amazing work, and this was just the cherry on the top of the cake.’

For more information on the Five Lamps Organisation visit www.fivelamps.org.uk or contact us on info@fivelamps.org.uk

Thursday 17th March 2022 sees the launch of the very first national day of remembrance and reflection for Adult Social Care workforce, and everyone involved in delivering care and support. Five Lamps Organisation is celebrating this day to recognise the brilliant services and support provided by our home care colleagues.

On 17th March 2020 eight Five Lamps Home Care assistants delivered 50 hours of care. Today, two years later, we have 37 carers out and about providing 212 hours of care to local people. Since the Covid-19 pandemic started, Five Lamps Homecare has provided more than 200,000 hours of vital care and support to people living in their homes. Ranging from dispensing regular medications; to helping people get out of bed, bathed, and dressed every day as well as helping them back to bed on an evening; to ensuring they have a warm meal through and helping with basic household chores.

Lisa Pickard, Group Chief Executive said:

‘I am exceptionally proud of our Five Lamps home care colleagues and the way they responded to the Covid pandemic, how they made personal sacrifices and importantly how they ensured we were able to provide the highest level of care and support throughout the most challenging times. We know that for many of our services users, their carer was often the only person they would see, especially during lockdown or if they were isolating’

During the pandemic, as well as providing the home care services across Thornaby, Ingleby Barwick and Yarm, Five Lamps also extended our ‘Home from Hospital’ scheme, supporting people to leave North Tees Hospital and return safely to their home with someone on hand to help them. At a time when our local NHS services were under immense pressure, this helped free up beds for those needing urgent care and reduced the risk and stress for those able to return home.

‘I was in a lot of distress and felt alone and isolated. Megan was kind, compassionate and very helpful. She made me feel relaxed and much happier. She began the process of referrals to various agencies and reassured me that help was available’

[Home from Hospital client]

In June 2021 a Care Quality Commission inspection awarded us an overall grade of ‘Good’ praising our new internal training facility and in September 2021 when a private care provider in Billingham ceased trading, we stepped in employing 11 of their former staff and provided the social care and support for 18 families.

‘I can’t thank the Billingham Homecare Team enough for the amazing job they do taking care of my dad’
[Maria Blades]

As a Stockton based charity operating for more than 35 years, Five Lamps has always had the interests of local people at heart. Five Lamps Homecare started in September 2016 as a pilot with support from Stockton Borough Council delivering 40 hours of adult social care pre week. We are now delivering more than 2500 hours per week and have plans to expand this further across Teesside and North Yorkshire both for households receiving financial support from the local authority or NHS continuous health care. We are also increasing the support we can provide to those households who are not eligible for financial support but are struggling to access the quality home care they need and deserve.

Our focus on home care and home from hospital services is each and every day because we know they make a difference to people’s lives; not only those who receive the care and support, but their families who have peace of mind that their loved ones are being cared for by a professional team of locally employed, passionate and caring people.

‘ We are very pleased with the care that Con receives from your carers & cannot speak highly enough of their care & commitment especially during the pandemic. We particularly enjoy their sense of humour & thoroughly enjoy the banter that we have with them.’

[Barbara & Con]

Lisa also went onto say ‘Having a Social Care Day of Remembrance and Reflection is a day to pause, say thank you and recognise the invaluable service provided by many individuals and organisations across the country. Our Five Lamps Home Care team and the wonderful carers make such a difference to peoples lives. Providing care is what they do. Going the extra mile, helping prevent isolation and loneliness and being an extension of the friends and family network is what they do day in day out.’

Helping people stay in their homes longer and reducing pressure on our vital NHS services is critical. Ensuring local people get a high quality reliable service which is affordable and meets their needs and employing local people is why Five Lamps invests in and is committed to providing home care services and support.

For more information please contact Five Lamps home care office on 01642 753517 or email homecare@fivelamps.org.uk.

Five Lamps Home Care, which provides personal care and support to residents in Stockton-on-Tees is celebrating after being rated as ‘Good’ in its second Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection and also winning The Care Innovator Award at the North East Regional Great British Care Awards.

The CQC rating was awarded following a recent inspection. Five Lamps were awarded a ‘Good’ rating in all 5 key areas of the inspection: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

In their report, Inspectors recognised that people using the service felt safe and were happy with the care they received, and people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Five Lamps Home Care staff promoted people’s independence and respected their rights, privacy and dignity. One person told Inspectors “It’s very good care, I feel safe and all the carers are very nice”

Staff Inspectors spoke to were happy in their job. One member of staff told the Inspectors, “I absolutely love my job. You get to know people and when you know you’ve made a difference to someone’s life and you’ve made them happy it’s so rewarding.”

Inspectors recognised the challenges Five Lamps had overcome in delivering community care services during the Covid-19 pandemic, commenting in the inspection report that additional guidance and training in infection prevention and control had been provided. Five Lamps ensured staff were supplied with enough PPE to undertake their work safely and could access regular testing.

The Inspectors praised Five Lamps’ approach to employee wellbeing, including the introduction of a 24-hour employee assistance scheme who was brought in at the start of the pandemic in recognition of the additional support care staff would need. The report also highlighted that Five Lamps had invested in emotional wellbeing training recently for all staff.

Five Lamps were also thrilled to win The Care Innovator Award at the North East Regional Great British Care Awards ceremony held in Newcastle on Tuesday 20 July 2021. Judges for the awards commented on how Five Lamps had shown great creativity through the pandemic and exceptional support to both customers and staff. As a regional winner of the 2020 Great British Care Awards in the North East, Five Lamps are through to the National Finals which take place in September 2021.

Nicola Garrett, Director of Corporate Services at Five Lamps said “The recent CQC rating is a powerful endorsement of the commitment and dedication of Five Lamps caring staff team who work incredibly hard to deliver safe and person-centred care.

I am so proud of our Home Care team who regular go above and beyond to support our customers; they have worked tirelessly throughout the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and really deserve this brilliant recognition from the CQC.

Being crowned winners of the Care Innovator award is fantastic achievement as this showcases how Five Lamps adapted during the pandemic to provide additional support to our customers and staff. We secured donations of additional PPE items and funding to provide our staff with electric bikes. We also ensured our customers were supported with food hampers when they were isolating and also worked with other local voluntary organisations to provide events such as afternoon tea at Parkside Court Extra Care Scheme”

Five Lamps have been delivering community services for over 30 years and developed its home care service in December 2016 in partnership with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Since then, the service has grown to deliver around 2,000 hours of weekly care; supporting people with personal care, helping them to get dressed, washed and eat, cleaning and shopping. The service also helps with social engagement and wellbeing and is the care provider at Parkside Court Extra-Care Scheme.

Five Lamps are recruiting care staff to be part of our growing team. If you would like to work for a service has an overall ‘Good’ CQC rating and you have a caring nature and attitude, we want to hear from you! Full training and induction will be provided. Please send your CV to homecare@fivelamps.org.uk.

Adrian was referred to the Pandemic Crisis Project by Little Sprouts in Thornaby. At the time, Adrian was shielding and was awaiting a covid-19 test due to having some symptoms. Unable to leave his home, Adrian required some support with getting shopping and having his prescription collected.

Staff spoke to Adrian on the phone and explained he was currently shielding due to a number of health issues and was hoping to receive some support with shopping whilst he awaited his covid-19 home testing kit. Staff offered Adrian a one-off voucher for ASDA for his shopping, which he was very grateful for and arranged a time to collect Adrian’s shopping list and carry out his food shop.

A day was arranged for staff to carry out the shop. Once the shopping was done it was placed on Adrian’s doorstep and staff moved away to a safe distance for Adrian to bring in his shopping. Staff also wore full PPE in order to keep themselves and Adrian safe whilst he awaited his covid-19 test. Adrian was so grateful for the help and could not thank the staff enough.

Since carrying out Adrian’s shopping his covid-19 test came back negative which was a huge relief for Adrian. However, Adrian was still shielding and although the government guidelines changed which encouraged those who were shielding to leave their homes during none busy periods of the day, Adrian still felt like he could not quite make the bus journey to the pharmacy to collect his prescription. Staff reassured Adrian that he did not need to worry as they would be able to do this for Adrian until he felt he felt more confident to carry this out himself.

Every week staff collect and deliver Adrian’s weekly prescription and chat to Adrian from a safe distance to see how he is doing and making sure he is well. Staff look forward to their chats with Adrian each week and enjoy listening to his goals and aims for the future.

Adrian has collected his prescription a few times independently when having a doctor’s appointment. However still feels a little uneasy using public transport as he has said he often gets off the bus early and walks the rest of his journey if the bus becomes too crowded. Staff continue to work with Adrian and support him in any way which he needs.

Staff spoke to Adrian about his experience accessing the Five Lamps services;

The service the Five Lamps have provided me during the pandemic and the time I have been shielding is excellent. They have been collecting my medication for me on a weekly basis and any grocery shopping if I need any. This eased the worries of having to organise having to collect my medication and shop. Being a stressful person, I was able to relax more and spend my time better. Home study, cooking, radio, art, online scrabble, reading and relaxation. From the onset I was introduced to Hannah who became my worker and I immediately looked forward to her visits every week however short they have been.

Hannah was thoughtful and we kept in regular contact by telephone to see if there were any changes to my prescription or if I needed any shopping. I was also introduced to several other members of the Five Lamps team though unfortunately I can only remember Megan’s name. Though I do remember their faces! Each of whom was equally caring and thoughtful as Hannah. Which gave me a feeling of being valued.

I would like to say thank you for the Asda voucher and the Christmas hamper you gave me. I hope to use the Five Lamps in the future for money management skills, finding voluntary work and going back to school.

I also would like to say thank you to Little Sprouts for directing me to the Five Lamps when I was at a low end and both have played a part in my health improving during the pandemic.
Thank you Five Lamps.

To find out more about the Pandemic Crisis Support Project, please contact Megan Stevens or Hannah Hammond.

The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded Five Lamps £28,000 to deliver services to the most vulnerable in the Stockton-on-Tees local authority area. The project will run for the next six months with a possible extension.

Our staff are supporting individuals in Stockton on Tees who are shielding or self-isolating with daily telephone calls to help reduce social isolation and help them with food shopping, picking up medication, and sorting any immediate problems out for them such as contact with energy companies that will reduce their level of anxiety. Sometimes a friendly voice is all people will need to hear, for others they may be too scared to venture out to the local supermarket.

We are also providing each service user two packages worth £30 each; one with store cupboard essentials and one a cleaning bundle (donated from the Vinci Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund) to help keep their homes free from infection and reduce the stress and anxiety of trying to finds these products when the supply is limited in supermarkets.

Nichola Storr Quality Manager said,

“We were thrilled to receive this funding and support both our vulnerable members of the community and also people often living on their own who are self-isolating. Our telephone support service is vital at a time when our service users may have no contact at all with anyone from the local community.”

If you or anyone you know could benefit from this service please call Megan Stevens on 07591 951210 or email meganstevens@fivelamps.org.uk

We are also currently recruiting a staff member to work on this project as a Home from Hospital Support Worker. Please click here to access our vacancies page if you are interested in applying for this position.

Five Lamps supports financially vulnerable households who are excluded from mainstream banking by providing affordable personal loans and financial inclusion activities.

In the next 3 years, we are set to lend at least £23m to more than 40,000 households and deliver an estimated £9.2m social impact. This is still a drop in the ocean. High cost and pay day lenders issue £3 billion of loans every year.

Our mission is simple – to support people out of and importantly prevent families falling into the high cost credit trap. We do this through our Conduit Loans, our financial inclusion services & our people. We want to do more.

We have the ambition and capacity to scale up. We now need an exceptional leader who shares our passion and has the energy and determination to make this happen. We want to hear from you if you:

☑Have a commercial mindset with lending experience
☑Share our values and have a strong sense of social purpose
☑Have excellent leadership skills that will build confidence with our investors and partners and will inspire, engage, and lead our people
☑ Want to work with a forward-thinking organisation that really cares about its colleagues and customers
☑ Want to make a real difference & change peoples lives

Click here to find out more & apply for this exciting opportunity

Since 2018, Five Lamps have been delivering breakfast clubs throughout the school holidays, however, due to the unprecedented circumstances; the club had to be delivered a little differently this summer.

Each year, the number of families in Thornaby and surrounding areas attending the clubs has increased and it has become a well enjoyed part of the community.

It gives families a space to come together, enjoy a free breakfast and activities including, arts and crafts, dance lessons and cooking sessions.

The club has become an important part of many families’ lives and it allows them a space to meet new people, socialise with their friends and neighbours and also for many families helps relieve financial pressures of the school holidays.

To ensure the club could still open this summer, Five Lamps opted for a virtual delivery, it meant that each Monday the families would collect a bag of breakfast materials and also activities for the week. Each family then joined a secure Facebook group, where they could take part in live Bingo, Quizzes, planting sunflowers, cooking sessions and virtual dance lessons delivered by Urban Kaos.

The virtual club was a huge success and in total, 138 breakfast packs were collected, with just under 60 young people taking part in the activities.

Amy Richardson, Five Lamps Marketing and Campaigns Manager said;

“It’s great that we can continue to deliver this brilliant service, especially as we have seen first hand the positive impact it has on many families lives during the school holidays. We want the clubs to be more than just a holiday provision, we want to ensure that young people and their families can experience new fun activities, whilst coming together as a community”

Five Lamps were able to deliver the clubs after being successful in a bid to Stockton on Tees Borough Council Public Health’s holiday enrichment grant which was managed by Catalyst and by also receiving donations from Tesco Ingleby Barwick and ASDA Thornaby.

The next virtual club will take place in October half term, for more information, please contact amyrichardson@fivelamps.org.uk

Five Lamps reach the finals of the Responsible Finance awards

Five Lamps are a “responsible finance” provider which operates across the United Kingdom and has recently been praised by business experts and an international foundation for its positive impact on the lives of people it supports.

Five Lamps, originally established 30 years ago to support people who became unemployed, provides a wide range of services across the United Kingdom, with the main office based in Stockton on Tees.

In the past year it has provided free breakfasts throughout the school holidays to over 200 young people; helped elderly people to remain independent in their own homes by delivering 1,000 hours of domiciliary care each week; tackled social isolation by running youth clubs including for young people with disabilities, and lunch clubs for elderly people; and provided over 7,000 loans to customers who may have previously relied on door step lenders or loan sharks, saving them hundreds of pounds each in interest.

At the beginning of the year, Five Lamps was named one of the community development finance providers making the most impact in the whole of the UK in the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards, funded by the Citi Foundation.

Although Five Lamps were not crowned winners at the online award ceremony on 9 July 2020, they were awarded with a £1200 grant to enable them to continue the great work they deliver.

Judges including journalist James Pickford of the Financial Times, were impressed with Five Lamps’ positive impact in communities including many facing high levels of deprivation. They noted how the organisation’s work to measure its impact has also helped to identify areas where its service users may need additional support or help.

Lisa Pickard, Five Lamps’ Group Chief Executive said;

“We are so proud to be a finalist in the Impact category. All of our work is underpinned by our vision at Five Lamps ‘Creating Possibilities: Improving Lives’ – we create possibilities by being locally focused, innovative, on the front foot, determined & resilient. By delivering positive actions and interventions we improve lives – the two go hand in hand together to create an impact for the people who access our services each day and it’s great to be recognised!”

Bob Annibale, Global Director, Citi Inclusive Finance and Community Development, said:

“Responsible finance providers like Five Lamps provide a lifeline and I’ve seen first-hand the difference community-based lending can make to people’s lives and local communities. The economic activity generated can tackle inequality and promote inclusive growth in communities.”

To find out more about Responsible Finance, please click here.

A four-figure grant from a regional employer has supported Five Lamps to enhance the home care services it provides and improve the health and well-being of its home care colleagues.

In response to the increased pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Five Lamps is bringing in two new electric bikes to help its team of domiciliary carers reach the 90 people they currently look after across the Stockton area more quickly.

It is also giving its 53 carers new branded backpacks and water bottles, while some of them will receive solar mobile phone chargers to both help with the lack of facilities during social distancing and to recognise the brilliant job they are doing in supporting vulnerable people who currently need home care service more than ever.

The project is being funded with support from a £1,500 grant from the community benefits fund linked to Banks Renewables’ Lambs Hill wind farm near Stillington.

The family-owned firm agreed with the Lambs Hill Wind Farm community fund committee members to temporarily relax the fund’s eligibility criteria in response to the impact of the pandemic and extend the area within which grants can be made.

Nicola Garrett, Five Lamps Director of Corporate Services said “The last few weeks has showcased the importance of domiciliary care and the pressures home care providers and carers face. Our home care team is doing an amazing job in continuing to safely look after local people who often need a great deal of support.

“Many of our clients have a wide range of complex needs, so are shielding from the virus, and their visits from our carers are often one of very few social interactions they’re having with other people.

“Some of our carers walk, some drive and some already use bikes to travel between visits and to collect prescriptions and shopping which has been a challenge during lockdown.

“We wanted to find a way that our carers could get around safely and quickly, so that they can spend as much of their valuable time as possible in people’s homes providing care. Creating a pool of electric bikes will really make a difference, not just during the pandemic but as lockdown is lifted.

“The backpacks provide recognition for the essential job that our carers are doing, while their need to both stay hydrated and keep in touch during the days means that the new water bottles and solar mobile chargers will come in very handy.

“We couldn’t have made these plans happen without Banks Renewables’ generous support and our carers can’t wait to take our new bikes out on the road.”

Sue Bell, chair of the Lambs Hill Wind Farm community fund committee, adds: “In normal times, this kind of work is important to our community, but at present, it provides so much more in terms of support for our vulnerable people and their families.

“This care and service is invaluable and this funding committee, set up and financed by the Banks Group, has been able to help in making it easier to reach the people that need it.

“It is also right that those putting others first should be given recognition for that and deserves equipment that makes their task easier. This is a very worthwhile project to be able to help and a pleasure to support.”

The Lambs Hill wind farm will generate more than £250,000 of local community funding over its 25-year lifespan and has been operational since the beginning of 2017.

It generates over 23,500 MW of green electricity every year, which is enough to meet the annual energy requirements of more than 5,700 homes, and by doing so, displaces almost 7,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity supply network per annum.

Lewis Stokes, Community Relations Manager at the Banks Group, adds: “Our wind farm benefits funds are designed to support good causes in the closest surrounding communities which make a tangible difference to the lives of people living there.

“In this unprecedented time of need, we felt it was right to step up and do as much as we can to support the local community where it’s most needed, and we’re grateful for the support of the support of the members of the funding panel in enabling us to do so.

“The Five Lamps team is doing a great job in supporting vulnerable people in the community and we’re keen to hear from other groups who could make a similar impact with the help of a grant from the Lambs Hill fund.”

The Banks Community Fund supports local environmental and community improvement projects in the areas surrounding the Banks Group’s operations.

The Banks Group was founded in 1976 in County Durham. Banks’ development with care approach ensures sites are developed in close consultation with the community as well as carrying out extensive environmental assessments. More information can be found at www.banksgroup.co.uk

Thanks to a donation of food and supplies from Holy Rosary Church in Billingham and also Morrison’s in Teesside Park, Five Lamps have today delivered 26 food parcels to their customers who live in Thornaby and surrounding areas.

During these difficult and unprecedented times, Five Lamps have received a number of requests from customers who are in need of food or essential items.

Many of the requests are from individuals and families who have had a significant drop in their income, due to losing work or who are self-employed and unable to trade at the moment.

Five Lamps Home Care, Care Assistants have also reported that a number of Service Users who are being shielded due to their age or underlying health conditions are also unable to access essential food supplies.

Thanks to the donation of food and also thanks to Five Lamps staff who have volunteered their time to collect the donations and prepare the parcels, Five Lamps were able to provide a parcel of fresh and tinned foods as well as sanitary products to 26 households, in Thornaby and Stockton on Tees.

Amy Richardson, Five Lamps Marketing and Campaigns Manager said,

“Thank you so much to Holy Rosary Church and Morrison’s who have donated food and supplies. Our frontline workers have been able to see first-hand the rising need for food parcels during this time. We have been able to reach 26 households today; however, we are aware of many others who would also benefit from a food parcel. We hope that we can continue to provide food parcels on a weekly basis and donations are key to enable us to do this.”

If any organisations would like to make a donation, please contact Amy Richardson at amyrichardson@fivelamps.org.uk