UA | The Ashley Foundation

Energy

Efficiency

More Good

Case study: The Ashley Foundation

Appreciate

The Ashley Foundation is a Blackpool based charity established in 1997. Dedicated to providing accommodation and support to homeless individuals in need. Committed to treating individuals with dignity and respect, they offer the opportunity and the support necessary to encourage and enable personal growth and self-development.

What are they trying to achieve?

The dedicated team at The Ashley Foundation helps individuals to rebuild relationships with family or friends, stay in education and take up employment or training opportunities. They also deal with residents’ drug, alcohol and mental health problems, and see their role as much more than securing a roof over someone’s head.

The Ashley Foundation is driven by it’s driven by its values "to increase self-esteem, improve motivation and raise levels of confidence."

A mission that resonates deeply with the people of Blackpool and Utility Aid.

The Ashley Foundation not only want to reach people who need their services; they want to work towards a larger goal - to sustain, improve and strengthen the services they offer. One example of their remarkable work is their provision of 4 meals a day to their service users. A powerful illustration of the work The Ashley Foundation does that the people of Blackpool love.

What was their position?

The Ashley Foundation relies on fundraising and donations to continue their work, therefore, clever financial decisions and meticulous planning are paramount for the charity’s survival.

They quickly realised their bills were unnecessarily high and sought to reduce their energy bill to invest more into their services.

Denise Boehme, a support worker commented:

" Utilities are a major part of The Ashley Foundation financial outlay and we had to find ways of saving money after losing a considerable amount of funding."

How could we help?

Our energy specialist, Alanna, audited the utility bills used her knowledge, insight and dedication to source the best deal available for the needs of the charity. Then Alanna aligned and collated all the energy contracts into one place for efficiency and simplicity.

Over six years this saved The Ashley Foundation in excess of £2700.

What three words would The Ashley Foundation use to describe us?

Efficient, informative, successful.

Do More Good

Utility Aid have empowered The Ashley Foundation with time and money which will be delivered back into their services

How will the savings be used?

Food

Maintenance work

Showers, telephones, laundry, internet

Support staff

Counsellors

Chaplaincy services

How else do we support The Ashley Foundation

During National Carers Week 2018, one of our team (Tatiana Bentley) spent the day volunteering with The Ashley Foundation.

Tatiana, assisted support worker Denise Boehme as she conducted her daily visits to those in supported accommodation. Later in the afternoon, Tatiana also helped staff from The Ashley Foundation to prepare food and activities for the residents of Elm House.

Tatiana also handed over the donation – a fantastic example of business and charities working together to enhance people’s lives.

Lee Dribben, CEO at The Ashley Foundation, commented

"We are delighted that Utility Aid choose to support The Ashley Foundation, like all charities we rely heavily on the support of our volunteers and we are extremely grateful that Tatiana Bentley joined us to assist with our day to day duties to support our residents. The beneficial input of Utility Aid will help us to maintain the valuable service that we provide to the local community."

Read more about our work during National Carers Week 2018 here