Welcome to Shepton Mallet United Charities

ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE CHAIR

At the beginning of 2025, we were aware that we continued to be faced with some very serious challenges.  But there was also cause for optimism.  With a full complement of Trustees and staff encompassing a wide range of skills and talents, we were in a strong position to face whatever came our way.

With the team firmly in place, it was time to focus our skills in new directions.  These included building closer and more effective relationships with a number of key stakeholders.  These included Somerset Council, the Town Council, Adult Social Care and Somerset Care.  It was heartening to see some of these relationships improving dramatically throughout the year.  Our contact with the Town Council is on a firm footing, with our nominated contact attending quarterly meetings whenever time permits, whilst Adult Social Care and Somerset Care have both gone beyond whatever could reasonably be expected of them in their support of our charity with some complex and sensitive situations.  A new Social Worker has been a most valued source of useful advice.

Another key relationship that needs more consideration as soon as time permits is that with our residents’  next of kin, or Personal Support Contact as we are beginning to call them.  Lack of clarity in the role of the PSP can easily lead to ill-feeling and as a team we have spent much time on considering this area.  We have tried to establish where we sit on a scale that might have a residential care home at one end, with a private landlord at the other.  Somewhere in the middle probably, but where exactly is hard for us to define.  Continuing close dialogue with Adult Social Care is helping to establish the clarity that is needed.

Personal Support Contacts need to understand clearly what it is that we are offering when we award a Licence to a Resident, and what we are not offering; also they need to understand, and sign up to, the responsibilities which they have to shoulder for the Licence to be awarded, and to continue. In the last three months we have made a few small steps in the right direction on this issue, but more work is needed.

The transition in, or clearer definition of, our role is having to be made at a time when our environment is changing around us – and by environment I mean our residents, and their needs. As they grow older, these needs change, and we need to be constantly alert to the risk that their needs may not be capable of being met while they remain living in an almshouse.  The dual nature of our mission – preserving historic buildings in Shepton Mallet and providing affordable accommodation for those of the parish who are elderly and in need – presents a real challenge to us, but it’s one which our strong team will, I am sure, help SMUC meet successfully.

Sadly during the year one of our more long-standing residents passed away after living at the Almshouses for over 19 years, for most of that time with her husband until his death in 2019.  She was well known to many of the trustees, and much liked: she will be missed by many long-standing residents of Shepton.  After this sad event, a huge effort has gone into finding a new resident for her almshouse, and into preparing the property for the new resident. There have been backward steps as well as forward ones, but the house is ready and, at the time of writing, we have found our new resident.

On a happier note, at the end of May a group of Trustees and the Clerk had a meeting with our MP Tessa Munt, followed by a tour with her around the Almshouses.  This a short but very enjoyable visit to a resident of our of our more historic homes. Tessa was most supportive of our objectives, and promised to take forward the initiative for almshouses to be deemed providers of affordable housing, and not therefore to be subject to oversight by the Regulator of Social Housing.

We have had conversations through the year that as a largely volunteer body, with limited human (as opposed to financial) resources, we need to be realistic in the targets that we set for ourselves.  Careful prioritising has been needed and there is more work to be done.  Internally we are working towards more clearly defined committees and working groups, for clarity and fairness in sharing the workload.

In October all landlords in the UK were subject to the newly-introduced ‘Awaab’s Law’, which was introduced to ensure that damp and mouldy living conditions were no longer acceptable, following the tragic death of toddler Awaab Ishak in 2020, due to mould-related illness.  These issues are always more difficult in historic homes and the continuing increase in energy prices does not encourage residents to keep the heating on or windows open.  However, the repointing of the whole of the north wall in Church Lane was successfully completed during the year.  This substantial project already seems to be helping with damp issues in the affected properties.  Our maintenance team provides us with a detailed report of the many successful steps – not all small indeed – that are being taken every quarter.

Finally, it has been commented that we are a great team: I am happy to confirm this and we thank everyone who works so hard for our charity and its residents.

Paul Davies, Chair of the Board of Trustees,

November  2025