The family of a person with disabilities living in a Henshaws’ home said they felt let down and upset when they found out that the service will stop – four months after the original decision was made.
Henshaws announced publicly yesterday that it’s to close supported living services in October – affecting about 21 residents. The charity had told North Yorkshire County Council back in March that it was unable to continue the service.
The Stray Ferret spoke to two families today – one who currently has a family member in assisted living at Henshaws, the other whose child was previously a resident.
Both were deeply critical of the charity’s management of finances. They also said that upper management rarely met with the people who used the service.
The family member whose loved one is currently in care said they were kept in the dark about the decision to close the service and they are now very worried about what happens next.
“The impact of this is on vulnerable adults who don’t have a voice. I feel sorry for the service users and for the staff who work hard and they have been working even harder during coronavirus. We don’t know what will happen next but if there are big changes then it will be hugely traumatic for the disabled people living in Henshaws. The management should be ashamed for letting the finances get to this point.”
Read more on this story:
- When Henshaws will stop its supported living service
- “Home once a week for love and cuddles,” the experience of a family with a loved one in Henshaws during the lockdown
- Why Henshaws is also closing its Arts and Crafts centre
The latest financial account for Henshaws details how in the year up to August 2018, the charity spent £12.3 million – a £1 million more than its income.
Another person who had their child in one of Henshaws’ homes for several years echoed those frustrations:
“I am not surprised that Henshaws has decided to stop its support living service. The staff in charge had tried their best to run a good service but they had not been supported adequately by the head office.”
The charity is also closing its Arts and Crafts service in Knaresborough, which caters to about 160 people.
Henshaws had previously been running a fundraising appeal ‘Art is the Start’ to update the centre to suit the people who use it. But has now concluded the centre is no longer economically viable.
The comments from family members follows a statement yesterday from the charity’s CEO Nick Marr:
Henshaws to close homes service for disabled by October“Henshaws Home Support service was on a knife edge financially and the pressure on local authorities funding these and other places has increased. We are not able to sustain these services so we intend to transition out of providing them, at the latest, in October, to ensure the best continuity can be arranged for the service users. We will be consulting with staff in the service about the future of their roles.”
Henshaws will close its supported living services for adults with learning difficulties in Harrogate by October.
The decision will affect about 21 residents, with a further three having already moved to different care providers. A further 16 people who are not residents receive support and those services will transition as well.
Henshaws has told the families of its intention to withdraw the service and the county council has also written to them to provide support.
Those houses enable people of all ages with sight loss and a range of disabilities to live more independently with 24-hour help from specialist workers.
North Yorkshire County Council also took the opportunity to say that it was disappointed that Henshaws will close its Arts and Crafts service in Knaresborough.
Henshaws had previously been running a fundraising appeal ‘Art is the Start’ to update the centre to suit the people who use it. But has now concluded the centre is no longer economically viable.
Read more on this story:
- “Home once a week for love and cuddles,” the experience of a family with a loved one in Henshaws during the lockdown
- Why Henshaws is also closing its Arts and Crafts centre
In a statement to The Stray Ferret, Henshaws CEO Nick Marr said that the service had been on a “knife-edge financially before the virus.”
“Henshaws Home Support service was on a knife edge financially and the pressure on local authorities funding these and other places has increased. We are not able to sustain these services so we intend to transition out of providing them, at the latest, in October, to ensure the best continuity can be arranged for the service users. We will be consulting with staff in the service about the future of their roles.”
The latest financial account for Henshaws detailed how in the year up to August 2018 the charity was spending £12.3 million – which is £1 million more than its income.
Richard Webb, North Yorkshire County Council Director of Health and Adult Services said:
Henshaws art centre to close “for the foreseeable future”“We were surprised and disappointed to hear this news. Henshaws is much-valued by many people and, along with the other councils that fund people to use their services, we would have expected to have been involved in early discussions about this kind of momentous decision.”
Henshaws has announced its Arts and Crafts centre in Knaresborough will remain closed for the foreseeable future. The centre has been hit hard financially during the current coronavirus crisis which has lead it to make this decision.
The centre was closed before lockdown, in line with safety measures. The centre had previously been running a fundraising appeal ‘Art is the Start’ to update the centre to suit the people who use it. But have now concluded the centre is no longer economically viable.
The charity is now considering options for the future in order to find a sustainable future.
Henshaws Chief Executive Nick Marr said:
“We are now consulting Centre staff about the future of their roles within the organisation. We also know that the Centre and its work are valued hugely by both the Art Makers and the local community. This decision will undoubtedly cause a great deal of distress to our Art Makers and their families and all of our loyal volunteers, as well as to our staff, and we will do everything we can to help during these sad times but we find ourselves unable to continue to provide this service. The financial situation was stretched before lockdown but COVID 19 has had a huge financial impact on us.”
The closure of the Arts and Crafts Centre will likely sadden some of its visitors, but the charity is hopeful for the future.
Read more:
- A mental-health charity in Harrogate launches fundraising appeal to continue helping those in need over lockdown.
- Girlguides use sunflowers to spread a little happiness during coronavirus.
Henshaws Specialist College has remained open to students throughout the crisis. It is hopeful that numbers will be maintained into the new academic year starting in September.
Nick Marr added:
COLUMN: Home once a week for love and cuddles“This is an extremely difficult decision being taken in exceptional circumstances and our team has done, and is doing, some fantastic work supporting hundreds of people across Yorkshire.”
This column is written for The Stray Ferret by Kate Simpson, who’s 16 year old daughter, Tess, graduated from Henshaws College a few years and is now able to live independently in a assisted living home. Kate is a fundraiser for Henshaws charity.
Our daughter Tess is Autistic. At the age of sixteen, as if her plate were not already full enough, a rare brain tumour left her with a severe visual impairment and an array of complex medical conditions we had never even heard the names of.
So, in the very beginning of all this strangeness, I felt my heart begin to quicken, to skip the odd beat and send hurtling, through my whole body, an all too familiar and overwhelming sense of dread and a very specific kind of fear. How was I going to protect her from, explain to her about, and minimise the impact of this brand-new imposter in her life? Throughout her diagnosis, illness, operations, and treatments we had made all the decisions for her. We did the research, we had the conversations, we set the time scales and we made the plans. Most importantly, we were able to defend her world and keep it as comfortable, and as safe as was humanly possible.
This was going to be hugely different. This was completely outside of our control.
Peculiarly, that substance called Adrenalin, which seemed to be almost bursting from my every vein is one of the things which Tessa’s body is no longer able to produce, and a main reason for her highly compromised immune system. We knew the letter was coming.
How could I possibly begin to shelter this independent young woman, no longer under our roof and happily going about her daily life in her assisted living accommodation?
Of course, her physical safety has been a huge concern. For Tess, contracting Covid would be truly life threatening. Fortunately, I learnt incredibly early in her journey along the path to independence that unless I could let go and employ the “trust” factor, that journey would be short and unfulfilled. This situation was calling for a whole different level of trust.
Should we bring her home, tear her away from the place and the people she now felt so secure with. If we did, could we keep her safer. Would we be setting her back; would she ever want to go through the process of leaving us again. Could we even cope with working from home and a full time Tessa. Could she cope with a full time Mum and Dad?
When the letter landed on the door mat, we were told that we would not even be able to visit her for twelve long weeks. The one thing I knew with absolute certainty was that Tess would never be able to understand this. Her life, overnight, had been stripped of all routine and security. There were no outings or external activities. No trips, even to McDonalds, and familiar smiles had been covered with anonymous blue face masks.
Because we were both self-isolating, we were able to successfully challenge the decision. For someone with an adrenal insufficiency, increased levels of stress can be just as detrimental to physical health as any external virus or resulting illness. We have been incredibly lucky. Our girl has been able to come home every Saturday for love and cuddles and a slice of normality. We have been able to give her our own brand of emotional support, as well as support her staff and carers to deliver theirs. I cannot begin to imagine how life during this time could have been for us, has been, for so many others.
Tess is fit and well and coping brilliantly. We have found ways to overcome some of the challenges and to live alongside the others.
My heartbeat, along with the rest of the population’s, is as regular as current circumstances allow, because once a week, I get to hear hers. To feel hers and to see it radiate out in her smile.
Kate’s experiences of Tess’ care at Henshaws have resulted in her being a fundraiser for them. Want to help support those – likes Tess – living with disability? You can donate online at www.henshaws.org.uk
Charities face uncertain future as fundraising events are called off
A tough year lies ahead for charities in the Harrogate district after swathes of fundraising events were cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
From supporters taking part in the London Marathon to their own community activities, charities rely heavily on numerous events in their annual calendars.
Now, with almost every event being cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis, many are left wondering how they will meet their costs.
Stephen Tongue, director of fundraising at Henshaws, said:
“We have got all our usual costs and additional costs of getting back-up staffing and deep cleaning areas – that’s quite expensive.
“It’s a challenging time. We do have some money coming in, but there’s a huge question mark over so many events.”
The charity held an art auction in early March and, even then, attendance was only around half of what was expected. Meanwhile, several upcoming fundraisers have been cancelled, including Knaresborough Beer Festival in May.
Stephen is hopeful two outdoor events – a golf day at Rudding Park and a Yorkshire Three Peaks walk – will be able to take place in June and July, depending on government advice at the time. Its corporate donations, however, may also dwindle over the coming weeks as SMEs in the Harrogate district – a key source of support to Henshaws – struggle to find spare cash.
To make up the shortfall and meet the additional needs of its students during the crisis, Henshaws has launched a new fundraising appeal.
For Open Arms Malawi, which sends around £500,000 per year out to its projects in the African nation, the worries are just as severe. Founded by Harrogate couple Neville and Rosemarie Bevis in 2000, it still has strong links with the town and relies on local people to contribute to its work with orphaned children.
Ashville College has been a long-term supporter of Open Arms Malawi, sending students to volunteer there last summer
Fundraising manager Claire Collins said: “We were having a really good year for fundraising and just starting to look at new and different activities. Everything has been cancelled – all the challenge events, runs, and activities in the schools which support us.
“We have two corporate partners who do trips to Malawi to see how funds are helping and donate significant amounts to us. They still want to support us, but without the trips it’s very difficult: when people see the work, they become really big advocates for what we do.”
The charity has two infant homes, 10 nursery schools and five family homes for older children, as well as an outreach programme supporting families in the community. As yet, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Malawi but, with high numbers elsewhere in Africa, all the homes and schools are taking extra precautions with hand washing and cleaning procedures.
“HIV is still a big problem in Malawi, along with malnutrition,” said Claire. “Coronavirus is a huge risk on top of that. They’re taking it very seriously.”
Claire has set up a new page on the charity’s website to keep supporters informed about the situation in Malawi. They are hoping supporters will still feel able to contribute, despite the difficulties being faced by many families across the Harrogate district.