“Lowestoft Rising Update”

Update No 23- Lowestoft Rising Sponsoring Group

Date 20thSeptember 2017

This is the twenty third 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.

  1. Mental Well-Being Services
  • Communities Embracing Mental Health, led by Feedback , has now been adopted by the Lowestoft Collaboration Academy on mental Well-being as being the ideal vehicle to drive forward a “manifesto” for Lowestoft to make it a community that does deal with Mental Well-being. Some 70 organisations have already signed up and we are looking at how we can link this with the 5 ways to well-being and mental health first aid training for all.
  • Tod Sullivan-agreed as Mental Health ambassador for Lowestoft. He is also chair of Feedback Mental Health User Network.
  • Train the Trainers, date fixed and 18 trained for first training session to train a group of local managers and key staff who can deliver mental health first aid and awareness training across Lowestoft.
  • Transition Ambassadors Scheme- Exploring with Access Community Trust and High schools how we can re train existing TA’s to also be our mental health champions in schools to provide support for those that need help or someone to talk to within schools.
  • Lowestoft “Walk & Talks”- exploring how we can create a whole series of local “Walk&Talk” sessions in work, school , businesses and in the Community so that people can join a scheme and walk and talk to different people each week to help keep people connected and active.
  • Crisis Café- CCG leading on a potential Crisis café for out of hours mental health support in Lowestoft. Partners have offered to support the delivery.
  1. Aspiration and Potential - In support of Raising the Bar.
  • Year 10 Employability and Progression Day,took place on 30th June 2017 with all 4 High Schools sending almost 700 Year 10 student to a full day of workshops held at 6th Form and FE College with every workshop supported by relevant local employers and a relevant Tutor/Lecturer. Funding in place through Lowestoft Rising/WDC/ESP support. Head Teachers report a really great event that has inspired Year 10’s to think about future career progression.
  • Cultural Education Partnership for Lowestofthas just delivered its first CPD event for Teachers, which saw some 14 schools send Teachers to a Historic England led CPD session at the Maritime Museum in Lowestoft. Next one planned for October to visit the Records office and Library. Network of school cultural and heritage leads set up following event.
  • Grove Primary SchoolPlaced in special measures following Ofsted inspection and threat of academy change. Northfield Primary Head Teacher leaves school following poor key stage 2 results.
  • Lowestoft Sixth Form College -80%of A-levels graded A* to C – last year was 74% Yolanda Botham, principal, said: “I am very proud indeed of staff and students today who have worked incredibly hard together over the last two years to get ready for these new and very demanding A-level exams and have achieved these exceptional results. Teachers and mentors have inspired and motivated our students to excel. We truly believe in the potential of all our students and we are particularly thrilled with these results as Lowestoft Sixth Form College is an inclusive, non-selective local college.”
  • Lowestoft High School GCSE results-Grade 9 to 4 (old A* to C equivalent) in English and Maths (previous years in brackets). Ormiston Denes 53% (32% -2016, 31%-2015) significant improvement. East Point Academy 65% (62% -2016, 43% -2015) Improvement. BBHS 60% (49% -2016, 43%-2015) Good Improvement. Pakefield High 50% (56%-2016, 54%-2015) slight deterioration. Sir John Leman ( Beccles) 68% ( 65%-2016, 74%-2015)
  • Mock Interviews- Pakefield High conducts 2 days of mock job interviews for students before they embark on their work experience week. With some 40 Business people helping with the interviews each year 11 got chance to experience a real interview situation. The sessions were followed by practical employment advice assisted by the UEA ambassadors.
  1. Redesign of Drug, Alcohol Services and to ensure better outcomes.
  • Interventions Process, functioning well with increase referrals coming in. Additional staff now means that we can take on more cases and earlier interventions is allowing for quicker resolution. In some cases we are preventing people becoming homeless by early engagement of the MEAM workers.
  • Homeless Levels. We have just reported to DCLG for the last quarter of2016/17 and the first quarter of 2017/18 (so effectively 1st Jan 17 to 30th June 17). In that time we have worked with 33 clients on the intensive Interventions/MEAM scheme and a further 27 at a lower level through the WDC housing support team. This shows that we have already identified some 60 cases that either are/or are at risk of becoming homeless/sofa surfing in Lowestoft alone. Whilst not every case we deal with has a homeless element 49 out of the first 60 have. We think this shows the level of need and the fact that our process is vital if we are to continue to provide help and support for the most vulnerable in our Town.
  • Home Group- In process of recruiting our mental health support worker to assist speed up assessment and treatment pathways for clients on the interventions scheme.
  • Genesis Housing-Agree new process for the emergency bed provision which takes away the out of hours assessment process. Bed will now be allocated at 2pm on a Tuesday each week and be for a 7 day allocation to allow wrap round services to kick in. Major step forward
  1. Integration and Collaboration Projects included the Lowestoft Collaboration Academy Projects
  • Lowestoft Collaboration Academy- plans under way to bring all 3 of the cohorts together to explore greater collaborative opportunities. Cohort 4 being planned for 2018 with a theme around aging well. Recruitment now open.
  • Town Council, Lowestoft Town Council and Oulton Broad parish Councils now formed and active. Lowestoft Rising did presentation at the Towns first annual assembly on activity undertaken so far. Councillors now on Summer Festival Committee and the Coastal Community Team. Request for Lowestoft Rising to support Council in advisory capacity.
  • New public access Computers- terminals have been installed in Waveney Libraries as Council has teamed up with the Citizens Advice Bureau to make it easier for residents to apply for Universal Credit and keep check on their on line accounts.
  1. Pride in Lowestoft-( Building on what makes Lowestoft Great)
  • Summer Festival, plans in place for the 2017 Summer Festival with a host of partners working together to bring a range of activities to the Sea Front. This year’s includes “Lowestoft got Talent”, The Cambridge Film Archive ( showing past history of Lowestoft in film shows ) Puppet Theatre led by a local church, Beach football and the usual range of activities.
  • Cambridge Science Centre, funded by Kirkley’sPeople Forum set up for 4 days on the Sea Front to tie in with Summer Festival. This will bring the successful science workshops to Lowestoft and allow children and parents to interact with Cambridge Science Team in a range of activities. Located in St Mary’s School the event will support and encourage STEM activity in Schools. 1000 people visited the exhibition over the 4 days.
  • Lowestoft Hosts Britain’s Got Talent. Local auditions of the popular show are planned at the Claremont Pier in August 17. Great opportunity for local talent and pride in Lowestoft.
  • Lowestoft Vision, praised for its floral display work in the Town Centre brightening up the Town centre.
  • Freddie the Fish Trail, Lowestoft Vision launched the Freddie the Fish trail of 24 large decorated Fish that will appear in shops and businesses across the Town Centre are. Replacing the previous Turtle Trail the new Fish are high quality painted models reflecting Tiger Fish Angel Fish etc and form a competition to identify all 24.
  • Victoria Cross Medal Commemorative Stone, Lowestoft’s Tom Crisp will be commemorated 100 years after his death by the laying of the Victoria Cross Stone to mark the 100 year anniversary. He was awarded the VC for his heroic defence of his ship, the Nelson, whilst under attack from the Germany submarine in 1917. The stone will be placed in the grounds of Sparrows nest. Last year saw Claude Castelton, our other VC recipient, have his stone unveiled on Royal Plain.
  • High Sheriff Visit. Lowestoft Rising hosted a visit by the High Sheriff to Lowestoft to look at some of the projects.He saw Lowestoft Ogogo in action, and the work Sentinel do to promote activity and healthy living, MYGO and the work being done to help young people into work and training,Kirkley Centre run by CAS and its Community Kitchen facility, National Citizen Service in action, Talent Match doing a drop in session for young people and he also visited the meeting of the Kirkley’s People Forum (Health Lottery spend on Kirkley) to hear how they are helping. Finally we visited Access Community Trust Fyffe Centre where he saw how they help single homeless adults to get back on track, and we updated him on the work we do with street drinkers and the homeless and sofa surfers to support them into accommodation and treatment. As always the sun shone, and he met a number of people who talked about Lowestoft in a very positive light and demonstrated the level of partnership working that exists in Lowestoft.
  • Lowestoft Port acknowledges busiest period of activity. 28th July 2017 has been identified as the busiest day for the Port of Lowestoft. A combination of ships visiting port exceeded previous numbers linked to both off shore activity and improved port facilities for grain deliver etc has made the port more popular destination. This coupled with the increased supply boat work shows the Town is thriving. Andrew Harston, short sea ports director said “It is fantastic to see the port full of ships and the economic activity that is generated as a result and I would like to thank our customers for choosing Lowestoft and the ABP Lowestoft team for doing a great job in operating the port.”
  • NEW MARITIME GROWTH IN LOWESTOFT -Britain’s largest independent ship repairer and marine engineering services provider Burgess Marine has announced further growth in East Anglia as the Lowestoft maritime sector booms. The firm acquired the Small & Co shipyard on Commercial Road in Lowestoft in October 2015.The business operates a 76.5m by 14.5m dry dock and a 70m layby berth at the site, which is in the ABP owned and operated Port of Lowestoft. After a restructure earlier this year, the team at Burgess Marine Lowestoft have successfully grown the business in support of key customers such as Boston Putford, Fugro, Windcat Workboats, Dover Harbour Board and numerous major commercial, civil and tourist operators on the Thames. Today it is supporting two significant projects - the docking of Incat 057 in Cherbourg and the launch of a 30m x 12m x 1.7m pontoon, built locally in the old Brook Marine fabrication shed at Lowestoft, weighing approximately 110T. Both of these projects are of major significance and total circa £2m of contract value in the Town.