Unlike the majority of the over 1600 independent Almshouse charities across the country, who prioritise their accommodation for the over-50s, Saffron Walden Almshouses welcome applicants of all ages and at different stages of life. Many of these are very low on the local council priority list for affordable housing and even if they are successful in being allocated a home, they are often required to move out of the town. This includes the elderly, single parents and those whose life circumstances make it difficult to take on the high cost of market rents.
The accommodation on our site is spread across several buildings. The current seven, single-storey units on Primes Close were added to the site in the 1950s and in spite of ongoing improvement and costly repair, they continue to suffer from significant condensation issues.
This is a serious concern as it supports the growth of black spot mould which aggravates respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis. Continued attempts to upgrade these units have been unsuccessful, causing us to assess how to retain these as habitable homes and the advice we have received suggests that demolition and replacement would be a more cost-effective and enduring solution to the problem. Having become uninhabitable, these units are now empty.
After many years of planning, the result is Project Crocus, a development of 16 sensitively designed, energy-efficient new properties that replace the existing seven bungalows on Primes Close.
Project Crocus will have the following benefits:
- Sixteen, new, affordable, wheelchair accessible homes with easy access to the town centre will be provided for local people in need, increasing our capacity by nine homes. With the additional accommodation, we can ensure that more local people get to stay in Saffron Walden and are not forced to move away from loved ones and work. Most new homes for rent in the town are for those who are retired, our almshouses will be available to adults of working age, as well as those who are retired, helping to fill an accommodation gap. The almshouses help to relieve pressure on social housing providers through offering an alternative solution to those on low incomes. The new homes will be highly energy efficient greatly reducing energy costs for the residents and contributing to society’s climate change targets. The project will contribute to the reduction of the flood risk in the town through the replacement of a section of the underground culvert. Our almshouses help to maintain diversity in Saffron Walden, meaning people from all economic backgrounds can live, work and socialise together. Almshouse homes have been shown to increase life expectancy for residents compared to the general population by up to two and a half years by helping to reduce social isolation and loneliness in a unique community of residents in a safe space.
We are currently working with specialist fundraising consultants, Gifted Philanthropy, (who have previously worked on the Crocus Campaign for approximately two years), who have designed a Fundraising Strategy for us, which now needs implementing. Through this Strategy, we hope to raise as much as £3 million towards the £5.5 million Crocus Campaign. In addition, we want to build for the future, and to prepare ourselves to take advantage of funding opportunities that arise to meet the maintenance needs of our heritage assets on site, such as the main building.
The Fundraising Manager will act as a key member of our staff in organisational development, reporting directly to our Trustees, and supported by a smaller Fundraising Committee. The Fundraising Manager will work closely with the Project Lead.
In taking forward the Fundraising Strategy, we need you to continue to identify and articulate key areas for support, research relevant funding potential and secure income through the development and execution of both the short and long-term fundraising strategy across the funding spectrum. Whilst the primary focus is the completion of the Crocus Campaign, we need you to have the confidence and experience to help us to deliver a longer-term strategic approach to continued fundraising, based on organisational and business objectives.
You will be responsible for driving the fundraising in all areas, from completing complex bids to grant-making Trusts and Foundations to managing and utilising the skills of the Trustees and wider volunteer network.
You will build and maintain a loyal network of supporters so whilst your organisation and bid-writing skills will be really important, so will your ability to represent us, our work and all that we stand for in negotiations with partners, sponsors, major donors and the public.
During the first three months of your role, you will receive mentoring from our colleagues at Gifted Philanthropy, giving the support and guidance you need to grow the role, to grow or refresh your fundraising skillset, and to complete a data handover from previous fundraising efforts.
We are happy to consider either a freelance consultant or an in-house role for this 18-month appointment and would welcome applicants from both standpoints.
Candidates should return a CV along with a supporting statement of not more than three pages addressing the person specification attached, by insert Thursday 7th November 2024 at 5pm, to John Kerr at jkerr@swalmshouses.org
Any questions regarding the role can also be sent to the above email.
