A think tank that helps charities, foundations and philanthropists to maximise their social impact, has said that charities are propping up state services by as much as £2.4bn a year.
In the report, State of the Sector 2024: Ready for a reset, NPC found that only one quarter of charity contracts have increased in line with inflation, while 62 per cent of charities believe they do not receive the full value it costs to deliver services. The research found that charities themselves contributed 35 per cent.
The £2.4bn funded by charities is equivalent to 23 times the emergency support package given to charities last year to help cope with the cost-of-living crisis.
Almost 300 charity leaders and more than 2,000 members of the public were questioned for the report, which recommended that charities should think carefully about the risks contracts pose to their sustainability. It urges funders to offer more flexible funding to allow charity leaders space to consider long-term questions.
Richard Franklin, Kisharon Langdon Chief Executive said:
“For a long time we have been moving into an era where the level of support, or services offered, depend on the affinity, capacity and propensity of any local community to give support. It is a rewriting of the social contract.”
The NPC report is the latest salvo for social care funding. Richard added:
“Social care services for the learning disabled community have suffered from chronic underfunding for far too long. The situation has been exacerbated by recent global events and short term electoral gimmicks trumping longer-term sensible policy making.
“It isn’t enough to clap for carers or rely on communal largesse to fill ever widening deficits. On this trajectory, the services we turn to when the need arises will silently and slowly be eroded before our eyes.”
To read the NPC report in full click here.
Kisharon Langdon smashed its £2million fundraising target, raising over £2.2m in 36 hours, with money still coming in.
This incredible achievement was only made possible by the 5,423 individual donations,173 ambitious champions and dozens of generous matchers who pledged to double every donation during the 36-hour campaign.
Champions stepped up to run fundraising pages on the Charity Extra website and to ask for donations from families, friends and colleagues. They were inspired by messages from Chief Executive Richard Franklin, trustees and Kisharon Langdon directors and the fundraising team, and buoyed by videos and messages of thanks.
Among the champions were staff, volunteers, supporters and members, including pupils of Kisharon Noé School and Team Create and Bake which each raised more than £4k.
Another group – The Enterprise Team – made up of members who take on shopping, packing and delivery jobs including running the Bag My Treats business, raised a whopping £28,500.
A good-hearted touch came from Ben Chalk of Hendon company Construction Consultants who made a donation to every champion in the campaign.
All received £18 whose numerical value in Hebrew is chai meaning life. Ben said:
“I know a lot of people in the community and I had 32 requests to donate! Kisharon Langdon is fortunate enough to have heavy hitters but I wanted to give a push to smaller teams as well to tell them, well done, keep on going.
“We’re privileged to have a charity like Kisharon Langdon, giving people with disabilities a good chance in life. The impact of having a disabled child on a family is enormous, but Kisharon Langdon is always there.”
A bring and buy sale at Maccabi House in Edgware, run by Kisharon Langdon members, raised £1k for the matched funding campaign.
Stalls were piled high with jewellery, craft items, books, toiletries, paintings, bric-a-brac and confectionery – some donated or hand-made while other items were brought in for sale by visitors.
Debbie Rees, Head of Social Care Programming said:
“Members decided to organise a bring and buy sale as their contribution to the matched funding campaign.
“Around 30 people ran stalls, supported by staff or volunteers, and all asked family and friends to come. The sale lasted two hours and the room got very crowded. It was great to see members so engaged and invested in this.”
Friday Night Dinner volunteers donated chocolate, sweets and drinks for the tuck stall, members made arts and crafts, the New Chapter business gave second-hand books, visitors donated jewellery and one lady put up for sale a collection of paintings owned by her late husband.
“There was a real community feel at this event. It was a very innovative way for members collectively to give back,” Debbie added.
People we support, their families and staff are becoming Champions to help us achieve our ambitious £2m target in this year’s Matched Funding Campaign.
It actually costs £18m to run our services and for £4m of that, we’re relying on the generosity of our community. We’re depending on our Champions to raise £2million from this campaign and every ask made to family, friends and other connections is crucial. Once you’ve decided to sign up, we’ll be with you all the way, and it’s as easy as 1,2,3!
The MFC runs from 9am on Sunday 10 March and runs until 9pm on Monday 11 March. We’ll set up a fundraising page and send through all the information and photos you need to share on social media. During the 36-hour campaign, every donation made will be doubled by our generous donors.
Don’t forget to ask your donors to spread the word and share your link with anyone who they think might also like to support us. Throughout the day, the Kisharon Langdon fundraising team will be in touch to offer support and guidance.
Remember that supporters can call us to make their donation over the phone, and the fundraising team can accept payment using charity cheques and vouchers. Do join us. To sign up, email: Emma.nagli@kisharonlangdon.org.uk
Employment workshops are to start at Kisharon Langdon to help people with learning disabilities to find work.
The first will focus on job searching and completing job applications, CVs and writing cover letters, while the second will focus on customer service skills, the expectations of employers and work etiquette. One of the workshops will run every fortnight initially at Maccabi House in Edgware. A second venue is to be announced soon.
Work and Learning Coach Dee Francis, who along with colleague Hannan Ahmed will lead the workshops, said: “The aim is to give clients more motivation, confidence, knowledge and support and help them to overcome whatever barriers they have, as well as develop their skills, so they can be ready for interviews.” Funded by the Wohl Employability Programme, as part of its £300,000 grant over three years to Kisharon Langdon to help those who want to work,, each workshop will last 2.5 hours, giving clients plenty of time to learn the new information and gain experience through face- to-face interaction with others.
Flyers about the new workshops will be available at Maccabi House and the New Chapters book business, and will also be sent to staff, parents and members. For more information about the workshops, or to offer work to a Kisharon Langdon Member, please email: Darnelle.Frances@kisharonlangdon.org.uk
Annie was the hottest ticket in town earlier this month as Kisharon Langdon members acted and sang their hearts out in a performance of the foot-tapping musical.
The star of the show was Zoe May who played Annie – and cast members Gabs, Faith, Benjamin, Danni, Ophir and Billie all deserved a standing ovation. Their hard work over four months of rehearsals enabled several cast members to overcome acute shyness, stage fright and other difficult issues in preparation for the performance. Not only did every member of the cast experience a huge and well-deserved sense of achievement as the curtain went down, but learned what can be done with teamwork, dedication and reliability.
Behind the production was Kisharon Langdon teacher Emma Harrigton, who teaches singing, yoga and mindfulness to people with learning disabilities, as well as running the drama class. While competition for the key roles in Annie was fierce, it was Emma who made sure no-one got left out. Annie wasn’t their first foray into the world of theatre. Last year, the drama group put on Oliver and hopes are high that wider Kisharon Langdon family will swell the ranks of keen actors before long.
The Greatest Showman is set to be the next production and there are hopes that a larger group may soon be able to stage a show at a local theatre.
Purim started weeks ago at Kisharon Langdon where people we support have been shopping, weighing and packing and learning other key job skills.
Thanks to their hard graft, Kisharon Langdon will be selling Purim breakfast mishloach manot containing boxes of cereal, a tea sachet, mini jam, cupcake and orange juice all beautifully wrapped. This will sell at £5 and is set to sell out fast. For children there will be bags of sweets for £2 and bake your own hamantaschen kits complete with measured flour and sugar, pots of jam, orange juice and a wipe clean recipe card for £6. Those wanting to create their own mishloach manot while still supporting Kisharon Langdon can pick from bags of chocolate covered pretzels, mini fruit sweets, chocolate covered cranberries and caramelised pecans.
Aviva Braunold, Learning and Development Lead, said: “As well as the measuring and packing, people have been using a spreadsheet to record customer details and create invoices, keeping to a budget while purchasing items, checking ingredient labels and labelling and packaging goods.”
This year, misholach manot can also be sent by post and this too will create learning opportunities – packing, calculating and paying for postage. Supplies will be available from the Equal shop, or order online at purim@kisharonlangdon.org.uk
“If Kisharon Langdon wasn’t around, the amazing support and the community Gabs lives in would not exist…then what?” says Kisharon Langdon Trustee Paul Joseph.
Kisharon Langdon gave Paul’s younger sister Gabs, now 37, a life of her own from the moment she became a Member at 16. “Gabs used to sit in our parents’ kitchen and she’d still be sitting there if it wasn’t for Kisharon Langdon. She works at New Chapters, stars in musicals, goes to Friday night dinners and has friends,” Paul said: “My brother Adam and I were lucky enough to go university and move on. Kisharon Langdon allowed Gabs to have her own independent life and lets us lead ours.”
The family’s involvement with Kisharon Langdon has made them grateful supporters. Gabs’ father Jonathan was a Trustee and former Kisharon Langdon Chairman, mother Carole became a Kisharon Langdon College governor while Paul and Adam who raise funds at every opportunity, have a joint fundraising page in the MFC this year after Adam’s employer pledged to double every pound they bring in.
Aliza Kander admits she hates asking for money, and with the current need for funds for Israel, this year isn’t going to be any easier, but that won’t deter her family from becoming MFC Champions.Eitan, 17, pictured above, the Kanders’ second child of four – Tamar is 19, Rafael 14 with 11-year-old Yishai the youngest – is a pupil at Kisharon Kisharon Langdon Noé School.
At Kisharon Kisharon Langdon since the age of four, when he started Tuffkid Nursery, Eitan learns to fix bikes at the Bike Shop, loves horse riding, enjoys lessons outdoors that are part of Forest School and was one of the pupils, accompanied by teachers, on last year’s school trip to Israel. “It was absolutely phenomenal. They were well looked after and Eitan had the best time.” Eitan has another two years at the school – two years to decide what next. “The future is very scary. Eitan is making progress but slowly and we hope he will be able to get some qualifications. Hopefully he will be able to stay within Kisharon Langdon.”
Aliza and husband Martin have taken part in every MFC, and once sat on the organising committee of the annual dinners. Even so, they are reluctant to disclose how much they raise each year – other than that it’s north of £20k. Aliza says: “Every year we are surprised by how much comes in. Kisharon Langdon pulls people’s heart strings. We find that everyone who contributes is very proud to be a part of the campaign.”
Individuals supported by Kisharon Langdon are reaping the rewards of the merger – a wider range of services for all.
It’s still early days and already so much good has been achieved. But these services come at a cost.
Since August, Kisharon Langdon has been responsible for 150 adults in supported living, 300 plus children in educational settings, as well as many more in adult learning, employment and as participants of the social programme. It will cost Kisharon Langdon £15m to run these services this year, and we will be asking the community to contribute £4m.
Due to the unprecedented situation in Israel, Kisharon Langdon’s directors took the difficult decision to cancel a fundraising dinner which had been scheduled for the start of this year.
Carolyn Rozenberg and Jessica Levy, Co-Directors of Fundraising, explained: “As a result, we are in truth struggling to keep up with the cost of the increased demands for our services, as well as ongoing inflationary costs.”
Generous donors have agreed to match fund monies raised by champions in our 36-hour campaign, with its £2m target. Could you be one of these champions?
Here’s what it takes:
- It doesn’t cost anything to become a champion. We ask you to promote the campaign to friends, family and business connections, and every ask you make will be crucial to the campaign’s success.
- Throughout, we will send a variety of images, messages and videos to be sent to those on your network.
- Next, watch donations come in, remembering that every single one will be doubled while the campaign is live.
Can you help us with this? Please email: emma.nagli@kisharonlangdon.org.uk We appreciate your invaluable support. Bring it on!
Childs Hill Library has become a warm hub for the winter, offering the local community a cosy and welcoming space and reducing the need for costly heating at home.
Whenever the library is open, anyone can come inside for a hot drink or a steaming mug of hot soup. They’ll find companionship, and more, on offer.
Library Manager Neha Dhakar said: “Some come in to read the papers with a drink, others to have a chat. Parents drop in on their way to pick up children from school and children pop in after lessons for soup. Others want help with IT or support with language skills.”
More than 25 visitors come to enjoy the library space every week, thanks to a Barnet Innovation Community Fund Grant which runs until the spring. This has funded the cost of the refreshments and over 100 sets of warm clothes for families in greatest need.
Kisharon Langdon members help set up the drinks table and monitor supplies to make sure tea, coffee and soup are always available but their biggest job has been assembling bags of new clothes for vulnerable families. With a hat, blanket, gloves, scarf, jumper and socks in each pack, the Kisharon Langdon team have been buying large quantities of brand new clothes in correct sizes and at the best prices.
Aviva Braunold, Development and Learning Lead, said: “The project has improved skills in IT, communication, budgeting, and teamwork. It’s good to be giving back to the community.”
Several have taken part in food safety and customer services courses, learning basic hygiene to serve drinks and soup to library visitors safely.
Library opening hours when anyone is free to drop in, are:
- Mon 10am-1pm
- Tue 10am-1pm & 2-5pm
- Wed 2-8pm
- Thu 2-5pm
- Sun 2-5pm
