New roles at Caring Connections:

The Oliver Lymes Charity Grant has fully funded the appointment of our new Social Value Lead, Emma Bailey. Emma has been at Caring Connections since September 2024, and her role has included the production of quarterly and annual social value reports, detailing our contributions to the local community, as well as what is going on within Caring Connections. Emma is also involved in our reablement work, liaising with Liverpool City Council to provide updates on our service users. She has also led on our new social value strategy for 2025, as well as conducting our quarterly staff and client surveys.

Caring Connections recruitment:

This year, we have used a portion of the grant to place a focus on recruitment across our branches. In Knowsley, this has involved advertisement on job boards such as Indeed. The grant has also supported us with the cost of a recruitment manager role. This new position has allowed for us to boost local engagement, and recruit within the communities in which we provide support. Through this role, we have been able to create opportunities for local people and create a workforce dedicated to their local area. We have also used the grant to support with the cost of sponsorship for 5 migrant workers in Caring Connections. This has allowed us to provide these individuals with the right to work in the UK, further creating opportunities for those who live within our communities. Additionally, we have been able to apportion some of the grant to cover the costs of training and shadowing for our new starters.

Christmas at Caring Connections:

Over Christmas, the grant meant that we were able to partner with Sunshine House Wigan to deliver over 70 Christmas dinners to those who are isolated and live alone. This was across our branches, and we received excellent feedback on this from those we visited! We were also able to fully fund Christmas celebrations across our branches for our staff and their families. This involved Christmas parties, visits from Santa and his elves, as well as an appearance from the Grinch!

Celebrating our staff:

The Oliver Lymes Charity Grant supported us in planning and putting on the Annual Caring Connections Awards! This is a night in which the best of our staff are recognised for their efforts throughout the year. Awards such as Carer of the Year, Employee of the Year, and Making a Difference Awards are given to those who have made a real difference to those they support.

Summary:

Over the year, the Oliver Lymes Charity have enabled us to provide the best possible service from within our Knowsley branch.