Curo News

“We want LGBTQ+ customers to feel safe”

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 15:55:00 Z

As Curo launches our new LGBTQ+ Resident Engagement Group, Paul Shearer, Empty Homes Lettings Negotiator (pictured above), talks about his experiences of homelessness and growing up gay.

I know what it's like to be homeless because I've lived through it myself. My dad, who was in the Army, wasn't around much. I'd known I was gay since I was five, always feeling a bit different from the others. One night, aged 16, I went out to a gay club in Swindon and returned home to a devastating discovery: my mum had passed away. In a panic, my sister and I called 999.

That was in June 1991. Going back to school was tough; I had to face a whole new set of challenges while completing my exams. They held a big assembly about my mum. I had always been bullied for being gay at school. The bullying stopped and I felt a shift in how I was treated. But it was strange and unnatural, and I didn't like it.

By Christmas that year, my dad had already moved on, finding another partner. On Christmas Day, my sister and I found ourselves alone in the house. When my dad returned, there was a big argument.

I was placed in a hostel for homeless kids. Then I moved into Pathways, Curo’s accommodation for homeless young people and got a job as a junior chef in Bath. I enjoyed living in Pathways, there was a sense of community. It didn’t matter that I was gay there. I even appeared in a Channel 4 documentary about homelessness - I remember watching it on TV with other residents.

But I was in a bad place emotionally. I turned to drugs and was getting out of my mind to forget everything. I moved to Weston Super Mare and my addiction spiraled out of control.

One day, I decided I’d had enough. I left for London with just one bag. I became an office manager at a Fleet Street publishing house and was very successful. It was a happy time. I met my partner and I’m proud to say that we’ve been together for 22 years.

But I’m a Bathonian at heart. I wanted to move back to the city and give something back to my community. I returned and I got a job with Curo at Dartmouth Avenue, our temporary accommodation for homeless people. I now work in the lettings department, supporting people to move into their homes.

Things have changed for LGBTQ+ people since I was younger, but the effects of those earlier days still linger for me. When I was growing up, being gay was a dirty secret. I still don’t have photos of my partner and I out on display. My partner and I never hold hands when we walk down the street. We don’t hug each other; we don’t show affection. There was a culture of shame. I grew up in the AIDS pandemic. People I knew were dying all the time. You’d have bouncers on the doors of gay clubs making sure we weren’t getting gay bashed on the way out. I’ve been hit, kicked and punched. The age of consent was 21 when I was growing up – it wasn’t lowered to 16 until 2001. It was a climate of disapproval.

I’m pleased that times have moved on for younger LGBTQ+ people. But the community still faces problems. In lettings, we've had to relocate people due to hate crimes based on their sexual orientation. Fortunately, the police take hate crime seriously and my team is on hand to offer advice and support.

Curo have signed up to the HouseProud Pledge, a scheme that all social housing providers can sign up to, to demonstrate their commitment to LGBTQ+ resident equality and support.

The home is so important to LGBTQ+ residents, because it should be a place where people can freely express their sexual orientation and/or gender identity without fear or prejudice. Sadly, despite recent changes in equality laws, LGBTQ+ residents continue to experience discrimination in their everyday lives, including in relation to their housing. For example, research from HouseProud found that 60% of the trans respondents did not feel that their neighbourhood was a safe place to live and one-in-five gay men reported modifying their home in some way – for example, moving pictures or books – to hide their sexual orientation from a visiting repairs operative or housing officer. That’s why Curo signing up to the pledge matters.

I’m part of the LGBTQ+ Colleague Group at Curo, which has been an important step in creating a workplace where people can feel safe. Now we want to set up a customer LGBTQ+ group to support customers and let them know that we are a welcoming and supportive. We want to get customers’ ideas about how we can improve how we do things. If you’re interested in joining the group, please email pride@curo-group.co.uk.

I hope that by telling my story, I can help people who’ve had similar experiences feel confident in getting in touch.

Celebrating International Women’s Day

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:49:41 Z

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked Julie Evans, Curo’s Executive Director of Property Services, what it’s like to be a female leader in housing.

What made you embark on a career in housing?

It was never my ambition to work in housing, simply because I never thought of it as a career. I was in my second year studying English Literature at Swansea University when, by chance, I went to a talk given by the local council’s head of housing. I thought, “This is a way I can make a difference.” Thirty-five years later, I’m still working in the sector.

I think I was attracted to it because I’d lived in a council house in Cardiff as a child. So I instinctively knew that stable, good-quality homes are the foundation of thriving communities.

A family friend worked in housing and her husband was a manager at a housing association in Chelsea and Kensington in London. I did some job shadowing with him while still at uni and instantly loved it.

What was your first role?

After I left college I became a trainee housing manager at Newport Borough Council. I got experience of the different services, working in lettings and the housing advice centre. At the same time, I studied for a post-graduate Diploma in Housing Studies, which covered the history of housing.

The work was so varied – you never knew what you’d be dealing with. There was the lovely stuff like giving people the keys to their first home, or helping older people move into homes that better met their needs. Then there were the more challenging things, like dealing with rent arrears. But I found helping people to work through their problems very satisfying.

The work fulfilled my passion for helping to change people’s lives. For example, it was great to be able to provide survivors of domestic abuse with a springboard to move on with their lives.

What have been the biggest achievements of your career?

When I worked at Cardiff Community Housing Association, I got the local authority to sign up to a city-wide disabled register. This meant that, rather than having to wait on a general housing list, anyone who was disabled could be matched with properties that suited their needs as soon as they came up. If someone needed a stairlift, we could match them with a home that had one.

At Curo, I’m proud of Passport to Housing, which prepares residents for their tenancies. We had lots of back and forth with the council as they thought the scheme meant we would cherry-pick people for tenancies. We did a pilot and used the data to convince them otherwise. They could see that, far from stopping people getting a home, the scheme was helping residents to succeed with their tenancies for the long term.

Can you describe a moment in your career when you faced a barrier because you are a woman?

It might be surprising to say, but I’ve never personally faced one because I’m a woman. Perhaps the housing sector is more egalitarian than others. But I would like to address the lack of women in trades roles. Out of around 100 trades colleagues at Curo, only four are women.

Only eight of the top 25 housing associations in the UK are headed by women. Why is that and how can we change it?

We have to look at the way housing associations are governed. In the past there’s been a predominance of white, middle-aged men on boards. This is changing but a certain amount of catching up must be done.

I also think it’s true that woman look at a job advert and think, “I can only do six out of 10 of those things – I won’t apply.” Whereas a man will think, “I can do three – I’ll go for it.”

Women can suffer from imposter syndrome. When I joined Curo 17 years ago, it was my first director role. I felt like I was putting on my ‘director’s cloak’ and that I had to be someone else. But with maturity you get to the point where the fear goes away. You get more wins under your belt and gain more confidence as you get older. And I’ve always been open to feedback, good and bad, so that I can grow.

In 2019, I became an Executive Director at Curo, joining a small team alongside three very confident men. Women are brought up to be polite. It’s our social conditioning. But in a leadership team, if you waited to be asked to speak, you’d be waiting a long time. I’m lucky, however, that the team are all welcoming, accepting and live Curo’s values of caring, respectful, open, fair and trusting.

Which women inspire you?

The courage of the Suffragettes is inspiring. As a small group of women, they were willing to give up their lives so that women could vote. Voting is a priceless gift which we should never take for granted.

I also hugely admire Rosa Parks, the Black woman who refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger in 1950s Alabama. She was determined to stand up against injustice. Her brave actions paved the way for huge changes in the civil rights of Black people in the US.

My favourite female political figure is Betty Boothroyd. She was the first and only female speaker of the House of Commons – and one of the best. Politicians across the spectrum respected her.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given?

I always come back to a quote by Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Whether you’re working in trades, development or customer accounts, always treat the customer as an individual, not a number, not bricks and mortar. You could change their life.

What tips would you give to women starting out in their housing careers?

Aspire to be the best you can be. Break through the glass ceiling. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t – you can.

Proud to support Pride 2022

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 10:39:56 Z

At Curo we're proud to support Pride Month. We’re passionate about the positive power of equality, diversity and inclusion.

Pride Month gives us the opportunity every year to celebrate the LGBT+ community’s history and culture. It's a time to recommit to the work that needs to be done to establish full justice and equality for all.

People of different religions, sexuality, ages, disabilities, backgrounds and life experiences give us different perspectives and diverse ideas. We want to ensure we provide fair and equal access to services for all our customers, and having a diverse colleague profile which is representative of the communities we serve helps us do this.

Learn more about how we're tackling hate crime at Curo.

Find out about careers with Curo.

Black History Month: Fairfield House and a social club for all ages

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 13:46:55 Z

I’m a proud Bathonian. One of three Ifill children, I was born and raised in Bath, my parents are from Bath and Birmingham and I have extended family who originate from Barbados, Jamaica, St. Kitts, and from Britain going back three generations. I grew up in suburban Oldfield Park in a terraced house that my parents were lucky enough to buy in the 1980s. It was quiet, with not many children around with a mainly older generation living around us.

As children we were fortunate to spend a lot of time with our grandparents during non-school hours and holidays. Usually they were the same old things: do the chores, play together, watch and help our grandfather in his allotment and see friends from school.

My sister is a few years younger than my brother and I, so she spent a lot more time with them as we gained a bit more independence after school. Then out of the blue she started talking of a club she had gone to with Granma and Grandad, raving about her Wednesdays and Fridays there.

By ‘club’, we thought it was a day club for senior citizens at the local community hall, but when the summer holiday came we realised what it was really about. The birth of BEMSCA at Fairfield House...

It was nineteen ninety something and we arrived at a Grade II listed villa tucked away in the Newbridge area of Bath. I remember my brother and I thinking it was going to be a boring day with old people in a smelly old house. How wrong we were.

These were sessions for a diverse elder community, with familiar faces of family and friends doing what they enjoy and learning new things, as well as others also bringing their grandchildren along.

There was a large garden to enjoy, games for all (including bingo with prizes), time for worship and, best of all, food!

I recall the house and one room in particular with a large portrait above the mantelpiece of an emperor in regalia, and another of him and his family in a different room. When we asked our parents the significance of this gentlemen they told us this was His Imperial Majesty Emperor of Ethiopia Hailie Selassie and the club was in his former residence, which he donated to the City of Bath in 1958.

Hearing the name made me recall some old reggae where his name was referenced. This led us to questions: why was this figurehead so different to other people in power at the time; and what was his significance in the black community? We started to learn about his place in the Rastafari movement and his connection with the city.

This was just the beginning of my experiences at Fairfield House. Since then I have attended many events there, organised by BEMSCA. This is a hidden gem of Bath with a lot of history and significance to the whole city, and it’s a place that should live on serving its purpose. BEMSCA is still very active to this day and the Fairfield House Bath community interest company has been set up in protect and preserve its legacy.

If you're interested in learning more about Fairfield House, they are holding guided tours for Black History Month every Sunday which you can book here and have been running a series of learning events called Freedom in the City.

Photos courtesy of Fairfield House.

Social Housing has a Black History

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 17:18:23 Z

Curo recently formed a new racial equality colleague network – called Originem (Latin for ‘origin’) – and we’re using Black History Month (BHM) to empower, educate and celebrate. This is very personal for me as my parents were part of the Windrush generation coming to England for better opportunities. However instead of being welcomed they were faced with various forms of racism and signs that read 'No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs' when they were looking for a home.

Black and minority ethnic (BME) people had to contend with poor quality privately rented housing in the inner cities run by slum landlords like the infamous Peter Rachman who provided grossly over-crowded accommodation to immigrants and evicted using intimidation and dogs.

The struggle to find good quality rented housing in the 1950s and 60s sowed the seeds for the BME housing movement.

Housing associations specially created to help immigrants began to emerge. Aggrey Housing Limited appeared in Leeds in 1955, closely followed by the Birmingham Friendship Housing Association, the Bath Voluntary Association for Commonwealth Housing, Nottingham Coloured People’s Housing Society and London’s Tredegar Housing Association. The Rachman scandal, which ended with his death in 1962, also inspired the creation of Shelter and Notting Hill Housing Trust.

However structural discrimination continued and in 1984 the manager of a Reading hostel for young black people, Louis Julienne, co-founded the Federation of Black Housing Organisations (FBHO), an umbrella body for BME housing associations that represented the sector and lobbied government on its behalf. In 1986 the FBHO set in motion the first black housing strategy and over the next few years about 40 BME housing associations were founded. In 2008 the FBHO closed due to funding difficulties, but another representative body, BMENational, was swiftly created only a year later.

In Bristol, United Housing Association was formed in 1985 when local civil rights leaders and activists come together to address the problem of unequal access to decent housing, a problem that particularly affected elders of Caribbean descent. In supporting the foundation of United Housing Association and SARI (Stand Against Racism and Inequality), these leaders looked to address racial discrimination in the core areas of everyday life: the workplace, the home, education and the city’s public spaces.

Although BME housing associations were formed to address the clear and obvious disadvantage facing some communities in accessing good quality affordable housing. They have achieved that and much more: over the decades they played a pioneering role in British society, pushing into the mainstream issues of race, equality and inclusion. They have irrevocably changed the housing landscape.

A BME positive action scheme in Bristol brought me into housing in the 1990s and I have seen a lot of policy interventions over that time.

Many of the BME-led organisations have merged into mainstream housing associations including United. So, in the South West it is up to housing providers like Curo to become the housing associations that finally stamp out discrimination in social housing and welcome and support BME colleagues and customers.

In Bristol as part of the Iconic Black Britons Heritage trail you can take a little walk around St Pauls and see all the murals of the black pioneers who enabled change in social housing and for us all.

Here’s a small selection of the many events and activities happening in #BlackHistoryMonth:

Bristol's BHM magazine is out now - click here to register and view.
Events happening in Bristol - click here to find out more.
Every Sunday in October, Fairfield House Tour, Bath - click here to book your tickets.
11 October, 1-5pm - Regional BHM online conference - click here to find out more.
13 October, 8pm - Exploring Britain’s Black LGBTQIA+ history - click here to find out more.
18 October, 6pm - B&NES webinar - ‘Race equality in B&NES – progress made and challenges ahead' - click here to find out more.
21 October, 6-7pm - Black Poppies in south-west England? Black and Asian experiences during World War One - click here to find out more.
21 October, 7.30-11.30pm - Bop Against Racism with RSVP Bhangra Band - A Love Music Hate Racism Event - click here to find out more.
Lots of other events can be found at www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk

On Stephen Lawrence Day, let’s think about the part we all play in creating a society in which everyone can flourish

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 09:38:37 Z

Today, 22 April, is #StephenLawrenceDay where we remember and celebrate the life of this young man whose life was tragically taken. It is one of the most high-profile racial killings in UK history – the resulting investigation and Macpherson report led to significant changes in attitude surrounding institutional racism, police procedure and to the partial revocation of double jeopardy laws.

I am currently reading Baroness Doreen Lawrence’s book ‘And Still I Rise’ which details the family's own experiences of being treated with suspicion from the outset, rather than with compassion, and of being denied the highest level of professional competence to which they were entitled. Along with the stereotyping and racial profiling by the police of Duwayne Brooks, who was with Stephen Lawrence at the time of the murder.

Stephen’s legacy has had an influence across Britain and even locally; my fantastic friend Pepe Hart was a teacher in Radstock. She was the only Asian Primary Head in Bath & North East Somerset and she introduced an Anti-Racist Curriculum long before anyone was talking about it.

She invited Baroness Doreen Lawrence to her school. Pepe says in her blog “she educated our children in a beautiful and unique way. We saw first-hand how the evils of racism can destroy lives. Our children were captivated and wanted change to happen. They wanted to be part of stamping out racism.”

The school set up Stephen Lawrence room and a statue (pictured) in honour of this talented young man who wanted to be an architect but was needlessly killed before he could fulfil his full potential.

The sensitive way they delivered the story through poetry, dance, art and drama meant the whole community shared the experience.

Pepe has worked with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation and helped to develop an anti-racist package of learning which can be rolled out to other schools. She says “Stephen’s death is a tragic reminder of the vital need to challenge injustice for the greater good. We should all remember all that Stephen would most certainly have brought to the world. A talented teenager murdered for the colour of his skin. Celebrating Stephen today and always means that out of darkness comes light.”

Stephen Lawrence Day - A Legacy of Change – this short video says it all.

Pepe and I regularly talk about Stephen on our lockdown walks and I really admire how she creatively used his tragic story to deliver an anti-racist message to young children in a majority-white rural school.

This week has also seen the conviction of Derek Chauvin who killed George Floyd. These high-profile hate crimes are not the only ones, but we must make sure they are the last ones.

Alongside all this the recent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report argues that institutional racism is no longer an issue in the Britain, but we all know in our hearts that this is not true… yet.

So; let’s commit to using the opportunity that Stephen Lawrence Day gives us to think about the part we all play in creating a society in which everyone can flourish.

At Curo, we must think about how our own systems and processes can create inequalities or unfair advantage and make changes whenever we can. Every Curo colleague should have received hate crime training which gives us all a chance to discuss this issue and ask questions. Please remember language is not the problem – I know it feels like terms are changing every five minutes – it’s the intention behind what you say. If you see or hear anything that is discriminatory ‘call it out’.

Curo’s new customer service plan and the review of how we conduct equality impact assessments (EIAs) give us all at Curo an opportunity to deliver transformational services to our diverse customers. My message to every Curo colleague is: the next time you need to make a decision which affects people ‘check yourself’, as my mum would say, and question those unconscious biases.

This is a journey, but we can get there.

Making Curo’s leadership vibrant and diverse

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 08:47:46 Z

A blog by Curo Chief Executive, Victor Da Cunha

I have been wondering how I can demonstrate more clearly my personal commitment to supporting a much-needed change in our sector’s leadership profiles – a cause that, for me, is very close to home.

It’s not a thing I talk about, but I have my own stories of glass ceilings and of discrimination which I have navigated over the past 28 years. Stories of polite refusals, ‘thanks for the feedback’, enormous effort and steadfast resilience. All so I could, despite the odds, achieve my ambition, aspirations and the potential I felt I had.

It’s the story of many other first-generation immigrants, of poor secondary education and a basic lack of life chances at the start. That said, I feel lucky because mine has been an ultimately successful story and I’m grateful for how things have panned out.

I feel very privileged to have had a number of senior roles within a sector that I love and that I’m proud to be part of. But it hasn’t been an easy journey, not at all, and I know that many other talented people still, sadly, haven’t been given the chance their talent deserves. Let’s be clear, we are less as a sector than we could be because we are missing out on their talent.

It shouldn’t be this way, not in 2020.

Amongst everything else, the past year has reminded us that racism and other forms of discrimination have not yet been defeated. In the wake of Grenfell, and the prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement, I feel more than ever that I must leave the sector (not yet, but when I retire!) richer in diversity at Executive and Board levels than it was when I arrived. Social housing sector has a duty to lead the way on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) because our wider social purpose places greater expectation on us to be a beacon than other sectors.

I have been honoured to be involved in the National Housing Federation’s (NHF) National EDI group. It’s a group of diverse people, made up of colleagues from all across the sector. Together the group supports the NHF in its attempt to influence change; helping us to become more vibrant and diverse at all levels, so that we more accurately reflect the communities we serve.

For too long we have seen EDI as a project, not a means to competitive advantage, anchored in our values, culture and practices. In the new year, the group will release resources and share best practices to support these aims.

In one of its first actions though, the EDI Group published an Insights report which reminded us that, despite many efforts, our Executive and Boards are not as diverse as the rest of our colleagues or the communities we serve. It’s a sad reality.

The Insights report also reminded us that our EDI data is not collected consistently and that gaps continue to hinder better debate, analysis and decision making. One of my favourite sector colleagues says this and the awkwardness of the conversation hinders us from being sufficiently curious or brave. I agree. The simple fact is that we need to redouble our efforts and role-model the change without being defensive.

So, I want to pop my head over the parapet to say what I will promise to do over the next six months to show leadership in this space at Curo. Our Chair, Liz Potter, will do the same from a Board perspective too in the new year. This is because above all things, actions count much more than words, no matter how small. Taking small, quick steps allows us to show and then celebrate progress and build momentum. Imagine the amplification if we all committed to action?

My three first public EDI commitments are:

1. I will publish the diversity characteristics of Curo and put them on our intranet and website – openly comparing our workforce to the communities we serve;

2. I will publish the pay gaps not only for gender, where we have some work to do already, but also for people of colour employed in our business;

3. I will encourage a conversation within my organisation about our diversity characteristics and our pay gap(s) – so we encourage open-minded curiosity and begin to plan for inclusive change over the next few years – including thinking about the role of targets.

In July 2021, I’ll publish more but for now I hope these serve to create a discussion and inspire others to commit to their own. It is only if we each individually prioritise action, and are held to account, that change will happen.

We are all collectively the sector and we are not as diverse and vibrant at Leadership levels we should be and as our sector’s wider social purpose requires.

The International Day of People with Disabilities: 'Not all disabilities are visible'

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 07:00:00 Z

The International Day of People with Disabilities is on 3 December. This year’s theme is about raising awareness that not all disabilities can be seen; but that all disabilities, whether ‘hidden’ or not, can impact significantly on people’s lives and are equally important.

Under the Equality Act 2010, the definition of a disability is “a physical or mental impairment that has a 'substantial' and 'long-term' negative effect on [a person’s] ability to do normal daily activities.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) World Report on Disability, 15% of the world’s population, or more than one billion people, are living with disability. Of this number, it’s estimated 450 million are living with a mental or neurological condition - and two-thirds of these people will not seek help or talk about it, largely due to stigma and a fear of discrimination.

We need to change this, but how?

A simple but meaningful way we can change this is by improving awareness, so that disability is easier to talk about.

There are numerous campaigns every year that help us to do this. In November for example Men's Mental Health Month offered tips on how to get through when times are tough, including:

Exercising, even if it's just a short walk.
Listening to motivational music or songs that remind you of good times or friends.
Connecting with a hobby or interest, whether online during the COVID-19 pandemic or meeting face to face once we get through the pandemic.
Or just... talk to a mate.

To view other mental health campaigns visit the Mental Health Foundation and think about how often you get involved with these campaigns. Even just talking about them at work or with friends and family means that you are raising awareness and letting people know that it's alright to talk about these things.

Talking about mental health helps cultural norms to change.

As individuals we cannot, single-handed, change institutions, but we can advocate and educate at a grassroot level, letting people know that it’s ‘OK not to be OK!’ We can support others when they need someone to talk to, review how our words and actions may hurt others, focus on positives and get the facts.

Men’s health and North Somerset - a local movement

In Somerset, Neil Harris is helping men to change the way they think about their mental health and wellbeing by setting up a Men’s Talk Club. At Curo we manage the Community Connect service in partnership with the West of England Rural Network - the service works with people over 50 who might be isolated or lonely and supports initiatives like Talk Club. We recognise that we're living through difficult times, and that can bring pressures that impact on our wellbeing. Men might not always be comfortable talking about these issues and these often-hidden pressures can cause people to feel stressed, depressed or down.

The Talk Club is a movement that’s about helping men to change how we think about mental health and stress, and creating a safe space for men to come together, talk and gain support.

Neil says: “Men’s mental health is an issue. A massive issue. And yet it is still not really talked about – there is still huge stigma about asking for help and support if you are a man. The pandemic may well have shone a light on the importance of mental health broadly but even before this the data is stark. In this country 12 men a day take their own lives. One every two hours. In 2019, there were 5,691 suicides registered in England and Wales, around ¾ of these were men.

"We all recognise that we need to work together and that if we do, we can make a real difference to the lives of men in our local area.”

If you want to know more about this movement please visit Talk Club.

At Curo we take mental health seriously, especially in today’s climate. Colleagues are supported to have a healthy work-life balance, to join wellbeing chats and to attend mental health presentations to be more aware and informed. These are often facilitated by colleagues, not professionals, and I had the opportunity recently to co-run a men’s health wellbeing event. By getting staff to run events, we take the stigma out of the subject and normalise talking about things and supporting each other.

For our North Somerset customers and community, we have many services to support those in need, including:

Working with Primary Care Networks and health providers to help patients get support in their communities, in partnership with GPs.
Temporary accommodation services for those who are homeless or are having mental health problems.
Community Connect which supports socially isolated adults over the age of 50 using the five ways to wellbeing to inspire them to connect, physically or virtually, to their community.

I’m fortunate to be one of the Wellbeing Workers who support and advocate for those in need.

Helen Yeo, who works in Public Health for North Somerset Council, highlights that while some disabilities such as anxiety or depression may be difficult for others to recognise or understand, they can be debilitating, affecting everyday life for those who suffer from them.

Helen says: “Sadly mental health problems are not rare. Nor are they exclusive to one ‘type’ of person. Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak a survey carried out by Public Health England showed 84 per cent of people in the South West have experienced early signs of poor mental health including anxiety, stress, low mood or trouble sleeping in the past 12 months.

"North Somerset Council are keen supporters of Time to Change, England's most ambitious campaign to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people who experience mental health problems.”

Please take the time to look at some of the links I’ve shared here. We can all do something to help people access support and to empower them to live with their mental health disability, especially men.

International Day of People with Disabilities

Talk Club

Mental Health Foundation

Time to Change

Community Connect

Black Lives Matters - taking inspiration from our young residents

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 11:45:56 Z

Pictured: Young entrepreneur and Curo customer Jackson pictured at a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol.

2020 has been a turbulent year for us all. From the uncharted waters of COVID-19 to the murky injustices which have come back to the surface after the distressing footage of a racial attack on a black man in the USA which sparked protest around the world, igniting a united global support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The images and issues that this brought up have been difficult to witness, however are crucial in gaining an understanding of the experiences of fellow citizens.

One thing that has rung out loud and clear for me is that to effect change we must act; we must stand up for our neighbours and each other. Sadly, alongside the progressive nature of recent events connected with the Black Lives Matter movement, there has also been backlash and division. This makes it all the more important to stand together and celebrate positive change, innovation and justice.

As a Support Worker at Curo, I am lucky enough to work with inspiring young people as part of Curo’s Young Parent Project in Bath. It is these young people who hold the potential to realise positive change in society.

One particularly inspiring young man I work with is Jackson. At the young age of 22, he and his business partner started their own business in music, artist promotion, events promotion and a clothing brand. As a person of colour in a predominantly white city, Jackson has experienced racial discrimination through his life and has faced barriers in setting up his business. He and his business partner have pledged to donate all profits from their clothing brand to the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, and have made it their mission to facilitate positive change in society to avoid other people facing the same barriers they have.

Jackson and his business partner were interviewed for an article for Somerset Live; you can find the full article here.

Something else I take from recent events is that this movement is about everyone. If there is no justice for one community then there is no justice for any community. It is a matter of human rights, and if these are not consistent across society then they count for nothing. As explained by the Black Lives Matter movement: ‘To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others.’ This movement has sparked action around the globe, inspiring people to make changes and to invest in learning about the history of, not just a nation, but a global society – and how this history still influences the lives of individuals today.

Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 after the murder of teen Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his pursuer George Zimmerman, not to mention centuries of inequality and injustices. The Movement is an inclusive, progressive global network of individuals striving for justice and freedom. Its strength as a network has grown due to the power of their membership and supporters. In their own words: ‘Every day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported… We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.’

Black Lives Matter is an educational platform and a foundation for action, solidarity and community. The recent occurrences have been a call to action, and indeed we have seen peaceful political and non-political endorsement of justice and a wave of new support for the Black Lives Matter movement across the world.

If you’d like to know more about Jackson’s business, it’s called Go Getter World.

Jackson is also a music artist by the name of Jax who recently released a new album on his birthday in June - it’s already sold out! He is a hardworking and innovative young man and an inspiration to many young people. His music can be found here on Instagram.

I want to finish with one of my favourite quotes by the anthropologist Margaret Mead. She said: ‘never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has’.

If you would like to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement here are three excellent websites to visit:

And five must-see documentaries and films: