A charity that has supported Sutton Coldfield residents for 500 years has set out its future plans – after commissioning the biggest piece of research into life in the Royal Town for a quarter of a century.
Image: Dr Lee Gregory, SCCT Chief Executive Tina Swani, and Chair of the Trustees Keith Dudley with the Social Needs Review.
Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust (SCCT), which traces its history back to Tudor times, revealed its Five Year Plan to enhance the quality of life for all in Sutton Coldfield, at an inspirational event called ‘Working Together’ on Tuesday, May 16.
The Charitable Trust, which provides almshouses and gives out annual grants of £1million, based its plan on the Social Needs Review, an exhaustive research document on life in Sutton, carried out by Dr Lee Gregory of Nottingham University, previously University of Birmingham, and research team.
More than 3000 Sutton households and 600 residents were involved in the landmark study, which aimed to capture and reflect changes in the town since a similar research project was last carried out, in 1993.
The ‘Working Together’ event, at the Trinity Centre, invited local charities, volunteers, schools, churches, support groups, Food Banks, sports clubs, arts groups and political leaders to learn about the Five Year Plan and then provide their own feedback and thoughts on its ambitions.
SCCT Chief Executive Tina Swani, who presented the Five Year Plan, said she had been ‘inspired’ by the response to the event and by those who attended.
She said: “The response surpassed my expectations, in that it really showed the power of bringing people from your local community together for one purpose – to enhance the quality of life for all in Sutton Coldfield.
“After all, we are all here to do that, and it was inspirational to have so many like-minded people together in one room, to share our plans and to hear their thoughts.
“One of the things we have taken away from this is a desire to do more of this kind of event – bringing together those who are doing their absolute best, at grass roots level, to support the community in Sutton Coldfield, and who have so much to share in terms of resources and expertise.
“Clearly, by working together, we can all be more effective and ultimately do more good.”
The Five Year Plan sets out SCCT’s direction up to 2028, a year in which both the Trust and the Royal Town celebrate a 500-year milestone.
Using the findings of the Social Needs Review, equality, diversity and inclusion will be part of the fabric of the Five Year Plan, as well as environmental considerations.
Almshouses – to research and assess the future need for the Trust’s almshouses. Its Lingard House estate, in Walmley, currently comprises 18 flats and 28 bungalows providing warden-supported independent living for elderly residents.
Aims include understanding the current and future housing needs of the Town, reaching any potentially overlooked groups, and assessing the energy impact of the current almshouses.
Grants – An expansion of the current Grants programme, with equitable, informed decision making and impact reporting.
Aims include reaching isolated or excluded residents, promoting active lifestyles, reaching people within pockets of poverty across the Town and improved holistic support through a co-ordinated network of community centres.
Heritage, green spaces and community – working with other agencies in the town to help support developing plans and ambitions.
These could include SCCT support for a heritage centre, contributing to the infrastructure of Sutton Park, and supporting the concept of a coordinated network of community centres.
How the Trust is run – Developing financial strategies to increase grant making potential, as well as improving the Trust’s digital accessibility.
Within the organisation, this ambition includes continuing to develop an exceptional team in a great place to work, where people are valued by an inclusive employer where equality, diversity and inclusion permeates the culture and all activities.
Assets – To effectively manage the Trust’s assets, from land to buildings. That includes the replacement of acreage sold and the potential use of assets for charitable purpose and community projects.
The Trust also aims to assess the energy saving and generating potential of assets, as well as considering access to its land and property.
The Social Needs Review was first commissioned in 2019, and sent out 5000 surveys to Sutton Coldfield residents, mapped 246 community organisations, engaged with over 600 residents, carried out 50 interviews and a series of focus groups. The results were a robust set of analysis on life in the Royal Town.
Dr Lee Gregory lead the team behind the Social Needs Review, the findings of which helped formulate SCCT’s Five Year Plan.
He gave a fascinating presentation which summarised the findings of the huge four-year research project.
He said: “Today’s event essentially started the conversation that we need to now have in Sutton Coldfield to think about new ways of addressing the needs highlighted in the review.
“For example, some of the conversations I’ve highlighted showed that lots of statutory services don’t reach as far as Sutton, so we need to discuss how we can meet those unmet needs.
“What is required is for all the organisations that came along today – and many more across the town – to start thinking creatively and collectively about how they can work together to start to address some of the issues that have been highlighted, using the data and research that we have provided.”
Keith Dudley, Chair of the Trustees of SCCT, said:
“I thought the event went very well and the presentations did a good job of providing a quick run though of both the Social Needs Review and our own Five Year Plan.
“It was great to get so many local organisations together here because this really is just a starting point, and now we need to carry on the conversations that were started here today.
“I think if we, as a town, are to address the issues that have been raised by the Social Needs Review, then we need to work together with all of the organisations here today, along with the town council and Birmingham City Council.
“Part of the Trust’s role is as a facilitator, to help bring organisations together, and we were pleased to do that today.”
Representatives from charities, schools, churches and community groups attended the SCCT presentation.
Dr Lee Gregory of Nottingham University talks about the findings of the review.
SCCT Chief Executive Tina Swani.
The team from Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust (SCCT), which has been supporting residents in the Royal Town since the times of Henry VIII.
