Hopefully, you will be  inspired to join Team SSJ at the Great South Run 2013… and if not, maybe sponsor one of our team for putting themselves through such a physical challenge on our behalf!

Last month we brought you Lizi’s Story.  So, here is the second of our posts about the experiences our runner’s enjoyed (endured?) from last year.

Andy, SSJ’s Director of Finance and Central Services, shares his reasons for running, his training plan, his experience of the day and some useful tips for you, if you’re thinking of joining us this year…

My Great South Run

I made New Year’s resolutions to lose some weight and raise £1000 for St James. I then needed to search for some inspiration with regards to how to achieve it. The Great South Run looked like it could meet both targets as well as providing a real challenge as I’d never run any distance before (thus improving my chances of raising money, I thought).

To start my training I decided to test myself out and see if how long it would take me to run 5km (3.1miles). I jogged the distance in about 32 minutes, without killing myself, which led me to believe I had a chance of getting somewhere. My initial plan was to reduce my 5km time down to improve my general fitness before building up the distance. I got some advice from friends and family who are ‘into’ running as well as undertaking some research about how far to run and when. I gradually extended my training runs with the aim of getting to 8 miles a couple of weeks prior to the Great South Run. I never quite made it to 8 but got passed 7.5 miles feeling OK, a week or so before. I then ticked over with a few 25 minutes 5k runs so that when I did the 10 miles of the Great South Run at 30 minutes per 5km, the pace it would ‘feel like a rest’ rather than pushing myself.

Race day was a little chilly but the rain held off and thankfully there was no ‘howling westerly’ to mark the final 2 miles. The crowds were fantastic and it was the first time I really understood what people say about gaining energy from the supporters. The thousands of ‘random’ people just cheering us all along from the kids giving out “high fives”, through to the drummers and dancers and to the people standing out of the front of their houses at the far corner of Eastney; they were all fantastic – I don’t think I could have run the distance without all that support. I started off at a steady pace and really stuck with that pace the whole time.  It worked well and after about half the distance my legs felt like they were almost in a ‘robotic mode’ which actually helped and felt quite natural.

The only real struggle was coming through the 6/7 mile area where you can see, and hear, the finish but knowing you’ve still got a way to go. However, the Powerade stand was excellently placed, as were the jelly beans, just around Eastney point – they really worked wonders for the last couple of miles! The finish was bizarre: it was great to get across the line but I found my legs just didn’t want to stop and I almost had to shove people out the way who were stopping, as I felt that if I did I might fall over! A warm down walk to meet family at the Cenotaph certainly helped but not even that could stop the stiffness that caught up with me later in the day. It took the best part of a week for my legs to feel entirely like mine again but the sense of achievement from having done it was great and meeting my fundraising target made me feel so proud.

I was (and still am) a novice runner so can only really speak from this point of view with regards to doing it (again). I’d certainly say it’s a challenge for anyone – either to beat your time or just to complete it – it’s such a great feeling as you go around and feels like you’ve really achieved something at the end. The crowds are just brilliant; really making it an enjoyable experience – I’d certainly recommend this run over the local runs that running clubs do as I know they don’t attract anything like the crowds. The Great South Run is also a very flat course which is much better for me as hills really don’t agree with me! A word of warning though, you need to take it seriously as I don’t think a ‘non runner’ however fit you might think you are, would just be able to run around.  You really need to plan how you’re going to do it and make sure you’ve done a couple of decent length runs prior to the day just to give you that confidence that you can do it and to make sure you have a plan to get around.

My best tip? Don’t set out too fast, so many people sprinted away from the start only to be walking after a few hundred metres, a steady pace the whole way has got to be the best way forward. But yeah, give The Great South Run a go, it’s short enough to be manageable but long enough to be a challenge and a big enough event to give you a real buzz.

If Andy’s story has inspired you to undertake this challenge later on in the year, then please follow the links to sign up for one of our Charity Places or pledge your sponsorship to SSJ. http://www.ssj.org.uk/bupa-great-south-run/

So, I have spent some time out of the office and have had a great time being taken around Southampton to meet some of our service users, volunteers and staff and reconnecting with some old faces!  Dee and I spent a few hours with Tony Keall, Project Manager of Mental Health Services, visiting Daphne House, one of our supported housing projects and one of the larger blocks of ‘independent living’ flats.

The visits were really inspiring: to see, at ground level, the impact that the support given to our service users has on their lives and the level of thought and consideration given by the staff was incredible.  Helping service users to maintain their own accommodation and sustain their tenancies, to ensure, that they will keep not just a ‘roof’ over their heads, but have a home.  A safe space they can call their own, with the knowledge that there is always a friendly face in the office to help and offer assistance as and when needed.  Whilst at the independent flats, an ex-service user dropped by the office to say hello and to tell the staff just how much she appreciated the help that she had been given.  She had recently moved into unsupported council accommodation and invited Tony to come and see her new home.  She wanted to show him how clean and tidy it was and just how well she was doing. To see how proud she was of what she had been able to achieve in recent weeks really illuminated the influence that SSJ staff have… of course, her achievements were all her own, but to know that the staff were always there as a safety net had empowered her to make these steps.

At Daphne House we spoke to staff about the problems they face and how they deal with some of the harder days.  But all of these stories were backed up by countless instances where they have felt they have had a real ‘breakthrough’ in engaging with the service users.  Priscilla told us how she had recently had a fifteen minute conversation with someone over a cup of tea and whilst this may not seem like a huge deal, she then told us that for the first few months he had lived there they were lucky to get a ‘hello’ from him and so to sit down and hold a conversation with him, no matter how short- was a great accomplishment.

  In one of our supported housing projects we met a couple of service users, who were kind enough to let us into their rooms and have a look at how and where they live.  These particular clients have severe mental health conditions, often in conjunction with substance addiction.  They would find it impossible to live in unsupported housing and living in a larger hostel, would not be at all beneficial as their complex needs require a great deal more attention.  The staff are not carers, they are support workers but they work in conjunction with other agencies that come in to assist with some of the more personal care elements.  We met one such worker on our visit as he was attending to help change someone’s bedsheets and help tidy up their room.  The relationship between the agencies was clearly a friendly and positive one and again showed the level of complexity that our teams deal with.  Our visit was on a Monday and there was some tidying up in the kitchen to be completed as the residents undertake all their own cooking, but these life skills are exactly what are needed to start to prepare these clients to move-on to less supported accommodation, in time.

So, I am looking forward to more visits; meeting more staff and service users and being able to share these inspirational stories.  Stories that are happening behind closed doors, all over the City, right now.  Staff that go above and beyond their “Job Description” on a daily basis, without even thinking about it- helping to keep some of Southampton’s most vulnerable and hard to engage groups of people safe, to support them as and when needed and sometimes to just, simply, show them that someone cares about them.

When Naomi from the Southampton University Air Squadron (SUAS) first approached us about wanting to run a sleepout with the Squadron, she was concerned about the date.
“Don’t you worry about that,” we said. “Hold your event when suits you best, it’ll stall be part of our ONE BIG Sleepout.

That is precisely what she did. In order to capture people around exams, university holidays, squadron event, and such like, she plumped for April 17th.

She got in touch to let me know how it had gone for them:

Dee! Hope you are well Our big sleep out was great fun and we had some very impressive cardboard boxes! We had 20 people brave the weather so not as many as hoped but not too bad! I set a minimum sponsorship of £20 so when I’ve collected everything we will have raised at least £400 for your brilliant cause.

Thank you SUAS for your hard work.

SUAS have nominated us as one of their charities for 2013 so we are very much looking forward to seeing what other activities they come up with to raise funds. What a lovely bunch eh?

You can add to their fundraising total here: http://www.bmycharity.com/suasbigsleepout

Next year, our ONE BIG Sleepout events will be pinned to a month rather than to a date, to make it a more accessible event to all.

Today’s the day that our trekkers set out to the Himalayas. It’s been a long time coming – in fact, nearly two years since our then volunteer and now Corporate and Community Fundraiser Dee began looking into the idea of SSJ’s first large-scale charity challenge event.

It’s already been quite a journey for everyone involved, and today the adventure really begins. Here’s Dee on how she found herself taking on her biggest challenge to date:

I have called this post, “Now that I am a Fundraiser” because less than two years ago I wasn’t one. I wasn’t employed at all. I worked for myself as a graphic designer. I worked predominantly from home, and managed that around my two children.

A lovely, sheltered little life.

And then I did something different.
I decided I wanted to make a sideways move into fundraising.

I decided to volunteer as a fundraiser.
I found a charity that would offer me a placement as a volunteer with them.

Then … then … they gave me a paid position.

And then it was all real.

So, now that I am a fundraiser I have to raise funds.

One of the first things I began to research when I was volunteering with SSJ was the idea of an overseas fundraising challenge.
At that time, the fundraising department had only the capacity to fundraise through grant and trust applications, with very little time to devote to community and corporate activity. The reason I wanted to research a large scale challenge was that I felt it had the potential to engage both the business world, and other members of the local community.

What I never bargained on was participating in the challenge myself.

Quite how I reached the point of going to India to trek the Himalayas, from researching the idea of an overseas challenge, remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it is a fact.

On Friday I will leave the city of Southampton, on a minibus with fellow trekkers, and fly out to India. I will leave my two children in the capable hands of my husband. I will leave all of my security, home comforts, friends, daily connections, internet, phone, etc. behind me for 10 days.

In order to prepare for the trip I have had a series of delightful vaccinations, some of which have been quite expensive. I’ve spent a small fortune on kit – the most important being my shoes and socks. I have embarked on miles of hillwalking, at good pace too, so I am physically pretty well ready to go. I have a passport, have been granted my Indian visa. I have begged, borrowed, and stolen numerous items from rucksacks to a CamelBak, travel towel to walking poles. I have called in favours from everyone I can think of. I have touted for sponsorship. I became vegan last lent to raise £500 towards the trek fundraising. I gave up alcohol from April 1 this year, for the same reason (I won’t drink until my return now). I took on private design work to fund the trip and to add to my fundraising total.

The main reason that I decided to participate in the same way as all of the trekkers that I recruited, was so that I could share in the trials and tribulations. I felt that I would be a far more effective fundraiser, facilitator, enabler, encourager, if I was going through similar things myself.

I stand by that view. I think I have been, and will continue to be, a better fundraiser by putting myself in the position of a supporter.

Clearly, it won’t be the case that I have to participate in every community activity that is undertaken by or for the charity, but this experience will have provided me with real insight as to where the stumbling blocks are and how best to overcome them.

The take home message from this post is that with tenacity and determination, nothing is beyond you.
You will feel challenged beyond your capacity at times in life, goodness knows that our clients at SSJ feel that often, but if they can overcome their life challenges, you can do something different for a cause that matters to you!

It’s not too late to sponsor Dee for her trek – head on over here to show your support! www.bmycharity.com/trekkingdee

Why were we doing it? The Great South Run of course, the world’s premier 10 mile road race and a brilliant opportunity to raise funds for SSJ. Over the next few weeks we’ve invited a few of our runners to share their Great South Run stories with you – from what inspired them to sign up, to their training and their experience of the race itself. And who knows, maybe you will be just a little bit inspired to join Team SSJ at the Great South Run 2013…

Today we’re going to start with the first person to sign up last year – Lizi, SSJ’s ex-Management Accountant (and Fixer of All Broken Spreadsheets).

I started running in January 2011, having never run before and properly over-indulged over Christmas. Laura from the NHS Couch to 5k podcasts was my trainer and got me out of bed on cold dark mornings to plod around the block when no-one could see me hot, sweaty and unable to breathe! I’d love to say that I’ve never looked back and that running 10 miles was a breeze, but I’m not a born runner and it’s taken perseverance.

What’s kept me lacing up my trainers is my best friend and the fact that I can never refuse a challenge.

I didn’t manage to complete my first 5k Race for Life without walking, but I kept going and thought a bigger challenge would be just the thing. If I signed up for a race, pledged to raise money for charity and then convinced my best friend, my boss and a whole crowd of other people to join me I would have to work hard to improve my running.

The Great South Run seemed perfect, 10 miles is less daunting than the 13.1 of a half marathon but is more impressive than a 10k, Portsmouth is easy to get to and best of all, it’s pretty much entirely flat!

Fitting in training around an already busy schedule, then starting a new job and going on holiday wasn’t easy and I didn’t manage as much as I’d hoped (although running while I was on holiday and everyone else was asleep was pretty special).

But once I accepted that I wasn’t going to be the fastest, and remembered that I was raising money for an excellent cause who wouldn’t mind if I was first or last, I kept going with the training I could fit in, and built my mileage each week with a challenging long run. I got to know Southampton Common very well in the last few weeks!

Getting on the train to Portsmouth with thousands of other runners was great, but made me more nervous: could I do it? Had I eaten enough? Had I drunk too much water? What was I thinking wearing sparkly leg warmers?!

Of the race itself, I remember being cold, then hot; getting a stitch in the first 3 miles and being terrified I wouldn’t be able to keep going; being overtaken by a tiger; getting to mile 5 and realising the stitch was gone; overtaking the same tiger; high-fiving children who had some out to support us; jelly babies at mile 9; seeing the finish and having to sprint to make sure I finished before the tiger!

To anyone thinking of entering this year: do it! You never regret going for a run, and I’ll see you at the start line!

Are you up for the challenge of joining team SSJ for this year’s Great South Run on Sunday 27th October? You can sign up for one of our charity places (£40 registration fee and minimum sponsorship of £100) or book your own place and raise what you can.

In a week we will be waving our brave trekkers off the the Indian Himalayas to trek for us, to work at a homelessness project run by and NGO in Delhi, and to raise valuable funds for our work here in the UK.

Each of our trekkers has had to raise at least £1500 for us, as well as covering their trip costs (a further £1500), paying for their Indian visa, their air taxes, their vaccinations, their trekking kit … all told, they have shown a huge financial commitment!
Not only that, but they have each spent the last 14-15 weeks in training for this challenge. At the final stages now, they are all walking for 8 hours at a time, twice a week, and adding in two 1 hours walks where possible. On top of that they are doing some circuit training to prepare the specific muscle groups that will be challenged as they trek through the mountains for four days. The time commitment, around personal lives, family, full/part-time work, had been immense.

This is all before these lovely people have given us 10 days of their lives. Taken 10 days away from their families and friends, used some precious annual leave, all to benefit those most vulnerable to homelessness in Hampshire.

We’d be lying if we pretended it was all sacrificial and altruistic. Naturally, the trek promises to be the trip of a lifetime.  the culture shock of Delhi, the ‘experience’ that is the overnight train, the stunning views, truly authentic Indian food, wild camping in true connection with nature. Yes, there is certainly a lot in it for our trekkers. But that doesn’t remove the challenges does it? Neither does it belittle the sacrifices they have made and the dedication that they’ve shown to supporting us.

Here’s what one of our trekkers has to say about the process:

Fundraising
I raised my funds through a variety of different methods. I had a number of cake sales and I made Easter baskets and Christmas hampers. I also made boxes of chocolate truffles for donations from members of the office.

I organised two big events which were the money makers, a Charity Bollywood Party to tie in with the trek and a Christmas Business Breakfast. Both were a great success earning in excess of £2,000 in total.

Getting to my fundraising target was great fun, but very hard work. Managing that was like having a part-time job in itself, but well worthwhile. I have raised every last penny of my target through sponsorship, which I am very proud of.

Training
I find it fairly hard to balance a training schedule with my full-on workload. I have been training at the gym and have taken part in the group outdoor treks around Southampton and Dorset. I am planning one final weekend of trekking on the South Downs before we head out to India, as I have to break in my new boots!

Visa
Applying for the Indian visa was an interesting process. You have to be fairly well organised, collating all the necessary documents/evidence mentioned on several different checklists, but it (thankfully) came back approved, so I’m all set.

The Challenge
I absolutely cannot wait for the trek. I am a little nervous about spending time (and sharing a tent/room) with people I don’t really know, but it’s all part of the fun.

Looking at pictures online, I am sure that the scenery (when we get to the highest point!) will be stunning. I am equally excited about the time we will spend in Delhi. I am sure there will be things I will see/do that will be difficult, but I often think that you have to put yourself out of your comfort zone to truly appreciate your own limits. I just want to go now….

At the end of last month we were privileged to be invited to attend an ex-Saints Q&A and quiz evening as guests, because the Ex-Saints wanted to make a cheque presentation to us. We decided that, as well as representing the fundraising department at the event, it would be useful to have some front-line staff and people who live in one of our projects in attendance to receive the donation.

Ex-Saints are a group of ex-professional footballers (Southampton FC) who’ve set up a charitable organisation with the intention of raising funds to support causes local to the Southampton area.

Lee Peck compered the evening, with good humour and a great deal of banter. During the interval, Matthew Le Tissier officially presented us with the cheque, though we had already had the photo call for the Echo by that point.
The fundraising office uses presentation cheques to adorn the walls, it keeps the team buoyant and focused and reminds them that their hard work does make a difference. I was delighted when the ex-players offered to sign the cheque for us too, though I was probably more excited to have it signed by Olympic Diver, Pete Waterfield.
Once we were in receipt of both the presentation cheque and the bankable cheque, we had the opportunity to mingle with the group. I  asked one of the ex-players why they had chosen to donate to the Society of St James in particular on this occasion. Apparently, we were selected to receive the £2000 contribution to our work at a board meeting in the winter. It’s not uncommon for people to think more about homeless people and those vulnerable to homelessness as the coldest, darkest, bleakest season approaches, and we like to build on that heightened awareness by demonstrating the difficulties people face irrespective of the weather.

The money always makes a difference to our clients because funds like this allow the Society of St James to offer services that are over and above what is required of us. We are a responsive charity and we provide projects and services that meet the very specific needs of the people we support.
However, the more valuable difference that the evening made was to the three men who live in one of our projects. Ashley, one of our substance misuse workers, told the men, “I thought this would be a useful part of your recovery.” Later, on the journey home, Ashley said to me, “It’s important for them to go out and be treated ‘normally’.”

Jason, one of our three client guests, said,

 It was great to do something normal for an evening. I really enjoyed myself and I was still buzzing the next day.

Another of our guests said,

It was great doing something different, rather than going out, using drugs and behaving badly. I really enjoyed it.

We’re very much looking forward to building upon this new relationship and, as a result of the chair discovering the difference the evening made to our special guests, are currently exploring the ways that we can work together in a more tangible way.

Restaurants raise £17,000 for Hampshire homelessness charity through StreetSmart

13 Hampshire pubs, restaurants and hotels have raised £11,228 for local homelessness charity, the Society of St James, by participating in a two month StreetSmart campaign. This was topped up to £17,000 by government match funding.

StreetSmart is a national campaign which raises money for homelessness charities by asking restaurateurs to add a voluntary £1 donation to each table bill throughout November and December. In support of the 2012 campaign, the government then matched the funds raised in December, raising StreetSmart Hampshire’s total from £11,228 to £17,000.

Dee Russell

Dee Russell, Corporate and Community Fundraiser for the Society of St James brought the StreetSmart campaign to Hampshire to raise much needed funds to help homeless people in the county. Dee said:

“The success of the 2012 campaign in our county was unprecedented. The commitment shown by Hampshire’s restaurateurs, waiting staff and guests is behind the tremendous success of the StreetSmart campaign. Just £30 pays for a homeless person to have a night’s stay and three meals in a hostel, so it’s easy to see how a £1 donation at the end of a meal out can go a long way at the Society of St James.” Dee added: “Economically, the cuts to funding for our services are meaning that we are coming to rely more heavily on corporate and community involvement to continue to support vulnerable people back into community life.”

Participating StreetSmart Hampshire restaurants, pubs and hotels included The Chesil Rectory, Lainston House and The Old Vine in Winchester; The Purefoy Arms in Preston Candover; The Bakers Arms in Droxford; Lime Wood Hotel, Terra Vina and Chewton Glen in the New Forest; The Three Tuns in Romsey; The Plough Inn at Longparish; Greens in Wickham; Four Seasons Hampshire near Hook and The Chestnut Horse at Easton.

The Chesil Rectory

Thank You

Without the support of Hampshire based Restaurants, Pubs, and Hotels, not one penny of this funding would be available to us.

You have invested in a bigger picture. Your investment has a huge impact in reaching out to people who need support in transforming their lives.
That one word, “Yes” when you were invited to join the campaign, that one little word makes this work possible.

We wish to extend our thanks beyond our participating venues, to the wider community by thanking StreetSmart diners. Again, that simple “£1” at the end of your meal, almost insignificant in itself, joins the 16,999 other £1s to enable real change to happen right on your doorstep.

Restaurants, pubs and hotels keen to sign up to the 2013 StreetSmart Hampshire campaign, or find out more about getting involved, should contact Dee Russell on dee.russell@ssj.org.uk or 023 8063 2524. Find out more about how the Society of St James supports homeless and vulnerable people to transform their lives at www.ssj.org.uk. www.streetsmart.org.uk

Businesses large and small choose to fulfil their corporate social responsibilities in a variety of ways. One of the first ways we will often engage with a large company is when a local branch is seeking to do some hands-on volunteering and team building.

We believe that these corporate relationships must be mutually beneficial. It’s clear that  many large companies take their CSR very seriously. They genuinely want to contribute to the local communities in which they are based, and seek to find the best ways in which to do so.
As a homelessness charity and housing association, we do have a good deal of property to maintain and can very often put volunteers like these to good use.
What we aim for the volunteers to get out of the day themselves is a day out of the office doing something that they would not ordinarily do, coming alongside some of our staff and residents, and discovering a good deal more about the support we offer as a charity.

When Philip from Virgin Media got in touch with us offering a team of 12 volunteers, as well as a significant contribution towards decorating materials, for a day we were delighted to accommodate them.

Corporate Volunteering days with SSJ take the following format:
Our building maintenance officer, Roger Northey, makes a concerted effort to meet the team, and our contractor, at the designated property in the morning and introduces everyone. He takes some ‘before’ photos and leaves everyone to get started. Jamie, our contractor, looks after the team, ensures that everyone knows what they are doing, and finishes up anything that cannot be completed on the team-building day. Generally Jamie will take some photos throughout the day, and Roger will feedback to the team after the event.

All told, a good time is had by all.
On this occasion Virgin Media got to DO SOMETHING wonderful for a local charity, the volunteers had a day out of the office and the opportunity to find out more about a charity on their doorstep, we saved valuable time and money on painting and decorating, and – most importantly, our residents benefit from living in well maintained, beautifully decorated properties that look like home.

Who could ask for more from one corporate volunteering day?

To book your own corporate volunteering day please contact Roger Northey: roger.northey@ssj.org.uk

Jordan House is a hostel that contains 26 self-contained flats. It’s transient accommodation (6-9 months) for people who are aiming to prepare themselves for more independent living. The aim of the project is for people to feel comfortable living there, but for them to know that they haven’t reached their ‘home for life’, and to provide them with relevant and appropriate opportunities to grow and develop while they’re there.

We went to meet Emma, a project worker at Jordan House. She was incredibly excited to share with us the results of the cookery courses she’s been running and needed funds to continue with. However, another project she’s been working on has struck a real chord with her in unexpected ways.

Emma arranged for Barton Peveril college to run textile courses at Jordan House. These courses are available not just to residents, but to those who access other areas of the services that are provided by the Society of St James.
The courses have had an unexpected level of success, there is one lady who is a permanent resident at Jordan House and had always chosen not to engage with any of the facilities available to her. Amazingly, when the textile course was mentioned to her in passing, she expressed an interest. She has not missed a session since which is such a leap forward for her in terms of personal development.

The therapeutic benefits of craft are often overlooked, Emma has observed that, when the women are busy with textiles, their conversations are deeper and they are more open. She has seen relationships develop and grow, and she’s also watched an accumulation of very saleable hand crafted items coming into being as the level of skill improves.

The reason Emma specifically wanted to meet with us was to see if we could find an outlet for these crafts. Her vision is for the group to be self-sustaining, that the money raised through the sale of crafts will be sufficient to purchase materials for ongoing projects. This is an exciting prospect, only made real by the staff tenacity and commitment to provide craft therapy among many other meaningful activities that can serve as tool to reintegrate people into community living.

Do you know of Southampton or Hampshire based craft sales that the group may be able to sell at?
Please leave details as a comment on this post.