Page |1

Aiming Higher For

The People of
Suffolk

Newsletter 12
January 2017

Lofty Heights has two clear aims; to improve peoples quality of life in their
own homes whilst providing jobs and training for local young people.

Happy New Year!

The New Year got off to an exciting start for us with a move to new offices. So please make sure you make a
note of our Change of Address and contact details below.
We loved the picturesque office in Little Bealings, even when we wipe the frost from the inside of the windows
(less so on those days), but we have outgrown the space are have joined the thriving community that is
Brightspace.
If you are trying to contact us the only change is to the Office Mainline number: 01473 345301 and you can
write to us (and send cheques to) Brightspace, 160 Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, IP2 0HH. We are very
excited about this, not just because of the heating. We are looking forward to working more closely with
Community Action Suffolk, Talent Match, Activlives and Wheels 2 Work. Thank you to everyone who
had made us feel so welcome.

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301

Page |2
Welcome Georgina!
It is with great excitement that we can introduce you to Georgina Salmon. Our new De-Clutter Service
Project Officer. After an arduous summer, we have scoured the land to find someone who could meet our
long and, often, conflicting list of requirements for this complex and vital post.
Meet Georgina. Our new De-Cluttering Service Project Officer. She
will be carrying out De-Cluttering Assessments and project managing
all aspects of our De-Cluttering work. She is also happy to visit
housing, health and social scare teams around the county to provide
information about the service.
Georgina says I have recently joined the busy team at Lofty Heights

as the new de-cluttering service project officer. My recent work has

been for Alzheimers Society but I have worked in lots of different
areas, with people with learning difficulties, physical disabilities,
mental health issues and I am a qualified social worker. I hope to
bring lots of experience to this new job. Ive been impressed with how
the service works and Im keen to get into my new role. I know the
work will be challenging and tough at times, we are working with
people in difficult circumstances and it is a job that can provide surprises each job is different and never
dull. It has been great getting to know the team and Ive been made welcome. Ive been involved in all
aspects of the work and will soon be let loose on my own to carry out assessment with new customers and
meet the teams who refer work to us. Ive heard great feedback so far, and seen first-hand the hard work,
energy, enthusiasm and professionalism of the team doing the hands-on
work and Im proud to now be part of the Lofty Heights Team.
Team News
Another great milestone, Simon recently passed his Driving Test. This is a
massive achievement for him and he is thrilled to be off his moped this
winter and enjoying his first car
Simons road to success started when he swapped points he had earned last year, as part of the Lofty Height
Health Project, (to improve the life chances of young people) for a few driving lessons. He got on so well that
when he got paid each month he booked more driving lessons. He passed his driving theory test earlier in the
summer and immediately applied for his driving test, which he passed first time. A man of few words, Simon
said, Its given me more freedom and its got me out of the cold and wet.

We recently bid farewell to Derrick, our gentle giant. He was one of the first young
people employed by Lofty Heights, one of our founding members. He has a long held
ambition to run his own business with the cars that he loves. We hope he picked up
some useful trips and an understanding of the challenges involved in setting up and
running a business and we wish him all the best success.

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301

Page |3
Ringing in the Changes
Last year Lofty Heights was picked to be part of the British Gas Ignite Programme. The 12-month
business accelerator programme aimed at Social Enterprises to help them become investment ready and
sustainable.
After a year of working with a team of volunteers from British Gas, who gave Olive coaching, mentoring,
business, financial and marketing advice, we are looking forward to putting what has been learned into
practice.
We start by improving our marketing. in order to promote our services more widely, generate more work and
ultimately more income. As this will help us to further our social aims which are to create more employment
opportunities for young people and help vulnerable people in the community.
The Ignite team have helped us refresh our website which we are excited about launching very soon.
Announcements will be made on Facebook and Twitter when all the tweaks have been completed. We hope
that you will find our new website more informative and easier to use. We would love to hear what you think
about it in due course.
They have also helped us to design a postcard to deliver in local areas we are working in to better promote
our services and generate more work.
Beyond that we are working on replacing our leaflets so that they reflect the wider range of services we now
offer, our new base and staff changes.
We are also making changes to our record keeping and computer systems this is not a glamourous or
exciting event but it will make us more efficient and effective behind the scenes.
All of this is expensive. Its fair to say that you must speculate to accumulate but, again, without funding we
must pay for this out of our generated income, leaving us with less to invest in our young people.
Changes to Charges
We cannot put it off any longer. After two rises in the minimum wage and the pension rules Lofty Heights is
having to succumb to the inevitable and will be increasing its hourly rate from January. We are still finalising
the details but we hope that our customers understand the current financial climate and will continue to
support us.
Lofty Heights Services
Though our roots are in loft clearance our range of services have extended greatly since we began. The very
latest that we are adding to our repertoire is Resourcing (because we thought Personal Shopping sounded too
flippant). In cases of Hospital Discharge we can source items needed to complete jobs; things like furniture,
curtains, bookcases are all examples of items that weve been asked to acquire to make homes habitable for
hospital discharge to be expedited.
Do remember that we also do garden clearance, deep cleaning, downsizing, small removals and decorating
jobs. Our services have developed in direct response to our customers needs, we listen; ask us and we will
try to help.

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301

Page |4
Lofty Heights Added Value
At the recent Social Enterprise in Suffolk Conference at Suffolk County Council attended by Olive and
Jaki we learned about the new commissioning process for Local Authorities. There is more weight being put
on the Social Value of companies providing a quote than the previous system of buying in the cheapest
labour.
Do you need to show this when you apply for funding? If so, let us tell you what you get when you employ
Lofty Heights:
We:

Only hire NEETs and we give them bespoke training to support and encourage them, personally
and professionally, as we prepare them for employment.
Have two teams of De-Clutter Professionals. All of
them came to us as NEETs. But are now working
men
Are supporting our local communities and
working to increase employability in our young
people.
Provide REAL work and training for young
people not just a temporary scheme that
adjusts government figures for six weeks at a
time.
Enable young people to improve the lives of older or vulnerable people in their communities. By
working with these groups our young people re-integrate with society and become invested in its
future.
Are a Not for Profit Social Enterprise. This does not mean that we are cheaper but it does mean
that the fees we charge support ALL that we do.
Will not profit from the work we do we will charge a fee agreed in advance and then any item that is
removed from your home/business goes where you chose it to go. We have signposted items of value
that have then gone to auction and earned upwards of a thousand pounds for the owners.

If we just wanted to run a company and makes a profit, we would hire work ready people, with the
qualifications we need (and dont have to pay for) and with experience. We would invest the least in getting
our desired outcomes. We would hire people on zero hour contracts, expect them to use their own vehicles
for little return and we would give them a work load that provided maximum return for their time and make a
profit for shareholders. WE DONT DO THIS. And We Wont Ever Do This.
By employing Lofty Heights, you dont just get a job well done, you are investing in the young people of
Suffolk and creating stronger communities.

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301

Page |5
Case Study
This months case study involves a gentleman in Suffolk Coastal. Mr A is in his late eighties and has been
pottering about quite merrily until 6-8 months ago. Only after a medical issue did he come to anybodys
attention (very common with private householders). His hospital discharge was delayed when he was
found to be living in a very cluttered, unhygienic home, he used a mobility scooter but was finding every
day chores more and more arduous. Lofty Heights did some work to make his home immediately more
habitable so that he could go home. With the help of social services Mr A engaged a carer to visit regularly
and provide help, he set up meal deliveries and began to take better care of himself.
Still very independent Mr A sought advice about sheltered housing around Suffolk. He was given poor
advice, or advice that he interpreted poorly, and believed that he would only be able to move to a sheltered
scheme once he had sold his home. This is not the case. However, Mr A contacted Lofty Heights once more,
this time with a view to preparing his home for sale to facilitate that move.
Between Lofty Heights and Mr As social worker we managed to clarify the situation. The gentleman who had
been reluctant to part with anything the first time we worked with him fully embraced the de-clutter this
time. Having a goal in mind is a wonderful motivator. The two and a half days we scheduled ran into four
whole days, and three skips, as we de-cluttered several rooms, the loft, shed and then cleared the gardens,
front and back. It was a big job.

On a follow up call the next week I spoke to Mr A to ensure he was happy with the work. It was during a cold
snap. He mentioned, quite casually, that his heating had been out of action for ten days and he had lost the
keys to his mobility scooter, he was housebound without it. He assured me that he was quite fine, eking out
his delivered meals to make them last longer and keeping warm by drinking instant gravy. Horrified, a quick
call to Olive verified that we couldnt stand by and let that carry on. Within the hour we sent the team out,
fetched Mr A some much needed supplies and left him much more comfortable than before. We then
updated his social worker (who had arranged emergency heating but had not been informed that it
hadnt been delivered the week before).
We are not an emergency service. We are not commissioned to do the extra things that we do (certainly not
shopping) but, thankfully, we are not only allowed but encouraged by Olive to do the right thing.
The best news is that Mr A moved into his new residential accommodation within a month of our rescue
mission.

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301

Page |6
Donation of Renault Clio
One generous person, who gets what Lofty Heights is about, recently donated an old, no longer needed family
car to us. The car has been fully checked out and has a clean bill of health. It is being used as a pool car by
the team. Although we have only had it a short time, it is already helping us to keep some of our travel costs
down and enabled us to take on extra work. We are extremely grateful to the donor who wished to remain
anonymous. (Page 2 Simon is modelling our fabulous pool car).
Round Up From Our Team
Alex said This year has gone well for Lofty Heights in that work flow has increased and stayed constant. We
are now moving to a bigger office and new people have joined us. It seems to me Lofty Heights is finally
getting were Olive and the rest of the team wants it to be heading. This year coming is going to be the next
big step for us and we are looking forward to it.
Words from Olive!
January, for me, is a time of reflection and forward planning. Looking back it has been an exciting year and
since June 2016 challenging, as we lost Juliet Freeman from our team because funding for her post ran out.
However, our team of young people really stepped up to the mark, taking on more responsibility and as usual
going the extra mile so that our services and the support we give to vulnerable people were not interrupted.
One door closed and others opened. Not long after losing Juliet we received the good news that the
Tudor Trust was prepared to provide two years funding so that we could create a new de-clutter project
officer post. However, it took almost 6 months and two recruitment rounds to find the right person. I think we
have struck gold and welcome Georgina Salmon to our team.
I feel fortunate that I have around me a group of people who believe in me and who get my vision for Lofty
Heights. I would like to take this opportunity to thank one person in particular, Ewan Philips, who has helped
me over this busy period with some essential business development tasks and for finding Jaki Field who has
been helping me out in the office. Jaki is on a temporary contract but she has proved to be such an asset that
I am seeking funding to keep her in post. Could you help with this?
We have seen an increase in demand on our de-cluttering service over the last six months and enabled more
than 25 hospital discharges to take place. With the NHS and Social Care under so much pressure to free up
hospital beds quickly, this is an area of work we would very much like to expand if funding could be secured
or our services commissioned by Health and Social Care.
Moving into new offices in Brightspace is a huge leap forward for us as just over 4 years ago, Lofty Heights
was run from my kitchen table, the garden shed, back of the van and various McDonalds around the county. I
am excited about 2017 and the prospect of us all working together, reaching new heights, to create more
employment for young people and helping more vulnerable people to have warmer, safer, cosier homes.
For more information about any of our services or if you would like to arrange a visit to our new office please
give Olive a call on 07745215114 or phone us on 01473 345301.
Happy New Year to all of you from all of us at Lofty Heights
Olive Quinton
Founding CEO
Lofty Heights

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301

Page |7

www.lofty-heights.org

info@lofty-heights.org

Tel: 01473 345301