Update No 20- Lowestoft Rising Sponsoring Group

“Lowestoft Rising Update”

Date 31stOctober 2016

This is the twentieth of theregular update reports the Support Group will provide to the Sponsoring Group. It will be a bullet point update under the agreed work stream heading for ease of reading. The updates will then be saved on our Website and use to update the Action Plan. We are happy to take feedback on the format so that we can provide the most suitable updates to you.

Our Pledge.

Lowestoft Rising remains committed to making Lowestoft a better place in which to grow up, live, work, visit and invest.

Aspiration and Pride are key to such success. Our focus therefore remains on raising the aspirations of everyone, and especially our young people, who we will help to reach their full potential.

Similarly we will continue to strive to generate a greater feeling of ‘Pride in Lowestoft’.

We will also continue to work in collaboration with our partners, integrating and improving services to make them more effective and accessible for the people of Lowestoft.

In particular though we will be increasing our emphasis on improving mental wellbeing for everyone, and providing greater support to prevent and address drug and alcohol dependency.

Mental Well-Being Services

Communities Embracing Mental Health ,Held its first meeting where businesses could meet with people suffering from mental health issues to help identify ways to improve the services. Suggestion include volunteer buddies to help those with mental well-being issues to visit Town and the idea of creating a specific time when staff would have more time to assist.
Lowestoft Vision, Hold a seminar for Business Staff and managers to look at dealing with Stress and mental well-being in the work place. Opened to all Businesses and Public Sector partners to attend the event at Orbis Energy to raise awareness of the issues.
Health and Well-Being Network, hold a meeting to focus on Dementia Alliance and the potential to create one for Waveney area.
Age UK Navigator Project, working out of Kirkley Mill to identify how to help older patients with their well-being is increasingly working to reduce isolation in the target group of patients. Case studies show that once patients are re-connected with activities in the Community their quality of life improves.( Knitting, Men’s Sheds, Choirs, Community transport, relevant support groups all being used)
Waveney Health & Well-Being Forum, received presentation on becoming a Dementia Action Alliance area to help support people with dementia by creating a strong partnership culture to improve awareness, training and a better offer for those suffering with Dementia illnesses.

Aspiration and Potential - In support of Raising the Bar.

Pakefield High School, Official opening of the new phase 3 building work sees additional 12 classrooms and teaching space in main building plus a wonderful new sports hall and outdoor courts facility.
Apprenticeships, Hoseason’s lead the call for more companies to take on young apprentices with 10 new ones starting with them in Sept. Kingsley Healthcare team up with Access to provide 3 new apprenticeships at Sams Café and enterprise lounge. Hughes Electrical advertises for new apprentices and Sizewell take on 4 new apprentices with links with Lowestoft College.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra RPO,whose regional home is the Marina Theatre,entertains 180 school children during their final rehearsal for their recent show. RPO has now joined the Lowestoft Rising Cultural Education Partnershipand pledged to support with further performance opportunities and educational workshops.
Access community Trust have secured £18,750 of funding from the PCC administered through the Suffolk Community Foundation Safer Suffolk Fund for a 24 hour per week post as a young person’s ‘safety net’ worker. This individual will liaise with schools, PRU’s, CYP services, Police etc. to work with young people who are NEET or at risk of being NEET engaging them in positive and aspirational activities especially outside school/ office hours. It will be focusing on young offenders and those at risk of offending, particularly looking to address anti-social behaviour in the town.
Ormiston Denes Academy puts on a STEM event open to all students, parents and interested parties across Lowestoft. Giving the local Engineering and Energy Industries chance to show case how science and future careers go hand in hand.
Lowestoft Rising and the South Primary Cluster, deliver the Cambridge Science park “ COSMOS” Roadshow giving hundreds of students across the South Cluster of Primary schools the chance to take part in the science roadshow with experts from the Cambridge Science Park. Hosted by East Point Academy with schools attending an allotted workshop time. In addition the roadshow will operate for 2 days in half term at Orbis Energy with an open invitation for other pupils to visit and experience the roadshow. Over 1000 Students and Staff attended the workshops with many re-visiting during the 2 days free workshops in half term.
Top Award for Red Oak, Red Oak Primary in South Lowestoft has been recognised for its work as a family focused school and awarded “The Families First Quality Award” for having families at the Heart of its practice.

Redesign of Drug, Alcohol Services and to ensure better outcomes.

Interventions Process. Goes from strength to strength with more agencies joining the process and a number more cases being discharged with successful results. Figures show that 65 cases have been adopted with 52 being discharged leaving 13 live cases. With an average demand cost per case of some £36,000 per annum the 52 discharged cases estimate a demand saving across all services of £1.8 million.
Church and Faith Groups, now looking at forming a pastoral support network for those with homelessness issues, similar to Town Pastors but for the street homeless, Street Pastors Scheme.
Access Community Trust, with Foodbank open a “Soup Kitchen” 2 evenings a week on Station square from 1st November to help tackle those homeless or hungry during the winter months. Providing a chance to get hot soup and advice and support for those who need it most.

Integration and Collaboration Projects included the Lowestoft Collaboration Academy Projects

Solutions - Plans under way to create a Social Prescribing pilot working from Kirkley Mill commencing on 1st August This will see a triage facility run within the building to allow patients to access a wide range of additional social and voluntary sector services to help manage their conditions. Built on national pilot scheme learning the model will seek to reduce patient demand on GP’s and increase self-help. Bid to TCA funding to continue to fund the pilot has been successful, which will allow us to continue post April 2017. CAB are working on a bid to Big Lottery to develop a similar process for North Lowestoft under the “Solutions “banner.
Lowestoft Rising with Museums, a new project to help support 3 of Lowestoft’s volunteer run Museums (Transport Museum, Maritime History, and Lowestoft Museum) to recruit new volunteers and use them to deliver an enhanced service has been launched. Supported by funding through the Museums Service and Arts Council the project will fund a project officer to work across the 3 sites and deliver new and exciting volunteering offers. It will also help promote our 3 Museums and increase visitor numbers.
MYGO, the new youth careers and job advice centre has now seen over 165 new clients since its opening. Working with each client on an individual basis to tailor a support and advice package. The multi-agency team is now looking at how it can offer outreach services to those 16-24 year olds outside Lowestoft.
Disability Confident Event, A partnership piece of work between MP Peter Aldous, DWP and JCP+, Lowestoft Rising, Waveney Mencap project and WDC created a Disability Confident event at Lowestoft 6th Form College during half term week. The event encouraged local businesses to attend and see the range of provider offers to assist Businesses employ people with disability. It also asked them to sign up to Disability Confident Commitment. The event then went on to show case provider services to those with physical and mental disabilities in form of taster sessions. The event ended with an open mic session for service users to celebrate together.
Cinnamon Trust Church and Faith Audit. Funded by Lowestoft Rising and ESP and led locally by Lowestoft Community Church. The audit results were launched in October. Showing that in excess of 165 different Church and Faith Group led projects exist locally with 1566 different volunteering roles identified. A total of 194,842 Volunteering Hours captured with an estimated financial benefit of in excess of £2.3 million from the 165 identified projects. The Church and Faith Group are now looking at how working together they can fill gaps in provision.
Coastal Community Team, £980,000 bid to DCLG £90million Coastal Community Fund for funding to deliver the East of England Park has been successful through round one of bidding and we now move through to final stage bidding process. Strong Partnership working a contributing factor to our bid.
Heritage Action Zone (HAZ), We are also waiting for the decision on the Council’s bid to Historic England for a North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone. We submitted an application for a number of distinct areas within North Lowestoft Conservation Area, situated within the Harbour Ward of Lowestoft, which are in need of rejuvenation to support economic growth, enhance the attractiveness of the area, improve community confidence, attract investment and to protect our built heritage
Great Places, in addition the Council has been invited to submit a full application to Arts Council/Historic England/Heritage Lottery Fund under the Great Places Scheme. This is a joint bid with Great Yarmouth Council which aims to truly embed heritage and culture into existing and future plans for the area. The deadline for the application is the 5th of January 2017

Pride in Lowestoft-( Building on what makes Lowestoft Great)

LowestoftScores Race, 22nd Annual Scores Race takes place in Lowestoft with record attendance in both senior and junior races. In addition 145 runners took part in the weekly Park Run on the sea front.
Ron Sampson Charity Cycle Ride. Organised by East Point Rotary Club over 5o people took part in the 9th annual ride to raise money for charity over 6,10 and 20 mile courses.
Lowestoft’s inaugural half marathon, sponsored by Nicholson’s Solicitors took place using the sea wall as a perfect back drop for the first run of the most easterly half marathon in UK. 320 runners took part in the sell-out event.
High Sheriff Visit, William and Miranda Kendall, the High Sheriff of Suffolk and his wife, visited Lowestoft in October to view the various projects under the Lowestoft Rising banner aimed at improving the Town. The High Sheriff was very complimentary about the work he saw going on and the “can do” attitude of those delivering the work. His final comment being “Lowestoft is clearly Rising”.
Burger King Development, Plans have now been passed for the new drive through Burger King Restaurant on the site of part of the old Town Hall site. The development of the old “Coopers” biscuit factory site, retaining part of the old historic buildings walls for heritage reasons, will help regenerate the area and provide a number of new jobs in the area.
Lowestoft Park Run, The most Easterly in UK celebrated it first year anniversary in October. With over 1500 people having taken part over the period with up to 200 running some Saturday mornings the weekly event has been a huge success. Led by Access Community Trust and a band of Volunteers.
Sea Defence Temporary barriers, arrive and now available to help protect the Town from sea flooding until the permanent £25 million sea defence project is completed in 2020. The 1400 meter barrier can be put in place to protect the important areas of Town in the event of flood warnings.
Lowestoft Xmas Swim, the partnership led by Sentinel Leisure to deliver the annual Xmas Day swim has now met to agree this year’s 10 local charities that will benefit from this fund raising event.