Each month, ELBA shines a spotlight on one of our community partners. This month we are focusing on Greenwich Carers Centre, an amazing community organisation that provides respite support for carers. The ELBA Team are big admirers of Greenwich Carers Centre. Their innovative approach and passion for supporting those in need have resulted in some fantastic community outcomes.

We spoke to CEO, Stuart Tattersall, to find out a bit more about Greenwich Carers Centre’s work.

1) Hi Stuart, tell us about Greenwich Carers Centre.
We support those amazing people who dedicate their lives to supporting others. Did you know that about 1 in 3 of us will become a carer at some point in our lives? This could be supporting a friend or partner through short illness, or providing longer term support when someone we love enters a vulnerable stage of their life. Many of us simply don’t consider enough the direction our lives may take in response to a loved one needing care and support, but it does happen. People give up their careers, their passions and much of what they do in the world to support someone who needs them and when they do, we are here to help. But for us, it isn’t only about supporting people in their caring role – it’s about bringing people together too. We achieve that by holding events, live music festivals, garden parties and a whole range of wellbeing activities so that being a carer doesn’t mean being a carer alone.

2) What challenges do your services users face?
That is a question you should probably avoid asking a Charity CEO in times of austerity. The issues are many. Support services are being withdrawn due to funding cuts and charities are restructuring, merging or shrinking services to enable them to carry on with less and less money. The landscape out there is changing and changing fast. We may not notice as we go about our daily lives, but at the point our situation changes and we require support for whatever reason, it is likely to become abundantly clear. Unfortunately, it’s not just the reduction of services, the universal credit is a major concern for those who depend on benefits to live, social isolation is becoming a much bigger issue too – not only for carers, but for older people, people with mental health issues, people with disabilities and so on. Navigating your way around a shrinking and ever changing support sector whilst coping with, in some cases, significant life change can be bewildering and emotionally exhausting.

3) Do you have any stories that you would like to share?
Yes, so many. I see things every day that bring a lump to my throat. Last year we put on a programme of live music fundraising events. Our first was particularly scary because we hadn’t done it before. Whilst we were all being incredibly busy, I glanced out of a window into the garden. The local community had come to support us and I saw local families engaging with carers, older isolated people, people with disabilities, people with mental health issues, Dementia, Parkinson’s and so on – and all having a wonderful time. I was so moved that located the person I had tasked with setting up the event, took him to the same window and asked him to look at what he had done. It was beautiful.

One of our team approached me with a proposal to set up a project for vulnerable, older people who were all alone in the world. Of course I said yes and SHINE was born. It took off and changed lives from the outset. Whilst driving the participants home in our minibus, I overheard one lovely lady say to the person next to her; ‘I love coming here, everyone is so friendly – if I didn’t come here on a Wednesday I wouldn’t see another living soul all week because I can’t get out like I used to.’ That, is what matters and that is why we struggle so hard to keep on doing what we do.

4) What are the current challenges that your organisation is facing?
Unless you are a wealthy charity it is always about the money. We have lost 50% of our grant income over the past few years thanks to austerity and cuts to local authority budgets. We have the similar overhead costs to any other organisation, but our grant income is reducing year on year whilst demand for our services grow. We read a lot about ‘fat cat’ charity CEO’s, and sometimes that may be true, but by and large, charity CEO’s and their teams are the last line of defence in protecting the vulnerable against budget cuts. We continuously find new and creative ways of supporting people for less and less money. It is a difficult circle to square but we do it every single day until eventually, it is no longer possible. As the CEO, I do everything in my power to ensure that day doesn’t arrive, it is unbelievably challenging. Right now, we are diversifying which means offsetting funding cuts by setting up services that enable us to generate income commercially. It’ll take time to replace a 50% cut in income, so keeping our charity alive while we make the transition is my immediate priority. If we fail, the impact will be devastating for some many people. Right now, it is all about making the tough decisions.

5) Is there anything else that you would like to share?
Actually there is, last year we put on a high profile live music festival for anyone experiencing social isolation. Forever Young was a completely new concept that brought people together in the spirit of celebration and entertainment. It was predominantly aimed at isolated older people and carers across the borough and was a genuine ‘pull together’ approach involving local charities and the local authority. It was a stunning success, so much so that the Royal Borough of Greenwich commissioned us to do it again this year and we were able to deliver another brilliant event. It is fast becoming an important, permanent fixture in the borough.