Sustainable Community Advice Unit ( SCAU) -Lido refurbishment project to create an improved Community Advice Unit and Enterprise workspace

Completed Project

Lido will refurbish and redecorate a shared office facility by installing re-used modern office furnishing and 25% more desking to meet user’s needs. Over 12 months we will make two shared office areas more suitable to modern working practices, spaces will be functional with up to 3 additional confidential meeting areas and new designated hot-desking Why do you want to carry out your project? The Lido Centre is situated in West Ealing and serves a community of 43,105. 14% of children live in poverty. 3.4% of the population, 0.6% above the average for England, are unemployed. One of the most diverse communities in the UK, 33% of local people are non-white, 40% born outside of the UK and it has the largest Polish and Iranian communities in England . This unique cultural mix has led to a thriving arts, community, voluntary and enterprise sector, which will be bolstered economically with Cross Rail coming to West Ealing station, 3 minutes from the Lido in the next two years 12,000 local residents who access services at the Lido Centre will directly benefit form an additional 20 new groups utilising the centre as an administrative base and delivering frontline services to some of the most vulnerable and deprived communities in London. They benefit by accessing several local services in one hub EXAMPLE via one advice service provider 1,019 named individuals had casework or other meaningful contact. Of this number, 42% were male, 58% female. Service users were from all parts of Ealing borough. The main advice areas were welfare benefits (5%), other (which includes such areas as travel concessions and house adaptations) (32%), and housing (7%). With no CAB (Citizen’s Advice Bureau) operating in Ealing thee is a requirement for a known advice hub. Southall Job Centre has closed. Benefits claimants now attend West Ealing Job Centre, who refer clients to the Lido for additional help with universal credit and digital support limited face to face support provided by Ealing Council. Service users who are vulnerable, struggling or effected by significant life events from, illness, relationship breakdown, loss of job or bereavement are referred to the charities and projects at the Lido Centre, such as A2Dominion’s Advice Plus and weekly digital classes. increased footfall is excellent and the 10 charities based at the Lido are seeing the benefit. 60% reduction in local authority grants. Through customer feedback we are always told how the rooms need to be redecorated, dilapidated furniture is and the flooring is looking dirty with stains. Resident organisations and potential voluntary group clients have all indicated that the Lido Centre is a very useful venue but needs some refurbishment. “If Ealing Mencap are to stay operating out of the Lido it is because we are working alongside a lot of likeminded and useful groups ……… Also the provision is in drastic need of a face lift as it is not the most pleasant of environments from a decorative aspect ….. realise that there is little money for this and this may need to be done in the future, but include new furniture and carpets.” L. D. (Chief Executive Ealing Mencap) 4/2/16 “needs new carpets, nice meeting space for our resident groups just a bit run down” B. M. (Chief Executive Pathways Housing ) 15/3/19. “We’d be interested in hiring the room again in the future, needs a facelift ……. really spoilt for our guests. Fingers crossed ….. as it’s a really nice venue and will be ideal for our West Ealing Liveable Neighbourhoods project.” J. A. (Ealing Council) 26/4/19 “Advice Plus has been an immense success since moving to the Lido assisting over 35 residents per week, we hope that the partition and larger interview rooms will improve the triage service where we include weekly counselling sessions, specialist debt advice all combined with the Digital DIY service to support residents needing assistance to access their new Universal credit accounts online.” P. W. (Advice Plus Co-ordinator) 15/3/19 Lido Centre will continue to be an accessible meeting venue and workspace for organisations that provide frontline services for over 12,000 visitors per annum. New services will be attracted to be based at the centre making ease of referrals by lead professionals or joined up working by case workers much easier for residents with complexed needs who can access several services simultaneously. Example: Advice plus Dosh Mentor had a client needing assistance with an application form during a Wednesday triage session, they simply asked if the Ealing Specialist Advice worker who completes these forms regularly had 20 mins to assist this resident, which they were able to agree and the resident was able to complete the form and post I on the same day without having to make a separate appointment. Local people – many of our resident organisation staff live and work in Ealing and a refurbished Lido Centre would improve the quality of their working lives in the voluntary sector. Volunteers, all express how much they enjoy assisting at reception, we have a range of volunteers some with special educational needs, long term health conditions or who are returning to the job market after a career break. These individuals gain invaluable experience, increase their confidence and first-hand knowledge of frontline delivery issues. As local residents they give over 3,000 hours of service each year and Lido Centre provides over 30 volunteering opportunities to residents. These volunteering opportunities along with access to the Local Job Club can improve the employability for residents. Lido Centre provides a base for services such as spectra who have assisted with over 200 blood pressure check health checks and rapid HIV checks for local residents who are able to walk in to reception and ask for drop-in health check Wednesday evening Will your project provide volunteering opportunities during project design, project delivery and once your project has completed? Lido will continue to provide up to 30 Volunteer per annum the opportunity to support the organisation in various roles, we will publicise these roles via the local volunteer centre, on the DO-IT national website and via our excellent local network. Our 30+ volunteers within the organisation contribute over 3,000 hours per annum. Reception volunteers who help manage us deliver a world class reception for 10 Charities who use the Lido Centre a as an administrative base. Improvements will make the workspaces more open and accessible. Each week 14 different volunteers assist on reception each. We hope that volunteers will be able to greet arrivals with a more commanding authority, then ushering or signposting visitors accordingly with less direct input from Lido staff. This will assist them with future employability or improve their confidence. Some of our volunteers have indicated that they have special educational needs, long-term health conditions – e.g. anxiety, depression or chronic pain, are not confident in speaking English. Many have been away from the labour market and often state that they feel fear about returning to work. Several of our volunteers have demonstrated improved self-esteem, improved business skills and communication styles and there are many who have returned to employment having been out of work for periods of over a decade. Many of our volunteers also admit they enjoy giving their time at reception, it connects them to the local community and helps reduce any feelings of isolation. Several often become involved in other initiatives and for example have gone on to train as community health champions or specialist crisis navigators – gaining confidence to assist many local residents that are feeling stress or are finding it hard in their daily life. “I am very impressed by how much care you have towards volunteering and making sure they know everything. I have been volunteering in a couple of organisations, you are way over the top compared to them. I really enjoyed working in Lido. I learned a dozen of things from you, thank you.” F. Z.H. (Volunteer) 26/4/19 Lido centre also has volunteering opportunities on out Board of Trustees, this enables local persons with skills and interests to offer their time in the sustainable development of this community hub. Ad-hoc volunteer opportunities to help support his project, such as tapping into social media or networking skills to promote the project or specialist with knowledge of the development of community workspaces are welcome to form part of the working group with the Lido Project manager. Our users are local Ealing resident’s particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable groups who are seeking advice, guidance or volunteer opportunities. How will you communicate your plan to local people, who and what channels of communication are you going to use? We will promote co-location space to community groups via the following methods: Social media campaign on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter targeting Facebook groups such as West Ealing Business, West Ealing Friends, Northfields and Hanwell Friends. We will also promote via Ealing Local Strategic Partnership, Ealing Community Network and Ealing CVS. We will communicate via Ealing Today Magazine and other local periodicals that help to attract local stakeholders and persons wishing to support project outcomes Share your plans on how to keep your project sustainable. Explain your plans for the first year and your longer term three-year plan. We will attract a major UK charity to take a 5yr agreement- this will provide the anchor tenant for the advice unit. We will work with local business groups to identify and work with small start-up VCS companies to work in partnership with existing providers. through full cost recovery the newly refurbished units will be sustained. – Lido Centre increased financial sustainability – 10% reduction in energy consumption over 3 year energy contract period through education, behaviour change and increased use of energy saving smart tech. – 20 VCS groups access training, peer-to-peer learning and networking events at Lido Centre – formation of viable partnerships/ value of service contracts and increased number of beneficiaries supported by the Lido centre Sustainability built in: a) Remodel, identify companies to source and upcycle suitable office furniture and fittings. Transport and install furnishings, increase capacity and flexible desking to voluntary sector organisations. b) b) Utilise 90% sustainable materials (Furniture, flooring and décor) 25% sustainably sourced new furniture. c) Donate 20% of Lido furniture to other local community groups, 30% to be offered to 2nd hand office furniture stores. All remaining furniture to be disposed of responsibly with less than 10% to landfill. d) Create desirable office space, which promotes co-working and hot desking in the voluntary sector, encouraging more organisations to use the hub for community activity. – 20 VCS groups increased opportunity to use a local resource in Ealing for frontline service delivery by staff and volunteers – frontline workers will interact with over 17,000 service users annually – measure occupancy quarterly / number of visitors annually – increased recycling and positive sustainability practices implemented – measure quantity of recycling collected, reduced energy consumption – change in attitude towards sustainability – measure annual surveys

Lido Centre 63 Mattock Lane West Ealing W13 9 LA

Lido Centre – is at the heart of Ealing and is situated on corner of Mattock Lane and Northfield Avenue, a few feet away from the Uxbridge road.
We are geographically well situated in Ealing and extremely accessible by public transport routes including several local buses and the soon to be opened Elizabeth line.
We are described as the gateway to west Ealing and border some of the most socially deprived wards in Ealing

Contact Information

Contact Name: Sasha Rhoden

Email: sasha@lidocentre.org.uk

Website: https://www.lidocentre.org.uk/

How you can help

Lido Centre would welcome volunteers that can help space planning or capital refurbishment projects or crowd funding for buildings

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