Case Studies
999 Club
Robert Block, director of the 999 Club, gives an overview of his experience of working with Pilotlight. The 999 Club provides immediate help in any situation as well as long-term support and friendship to the most disadvantaged or vulnerable members of society.
Ashiana
Ashiana Network offers advice, support and safe housing for South Asian, Turkish and Iranian women in east London who are victims of domestic violence and forced marriage. It also provides counselling for young people who may have been affected by domestic violence and training for professionals. They believe working with Pilotlight helped them develop and secure funding for the long-term.
Bailliston Community Care
Glasgow-based Baillieston Community Care was set up in 1992. It evolved from an informal carers’ support group, offering two dementia support services: a day care centre and a home support service, both of which are funded by Glasgow City Council. In 1995, the charity set up an income-generating private home care service as a social enterprise for anyone aged 16 or over with a disability.
brainstrust
Aged 19, Meg Jones was about to begin university when her life was turned upside down. She was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour and her family was shocked to find there was little coordinated support available. After sending Meg to America for successful surgery, her family set up their own charity to help others facing a similar situation in the UK. brainstrust provides funding for the support and treatment of those diagnosed with primary brain cancer and their families.
Broadway Lodge
Brian Dudley, chief executive of Broadway Lodge outlines how he has been helped by Pilotlight.
Bromley Y
Bromley Y is a charity offering free, confidential counselling to young people aged 11-23 within the borough of Bromley in south London.
C-Level
Moira Washington, chief executive of C-Level outlines how she has been helped by Pilotlight.
CoolTan Arts
More than 700 people regularly turn to CoolTan Arts – a mental health charity-with-a-difference in south east London. It promotes mental well-being by offering art and advocacy workshops as well as volunteering opportunities.
Cotswold Council for Voluntary Service
Cotswold Council for Voluntary Service is a charity which has seen a massive transformation. Cotswold Council for Voluntary Service has been providing non-emergency transport services for local people making hospital visits since ambulance service cutbacks seven years ago.
Dunfermline Advocacy Initiative
The Dunfermline Advocacy Initiative (DAI) was set up 20 years ago when it was decided the learning-disabled residents of a local, long-stay hospital were to live in the community. There was concern that individuals were not being given the chance to voice their feelings or build connections in the communities that would become their new home. An advocacy service was set up, recruiting ordinary people in the community to act as advocates for vulnerable people with learning disabilities. It now supports approximately 75 people with learning disabilities across West Fife, ensuring they have an opportunity to be supported and represented.
Edinburgh City Youth Cafe 6VT
6VT opened 18 years ago to provide a safe social space for people aged 15 and over in Edinburgh. It now provides a drop-in service which is open three nights a week, providing a range of personal development support, educational workshops, advice and information. Over the years, 6VT’s areas of expertise have grown and it now also provides housing services and an integrated community support service for young people facing the prospect of foster care, residential care or being housed in a secure unit.
Empowering Action and Social Esteem (EASE)
EASE (Empowering Action and Social Esteem) was set up in 2001 by Jackie Sear when she moved to the Copley Close Estate in west London. As a youth worker in the community, Jackie saw issues such as anti-social behaviour, violence and racial harassment that were not being dealt with and founded the charity to try and address them.
Epic Arts
Epic Arts is a London-based arts charity established in 2001. It organises and runs visual art, drama, dance and music projects for people with disabilities in the UK and Cambodia.
Factory Skatepark
The Factory Skatepark in Dundee came to life in 1998 after a local church, The Gate, invested £43,000 building a skateboarding facility in the city as a way of developing sporting and community needs under one roof. It soon became clear that the facility would not be big enough to meet demand and a new, purpose-built facility opened in 2004. In the same year, The Gate passed over ownership to a new charity – The Factory Skatepark.
Fine Cell Work
Fine Cell Work provides prisoners with the training and materials they need to produce high quality soft furnishings. Prisoners earn a small amount of money which they can use to support their families and provide a financial cushion on release. In addition, they learn skills useful for employment, gain valuable confidence and experience, and alleviate the boredom and isolation of long hours in their cells.
Globetown Learning Community
Globetown's Director, Jackie Barnes notes of her experience, 'Without support from Pilotlight we wouldn't be here now. It was a massive learning curve for us all but they gave us the foundation we needed. We are more likely to get funding now because we have a decent business plan and strategy in place. Everyone at Pilotlight is so positive and they really want it to be a success
Green Corridor
Green Corridor offers disadvantaged people aged 14-25 the chance to develop skills, experience and qualifications through land-based activities such as pond clearance, tree planting and work on allotments. It links young people with the environments around them through volunteering programmes, accredited educational opportunities and practical education as a way to boost self-confidence, skills and their chances of finding a job.
Harbour Place Day Centre
Harbour Place Day Centre aims to improve life for people aged 18 and over in Grimsby who have very little to call their own. Established in 1996, it provides food, washing facilities and a change of clothes, as well as support and advice to all sorts of people, including the homeless, ex-offenders, substance misusers and those who have long-term health conditions.
Haven House Children’s Hospice
Haven House Children’s Hospice supports children and young people in the west Essex, north and east London areas, who have life-limiting conditions, providing a range of services including day-, short-break and end-of-life care.
KPC Youth
Pilotlight has just partnered with KPC Youth, a charity for young people aged eight-25 years, based in Wales. This case study outlines the challenge ahead for our Pilotlighters.
Living Options Devon
Living Options Devon (LOD) is a disability organisation with an excellent local reputation for providing a range of user-led projects to improve services, equality of opportunity and social inclusion across the county. It runs innovative programmes to help disabled and deaf people and their families enjoy the Devon countryside, conducts research and runs a much-needed advocacy service.
London Youth Support Trust
London Youth Support Trust helps young people start businesses. Pilotlight worked with LYST to create a new strategic plan and to improve fundraising and results tracking.
Reading Quest
One in every five boys and one in every 10 girls leaves primary school unable to read. Pilotlight Partner Reading Quest is a charity which aims to give every child an equal chance to read, think, write and enjoy learning. They focus on working with children, many of whom live in conditions of considerable social disadvantage, such as those in care, those for whom English is an additional language and those living in poverty.
Respond
Respond provides individual counselling and psychotherapy to children, young people and adults with learning disabilities, as well as advice and support for their families. It also provides training for professionals.
RISE
RISE (Refuge, Information, Support and Education) is a charity that addresses all forms of domestic violence against women, children and young people in Brighton, Hove and West Sussex. Survivors of domestic violence can turn to RISE for a range of services which includes a crisis support helpline, refuge and resettlement support, one-to-one advice and advocacy, access to financial and legal advice counselling and support groups for women and children.
Rosemount Lifelong Learning
Rosemount Lifelong Learning (RLL) grew out of a parents’ group started by Save the Children in 1978. When Save the Children pulled out 20 years later, a new charitable company was formed.RLL aims to combat poverty, reduce deprivation, promote learning and aid recovery from homelessness, trauma and addictions by providing vocational courses for women, adult education and childcare. Last year the charity supported 954 clients.
Rowan Alba
Rowan Alba works with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and who haven’t found support from other agencies because of drug or alcohol dependency, domestic abuse or mental health issues. The charity was set up in 1999 and supports about 250 people each year on an annual turnover of £900,000. Among its many projects, the charity supports homeless women who have experienced domestic abuse but whose lifestyles can’t be accommodated in a traditional refuge setting.
Safeguarding Children Services
Safeguarding Children Services (SCS) is an award-winning social enterprise which works with children and young people aged 5-19 years old who have been abused or are at risk in Merseyside. Under the careful guidance of its founding Directors, Jaci Quennell and Elaine Allison, SCS has worked with over 200 young people since it was founded in 2005.
Suffolk Artlink
Suffolk Artlink improves the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex through the provision of creative arts activities. Last year, the charity worked with almost 3,000 individuals, including children, carers, people with learning disabilities, older people and carers.
Suffolk Family Carers
Suffolk Family Carers provides information, support and an advocacy service to family carers in Suffolk, with an emphasis on benefits, welfare and employment rights.
Tender
Susie McDonald, director tells us how her charity benefited from working with Pilotlight.
The Jeely Piece Club
The Jeely Piece Club provides a vital service for the Castlemilk community in Glasgow through its work with vulnerable families. Since it started in 1975, the "Jeely" has been a place for families offering services such as a learning centre for all ages, a popular nursery, Playzone and after-school clubs for older children, as well as respite and support for parents and other carers.
The Parent House
The Parent House opened 12 years ago. It is based in the old schoolkeeper's house at Winton Primary School near King's Cross, London and was originally set up by parents and carers whose children attended the school. It now offers a range of learning and support for parents and carers from the local community and runs a free registered crèche for learners' children.
The Yard, Edinburgh
"Even if it was £80,000 I would still go for my team of Pilotlighters! Pilotlighters provide a superb sounding board and I can't recommend the scheme too highly. They give you a lot of confidence and help to create a balance between operational demands and the need for strategic development." - Celine Sinclair, The Yard, Edinburgh
Unlock
Unlock is a unique charity which helps reformed offenders to restart their lives in the community and avoid reoffending. It leads the way in terms of anti-discrimination legislation and financial advice for former prisoners. It was established in 1999 and its president is Lord David Rambotham, the former chief inspector of prisons.