Consortium Building
In response to the recent meeting on tendering as a consortium, below is a summary of local VCS organisations (in alphabetical order) that are looking for potential partners.
In addition, please view the LawWorks briefing , a charity that identifies free legal support from lawyers / solicitors that are willing to offer their time in kind to local VCS groups / organisations. For development of consortia / partnerships, legal support will be required to check agreements and relationships between different partners. If you are planning on putting a consortium / partnership together, please contact Fuad Uddin at CVS Hounslow for further support.
Age Concern Hounslow
Address: Alexandra House, Albany Road, Brentford, TW8 0NE
Tel: 020 2560 6969 Fax: 020 8560 9119
Email: StephenHawkins@ageconcernhounslow.org.uk
Web: www.ageconcernhounslow.org.uk
Contact person: Stephen Hawkins (Chief Officer)
Summary of Activities
Established in 1993 and has provided services for older people in Hounslow since that time, with funding from Hounslow Council, charitable trusts and the corporate sector. The organisation runs a range of projects and services for older people including an information and advice service, a programme of activities and social groups, a befriending scheme, health programmes with hard to reach communities, an internet café and charity shop, and a number of practical services such as fitting of security devices.
The organisation recognises that strengthening collaboration is a key component of planning for the future. Existing partnerships have been formed as a result of the shared philosophy of working with the broad spectrum of needs of older people, as well as from a desire to work together in order to meet the challenges of the personalisation agenda.
Age Concern Hounslow is keen to explore further partnership working, including consortium approaches to tendering and sub-contracting. In recent years the Charity has outsourced its financial processing and acquired a case management database to create an infrastructure which can be used to build the capacity of smaller groups. Partnership working is seen as a way of developing flexible and responsive services for older people and to enhance the potential for cross-sector working with specialist agencies, including housing associations.
Centre for Armenian Information & Advice (CAIA)
Address: Hayashen, 105a Mill Hill Road, Acton, London W3 8JF
Tel: 020 8992 4621 Fax: 020 8993 8953
Email: info@caia.org.uk
Web: www.caia.org.uk
Contact person: Misak Ohanian (CEO)
Summary of Activities
Advice & Information
LSC Quality Marked culturally sensitive assistance and support for housing, welfare benefits and immigration. Helping with completing housing and benefit applications, providing interpretation for clients to access statutory services, referrals for social housing. 700+ users/year. (48 residents from LB of Hounslow in 2008/9)
Social/Lunch Club for Older People
Mondays and Fridays, offering a variety of informative & recreational activities, nutritious meals, and health talks/workshops in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies, cultural celebrations, and outings. 180 users/year visiting 2,500+ times. (40 older people/carers from LB of Hounslow)
Free door to door mini-bus service
For frail and disabled to help attend. (16 older people/carers from LB of Hounslow provided free lifts almost 1000 times during 2008/9)
Health Advocacy & Outreach project for Older people
Offering support to older/disabled Armenians and carers who have health and care problems. (20 residents from LB of Hounslow)
“Armenian Voice”
Our bi-lingual newsletter posted free to 3000 Armenian homes (400 homes in LB of Hounslow) to raise awareness about CAIA’s services and promote community networking. Additionally we actively maintain a website, www.caia.org.uk which annually receives 4000 hits.
Home-Start Hounslow
Address: Ermine Centre, 18 Ermine Close, Hounslow, TW4 7PW
Tel: 020 8577 9552
Email: margaret_homestart_hounslow@yahoo.co.uk
Contact person: Margaret O’Connor (Senior Coordinator)
Summary of Activities
Home-Start Hounslow recruits and trains volunteers to provide a community based model of outreach support for families.
Support is provided in the home working alongside parents and children to:
- reduce isolation and build confidence
- strengthen relationships
- develop the ability to cope
- enable better informed decision making
- encourage independence
We provide flexible tailored support to a wide range of families including:
- teenage and single parent families
- families with family members with physical or sensory disabilities
- families with family members with mental health issues
- survivors of domestic violence
- homeless families
- refugees
There must be at least one child under the age of five in the household and they must live within the borough of Hounslow.
Home-Start offers support where it is needed in a way that parents find helpful
- The relationship between Home-Start Hounslow and the family is established by choice
- It is not influenced by power or money
- Home-Start recognises the diversity in families and respects the special cultural, racial, ethnic and religious traditions within the community of Hounslow
- This diversity is also mirrored by the diverse mix and backgrounds of the Volunteers recruited
Support includes emotional and practical help, including:
- Coping with the stresses of family life
- Assistance with forms and documents
- Benefits
- Safety
- Housing
- Accessing services
- Accessing training, education and work
The Indian Gymkhana Club
Address: Thornbury Avenue, Osterley, Isleworth, Middx. TW7 4NQ
Tel: 020 8568 4009
Email: smita.patel@hotmail.co.uk
Web: www.indiangymkhanaclub.co.uk
Contact person: Smita Patel (Project Manager)
Summary of Activities
Founded in 1916, the Indian Gymkhana Club is the largest and longest standing Asian Sports Club in the UK. Membership is open to all races and religions and serves as a multi-racial centre for old and young people for sports and physical wellbeing. Three key sports by the club include Hockey, Cricket and Football.
Since 2004, the Club has hosted Healthy Living fitness classes for over 50s. The project’s activities include
- making physical activities accessible.
- promoting healthy lifestyles, especially for over 50s with medical conditions; giving priority to people discharged from hospitals, especially to post-stroke and heart-condition patients
- offering targeted sessions for people with other ailments including back pain
- provide a social atmosphere for over 50s in their pursuit of wellbeing
Other activities include
- Yoga
- Power Walking
- Body Conditioning
- Chair Based Exercise
The continuous work of five years of the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Project for Hounslow over 50s has provided evidence of the importance of exercise programs and its popularity is a testament to its success. The project offers three levels of benefits:
At an individual level, it assists the recovery of people who already suffer from medical conditions and require rehabilitation, serving as a preventative measure for the preservation of health of older adults.
At a societal level, it helps build stronger community linkages and helps families to cope with ageing relatives.
At an expenditure level, it aids improving overall health and fitness for over 50s, thereby reducing care costs, which ultimately reduces the burden on statutory resources.
The Open House Project – Parish of Brentford
Address: St. Paul’s Centre, St. Paul’s Road, Brentford TW8 0PN
Tel: 020 8568 7442
Email: denise.colliver@parishofbrentford.org.uk
Web: http://www.parishofbrentford.org.uk/openhousecafe.htm
Contact person: Denise Colliver (Project Manager)
Summary of Activities
What is Open House?
Open House is a non-profit making, community café based at St. Paul’s Centre with good facilities for disabled access.
It is the central hub of the community outreach of the Parish of Brentford.
What are its aims and objectives?
Open House welcomes and serves all members of the community. It also supports the lonely and unemployed, those without a network of friends, the elderly, disabled and those caring for young children, who can meet and find mutual support. It recognises the need to deal with the whole person; to endeavour to satisfy both spiritual and physical hunger.
It achieves its aims by:
-
Being welcoming and open to all
- Providing low cost, well prepared, healthy food
- Training and providing ‘befrienders’ to listen
- Training and supporting the volunteers who serve in the café
- Providing disabled access and facilities
- Encouraging the interaction between business and the community
- Co operating with other charities, voluntary bodies or statutory authorities
The Star Centre
Address: 63-65 Bell Road, Hounslow, Middx. TW3 3NX
Tel: 020 8572 4211 Fax: 020 8814 0311
Email: thestarcentre@btconnect.com
Contact person: Mark Raven (Director)
Summary of Activities:
A well-established mental health day centre providing responsive services that support mental well-being. Based in Hounslow, we work with people who are vulnerable due to enduring mental health conditions. The main objectives of the organisation are to:
- work to prevent further mental health deterioration
- reduce isolation by promoting community integration
- maintain and improve the quality of life for people
- empower people by promoting the recovery of self-esteem and self-confidence
- rebuild social skills and coping strategies
- create vocational opportunities
- work collaboratively with other local organisations.
The centre offers a responsive mix of cultural, employment, educational, therapeutic, recreational, drop-in and out of hours activities. Access to the drop-in and activities is non-referral – we are a walk in service – no appointments are necessary. It is evident that people require the service the centre offers – there are 300 people on our records, 200 of which attend on a regular basis.
In 2008 the centre won the GlaxoSmithKline LOCAL Health Award for being a provider of excellence in community healthcare. The centre previously won the award in 2004. For more details, please see our website – www.thestarcentre.org.uk
Twining Enterprise
Address: Suite A, 2nd Floor, 84 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W13 8RA
Tel: 020 8840 8833 Fax: 020 8814 0311
Email: a.webb@twiningenterprise.org.uk
Web: www.twiningenterprise.org.uk
Contact person: Andy Webb (Quality and Development Manager)
Summary of Activities:
Twining Enterprise is an established West London-based charity with 14 years experience of providing vocational support to people with mental health needs, currently delivering services in Hounslow, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham. We are independent and work in partnership with health care, employment and learning organisations to integrate our services into local communities and make them accessible to all.
Work and learning are an important part of an active, healthy life and key to mental wellbeing. At Twining, we believe that everyone is able to work given the right support. Our unique range of services enables our beneficiaries to progress quickly and enjoyably to their chosen work and learning goals.
Our services are developed with the active involvement of our beneficiaries and are delivered in many local health care, employment, learning and community settings and include;
- Matrix accredited Information, Advice and Guidance on work and learning.
- Support in accessing work, learning or volunteering. On a one-to-one basis advisors can help with job searching, CVs and application forms, interview skills, job brokering and will keep in touch on an ongoing basis once a client is working.
- Retention services help people who are experiencing difficulties to keep their job/college course.
- Employability skills training for people where low skills level is a barrier to employment.
- Employer engagement to help reduce stigma in the workplace and give practical advice to both support specific individuals’ needs and meet general requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
