P3rspectives March 2023

P 3 R S P E C T I V E S

Jo Summers, Chief Operating Officer

GUEST EDITORIAL IN FOCUS

Regenerating Gainsborough

FINDING VOICES

Poetry and Prose by People of P3

Our Mission

We work alongside people to improve lives and communities, to unlock potential and open up new possibilities

Who we are

We’re a charity and social enterprise, made up of passionate people who care about people. We run a variety of services all across the UK that aim to give everyone the chance to be part of the community they live in and feel connected to society. We think that everyone is unique and, with support and confidence, can unlock their inner potential to open up a world of possibilities.

The key areas that we work in are:

• Homelessness

• Mental health

• Employment, education & training

• Youth services

• Children & pl ay

• Community-based support & advice

Join Us!

As you know, it’s all about people at P3.

The reason we deliver such excellent services is because we have such excellent people working for them.

Here at P3 we’re always on the lookout for passionate, supportive and kind people who have what it takes to join our team.

The right personality and a non-judgemental, can-do attitude are key – we can teach you the rest and watch your confidence grow. We offer an inclusive, welcoming team culture as well as tailored training and supervision sessions so you can develop professionally in your role and enjoy a career in social care.

Joining the P3 team is to be part of something special. We are an organisation which truly values diversity and we’re not just a good pl ace, we’re a great pl ace to work. We’ve won industry awards, offer an excellent employee benefits package, and we’re flexible and supportive

Want to be in P3rspectives?

Perhaps P3 is currently working alongside you, or has done in the past. Maybe you’re a member of staff or a volunteer. Whatever your connection to P3, we want to hear from you! Send us your news, stories, poems, artwork … we want it all!

Email: comms@p3charity.org

Phone: 0115 850 8190 and ask for Comms.

In fact, many of the people who work for us today are people who have accessed our services in the past and understand first-hand what it’s like to go through a tough time. Who could be better suited to working alongside people facing simil ar challenges?

We have so many great opportunities avail able at P3. Visit https://p3people.ciphr-irecruit.com/ Applicants/vacancy to view our current roles and apply today!

The P3 Comms team: Lou, Steve, Rach and Zara.

ALL CHANGE IN GAINSBOROUGH

I’ve been with P3 for 20 years now (started in 2003 – oh my!) Since there were just two services, both in Wolverhampton: a 54-bed direct access service and Dickens Lodge, which we still have. I never thought I’d need to go off the A38 …

You can imagine I’ve seen a lot of change and challenges in 20 years, but I still knew we had our work cut out for us when we started regenerating the town of Gainsborough in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire

Some living conditions were awful. One family had a pl ant growing in the conservatory. Another had no bathroom door because the gap wasn’t big enough

Housing is at a premium; if you have a poor credit history or have been evicted in the past, you had to take what was avail able

So yes, as the 24th most deprived area of Engl and, investment was needed.

Gainsborough has issues with quality of housing, empty homes, absent and uncaring l andlords, antisocial behaviour and social inequality.

And so we’re on it!

A FULL REGENERATION

We’re working with West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) which has pledged £1 million of investment for a full regeneration project to give the people of Gainsborough the homes, resources, opportunities and community that they deserve.

There’s a full story on page 5.

And, I mention it here because it’s so important to me. Nobody should live the way people were and are living in Gainsborough

There were so many things we could do to change people’s lives there. We had to!

IT’S ABOUT A TOTAL REGENERATION

So I was gl ad to spearhead the project And now, of course, we have the fantastic Rachel Hampton and Rhiannon Watson on the ground there. Rhiannon deals with acquiring properties and Rachel is the human face and point of contact for people

IT’S WHAT WE WORK FOR

Gainsborough represents everything I’ve worked for in my career: long-term commitment, positive changes, tenancies for life, partnership and empowering people.

It’s not just a sticking pl aster. It’s about total regeneration so that people have safe, secure and comfortable homes as well as a strong community with good facilities and real opportunities around them

We now have 43 properties that families can call home and more will follow

Jo Summers will retire this spring after 20 y ears’ loyal service. Her legacy as Chief Operating Officer and P3 Housing Chief Executiv e will continue in the social impact deliv ered across all P3 services as people are housed, reconnected to their community and able to access meaningful employment opportunities.

Thank y ou Jo!

Everybody Gonna Shine

The party for our first P3 Conference in three years was themed ‘Be Your Unique You’. How everybody dazzled!

Go Gemma!

P3 Director of Strategy & Innovation

Gemma Bukel, was named a finalist for the prestigious Women In Social Enterprise (WISE) 2023 Social Business Leader of the Year Award!

Ladders of Life

The Ladders of Life album by young musicians at Rugby Portobello Trust is now avail able at https://tinyurl.com/ l addersoflife

Love Letters is your next ear worm…

www.p3charity.org

Cheshire Means Business

Massive congratul ations to P3 Cheshire for being a finalist for Charity of the Year in the North East Cheshire Business Awards!

Safety First

The P3 Gloucestershire and NHS joint project One Gloucestershire won the Safeguarding title at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2022. It works to ensure people are discharged from hospital with dignity

Events roun d up 4

MAKING GAINS

A house pl ant sounds lovely – but what about when it’s growing through the wall from outside?

Marian* in Gainsborough had lived in her home for five years with her children – but the house pl ant growing through her water-damaged lean-to conservatory was just one issue.

Her front door was rotten and could be kicked in, a hob on her cooker didn’t work and a window in her son’s bedroom didn’t open, so the room was stifling in summer.

Her landlord had promised to fix the problems, but never did.

Marian wasn’t the only one. Viol a* had been living in a house with untreated wooden doors, front and back, and the gap beneath it was so l arge her cat would sit and watch the street through it Her floors were bare sl ats.

There were holes in her walls that her l andlord merely stuffed with boxes of sanitary towels. At one point, Viol a was nearly hit by three falling bricks when she left her house.

“You see, most of the l andlords don’t even live here,” expl ained Rachel Hampton, Neighbourhood Manager in Gainsborough.

“One of the people we work alongside was telling me that the chap who owned their property was on an isl and somewhere in the Bahamas!”

But many Gainsborough people, such as Marian, Viol a and others, have recently found themselves with a much more local and involved l andlord …

P3 is purchasing, renovating and letting over 100 homes there.

A FULL REGENERATION

It is part of a full regeneration project led by P3 Housing Chief Executive Jo Summers, with Property Manager Rhiannon Watson on the ground to find properties and oversee their acquisition in the area.

West Lindsey District Council has pledged £1 million for the cause.

Now P3 is working to rejuvenate Gainsborough overall by destabilising rogue l andlords, improving opportunities in the area and strengthening the community.

At the time of writing, 43 properties have been acquired.

THE DIFFERENCE WITH P3 HOUSING

Marian only found out her home had been sold when Rachel visited her

She was surprised, but even more so when she saw that her new l andlord cared about the state of her home and got the P3 Maintenance team over to undertake the necessary repairs. They even fixed a wonky cupboard!

“She was beside herself,” Rachel said. “She was saying, ‘You’ve done what you’ve said you were going to do.’ She was quite overwhelmed with the fact that we had just said, that needs fixing, bang and we’d just gone in and done it.

“I think that makes the difference We’ve listened and we’ve said, OK, this is what we can do, this is what we can’t do Some is your responsibility, some is our responsibility, but this is your home and P3 and I want you to be comfortable in it ”

The lean-to, with its unwelcome pl ant, had previously been a dumping ground for Marian, but now she pl ans to obtain furniture for it and use it for pleasure.

Another new P3 tenant assumed it was bad news when Rachel asked to visit her over the winter. It never occurred to her that Rachel simply wanted to give her a Christmas card and a small gift – not evict her

REHOUSING WITH P3

Another tenant, Kathy*, and her children moved to a P3 property after Kathy split up with her partner. He and his family harassed them relentlessly –breaking windows and attacking her car, leaving her daughters terrified …

“My ex-partner was supposed to pay the rent and I got into bad rent arrears,” Kathy recalled. “I thought rent was being paid and it wasn’t, but the house was in my name. So being rehoused was very hard I couldn’t get a guarantor It was an absolute nightmare.”

They initially stayed with family, but there wasn’t enough space. However, Kathy contacted P3 after hearing about us from a friend – and after a few weeks, there was somewhere for them.

“Rachel was brilliant. She did pretty much all the admin work for moving in, helped with setting up my rent and picked up a sofa for me. And I just love the pl ace It’s modern, the kids love it and have made friends on the street and the neighbours are lovely

“In my previous fl at it was so hard to get hold of someone if you needed something and then they’d take weeks to come out, but if I contact Rachel, she’s sorting it out within a couple of days

“I don’t know what would have happened if we’d stayed in our old pl ace ”

TAKING AW

Liam* considers the Gainsborough project a lifesaver. A passionate craftsman, cook and gardener, he spent six years getting the garden exactly as he liked it, with a worm composter, greenhouse, rain butt and more. He intended never to move again.

So when he got a call saying he was going to have to vacate his property, his blood pressure for which he was already on medication went dangerously high

“I was almost fainting when it happened,” he said “My blood pressure goes up just thinking about it.”

But within days, a letter came through the door from P3, letting him know that he had a new l andlord and he would not need to leave

“It was like P3 came to my rescue. The letter told me not to worry, gave me Rachel’s contact details and asked me to let her know when she could visit me ”

Liam’s home had been in decent condition, but a damaged fence has now been properly repaired

“I’ve never had a l andlord that’s so caring,” he said “Normally you’re lucky to hear from your l andlord once a year. They really are amazing.”

This regenterm proje in it togeth remain compartnershi

EAST IS EAST

NEW MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES

Meanwhile, P3 has also begun offering mental health support services for people in Rutl and and Leicester who require it, even if they have no previous experience of mental ill-health.

It includes a drop-in service (no appointments necessary) and a community recovery programme to offer assistance to people wherever they live in these areas.

MEANWHILE OVER IN DERBYSHIRE …

P3 is glad to be expanding its services in the East Midlands, supporting people with accommodation, mental health and other important needs.

In Nottinghamshire, P3 is working with the County Council to set up new accommodation and support services in Mansfield and Sutton-inAshfield for young parents and their children

As well as providing four self-contained homes on one site with shared spaces for education and activities plus six more homes throughout both towns, the service will also create new jobs and opportunities in the area.

In addition, young people with simil ar life experiences to those receiving the support will be made Peer Mentors to help offer understanding and advice

BELIEVING IN PEOPLE

“At P3 we believe in people and work alongside them to achieve their potential,” said Rebecca Harrington-Leigh, Director of Services.

“I’m really excited about this service, it will provide amazing opportunities for young parents and their children to lead fulfilled, positive lives as a family.

“We’ve got pl ans such as a Grow Your Own project, where people can enjoy the therapeutic effects of gardening, and our Activities and Pl ay Lead will ensure young families can enjoy educational and beneficial activities such as outings, pl ay activities on site and time to socialise ”

The Mental Health Helpline and Support Service was named Specialist Team of the Year in the Team Derbyshire Healthcare Hearts Awards.

This service is a partnership between P3, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

It provides expert guidance for people in Derbyshire and Derby City who are experiencing mental ill-health or concerns

Here’s what one caller had to say about the support they received:

“Thank you for the tremendous support work avail able to us within this county. I was in great need l ast night at 1 00am and I was able to call and speak to a person who simply listened and was a source of comfort in my difficulties I found the support team to be very polite, able to answer my questions and so professional ”

OUR HOME PLANET

CREATING A PLAN FOR CARBON REDUCTION

“We are clear there is a very real Climate Emergency which will require immediate and radical action by everyone, and our charity is not exempt from this,” said P3 CEO Mark Simms.

“We believe, based on the facts we know today, alongside the overwhelming and growing evidence provided by modern science, that it would be a breach of our duties as directors of the charity to continue as though there is not a Climate Emergency.

“As the individuals ultimately accountable for our organisation, it is our responsibility to act in the interest of our stakeholders: the people we work alongside, our staff, our volunteers, and every single person in the communities we serve, to take action: starting now.”

“The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world. It provides our food, water and air. It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.”

So said David Attenborough, the famous biologist and naturalist. But what does this mean for us?

Here at P3, we work hard for everyone to have a safe pl ace to live But what of the pl ace where we all live, home to all people, animals and pl ants –Pl anet Earth?

We take that serio

P3 have now de n Reduction Plan, with the in ing Net Zero* by 2050.

(Net Zero means taking actio duce emissions and absorb carbo de until your greenhouse gases are completely cancelled out )

To do this, we’re working with carbon solutions company Auditel. As one of the first steps, Auditel has completed a Carbon Footprint Report so we can get a proper understanding of our carbon emissions: what we do that produces them and how we can reduce them.

We have, in fact, already worked with Auditel for several years to find the best, and greenest, energy suppliers as we acquire more properties

Al an Ford, Carbon Specialist at Auditel, added: “P3 do a huge amount of good work within local communities and now we are working with them to ensure this good work continues with minimal impact on our pl anet.

“The emphasis is moving towards energy management, reducing consumption, renewable energy and improved monitoring and control.”

The importance – and possibility – of making a difference is something we understand well at P3. We intend to keep on doing all we can to make a difference to the Earth – everyone’s home for life.

WRITE ON, CHELTENHAM

The Mare at Dawn

You’re the chevalier on a dark chestnut mare I am the sound of neighing in the dawn When the windows are open and the first light beckons

You take the lead and gird me where you will, Tightening my rein and keeping me still … So what will become of your old chestnut mare alone in the field tethered to an old tree? Will you feed her sweet grass from your meadow And write her poems and sing dreams of what life could be Sadly neglected, the time passes; We have no way of knowing what you will do with me.

Pauline Currien

Creative juices have been flowing at the Social Group in Cheltenham! People have been writing and sharing poetry and short stories. They even performed at a poetry slam at the local Everyman Theatre.

Here, volunteer Pauline Currien and group members Annie Ellis and Russell Partridge share some of their writing

Hair

My hair keeps my ears warm I can do all sorts of things with it It can be used to hide my eyes from people or pulled back it allows me to see into the souls in other people’s eyes.

Put it up, it cools me down On a windy day it gets in my way I like to shake it around when I listen to music or dancing it gives me my freedom

If I am feeling brave I can get it coloured. My hair has been Red White Blue I can tie ribbons in it or flowers Or sometimes I just leave it loose. My hair can be used to tell you things about me

If I want to tell you that is!

Pauline Currien

Small and Mighty

They call me a dwarf, they call me a midget. I may be small but I will be mighty. They stare at me cross the road so they don’t walk near me I may be small but I will be mighty.

At school I was bullied every day, they hit me on the chest, stamped on my feet I may be small but I will be mighty.

Everyone treats me like an alien, except for my friends. I may be small but I will be mighty

A brain disease took my daughter from me, now it will take my husband. I may be small but I will be mighty.

You can’t pull wool over my eyes my world will still carry on. I am small but I will also be mighty.

Annie Ellis

Stepping Out

In a life not well lived, finding her wings

She prepares to take flight. Not confined by expectation

In her humble home, books she loves Talk of far-off pl aces, beyond her dreams

All absurdly funny in the booming fifties.

Laura, captivated in her new-found freedom

Meets a man on the train with an irreverent comic mind,

A l ady who loves her two little dogs more than life, Eats piping hot meals prepared by someone else, Still longs for love when her hair Caresses the pillows

But knows it will soon awaken.

Out of a pl ain house somewhere down the line, The man of her dreams steps forth

Whether he’s the man who broke the bank

And lost the cargo or not; She wants to be stepping out

Russell Partridge

The Race

The early July sun is unforgiving and the air is infused with grass pollen after a wet, verdant June There is a whiff of sun cream on the faintest zephyr of breeze and floppy white hats and floral dresses abound. Some of the parents have donned dusty sandals for the first time since the l ast glorious summer

The boys are lined up in their grey shorts, the girls in matching grey pinafore dresses The parents watch their offspring as the children tremble with anticipation. Jimmy at a tender five-and-three-quarter years and with distinctive lean legs and knock knees is looked upon with particul ar affection by Margaret and Peter and Miss Campbell, the headmistress. Mr Jones carries a l arge bowl of potatoes along the line and pl aces them carefully on the tarnished outstretched spoons with an endearing correctness. Each child seems to smile broadly on receipt of their own potato and a glow of self-importance cascades down the line like a mini waterfall on rocks.

Jimmy sneezes loudly and his potato makes a dull thud on the still damp grass. His immediate neighbours Jack and Paul l augh disdainfully at his misfortune He stoops awkwardly avoiding their gaze and trying to focus on Mum and Dad in the crowd while retrieving his potato.

Margaret and Peter wave frantically and Jimmy regains his composure and steadies himself with all his youthful resolve. Just then Miss Campbell speaks to the line of children in a confident and encouraging manner and raises the thin white tape. Twelve excited participants scamper off the eighty yards across the pl aying field in the now shimmering heat haze. Appl ause and relief exude from the parents and teachers as potatoes wobble before cross-eyed stares Jimmy finishes fourth, ahead of Jack and Paul. A tear slips down his mother’s cheek.

Russell Partridge

Before the Flood

My river’s source might be near to that of the Indus; soon gushing and crashing through the rugged Karakoram It ends up almost listlessly meandering through the Sindh province surrounded by baking hot pl ains under steely sunshine throughout the day Where it issues sluggishly through a complex delta into the Arabian Sea, gather many busy people riding bicycles in a plethora of sizes and shapes. Tooting of horns cuts across the sultry air and people selling their wares at the market from horse-drawn carts needing a coat of paint wear sandals as weather-beaten as their faces The well-dressed women redolent of spicy perfume watch the l anguid progress of small boats chugging through the narrow waterways Piloted by grim faced gentlemen smoking thin cigars, who are probably happier than their demeanour suggests, they queue to take weary families home.

Russell Partridge

Do you need support?

P3 provides services in communities across the UK, supporting people with housing and homelessness, mental ill-health, drug and alcohol addiction, offending behaviour, social exclusion and more.

Cheshire East

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Macclesfield

Congleton

Stoke-on-Trent

West Midlands

West Bromwich

Wolverhampton

Tipton

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Gloucester

Forest of Dean

B Buxttoon Ashbourne

Chheesterrfield

Gainsbborrough

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Lincolnnshhire

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Derbyshhire

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Long g Eaton

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Granthaam

Leeiccester

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Mooretonn-in-Marsh

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Gloucestershire

Wokinghham

Bosston

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Cammbrridge

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Aylessbury

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Could we help?

To find your nearest P3 service, go to www.p3charity.org/get-help and type in your postcode, or contact us for more information: