Issuu

Impact Report April 2020 - March 2021

Contents A message from our CEO

Zest vision and mission

Strategic development

Zest Centre: leisure and library

Health and wellbeing

Children, young people and families

Our youth offer

Supporting work and training

Action on equality and diversity

Looking ahead as an organisation

Financial review

A message from our CEO Zest has demonstrated effective leadership during an unprecedented period of operational challenge defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. A dedicated team of trustees, staff and volunteers have worked with stakeholders across the city, to adapt and respond in the most difficult of times to ensure we reach those most in need, whilst simultaneously maintaining organisational stability and helping lay the foundations for recovery. Zest employed 56 contracted staff and was supported by a team of dedicated volunteers to deliver an adapted suite of services during 2020-21. In challenging circumstances, the charity was able to secure its financial base, ensure business continuity and provide the foundations for a strong recovery. Contributory factors included, effectively securing emergency COVID-19 grants, accessing the furlough scheme, and a flexible approach from our local commissioners, in allowing us to retain resources to adapt and deliver services in order to respond to need stemming from the pandemic. Zest have worked to ensure financial stability in a very challenging trading environment, achieving a surplus position and a modest uplift in freely available reserves, to 85% of the reserves target. Most importantly, we have been able to provide a responsive community service offer throughout the pandemic, including online homework clubs, fun holiday activities, phone based mental health support, Covid-awareness sessions, and access to counselling, advice and support to keep our young people safe and well. We look forward to bringing our community back together over the course of 2021, including the return of our Zest Centre offer and our much-missed face to face support networks.

Zest CEO

Zest vision and mission Our vision is to enable everyone to lead healthy and successful lives. Our mission is: ONE

TWO

To provide a healthy living centre delivering responsive services to tackle local inequalities, including: • Health and wellbeing • Employment and skills • Sport, leisure and recreation

To foster communities where everyone feels welcomed, valued and can fully participate in the life of the community.

THREE To play an active role in supporting other disadvantaged communities in Sheffield.

We have four distinct values that underpin our work and everything we do Personalised To achieve the best personal outcomes we navigate individuals and families through a tailored journey of support that can involve accessing a range of joined up wellbeing support services provided and hosted by Zest. Inclusive We strive to keep our services and facilities affordable, physically and culturally accessible. We run a range of tailored sessions including women only and disability specific swim sessions, and host the only ramp access swimming pool in the city.

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Asset based We empower local people and address local need by identifying the strengths within our community. Collaborative We collaborate by default in order to identify issues, push for change, develop collective solutions and achieve the best outcomes for our local communities.

I wanted to express my personal gratitude for the effort and extra time you have contributed to making our children happy during this difficult time. Thank you so much for everyone in Zest for helping the community! Abdullah. His family have been coming to Zest for three years.

Strategic development

Closure of the Zest Centre

Securing our future: accessing COVID-19 emergency funding

Lockdown meant closure so managing the safe shutdown of the building, library and leisure services as well as furloughing of the majority of our operational team was paramount.

Working closely with central and local government, the National Lottery and Power to Change to help secure lifeline financial support and plug a 'business as usual' funding gap.

Adapt services

Staff support

COVID-19 Hub

This involved reorganising services to:

Managing the shift to home working, ensuring practical requirements such as effective online access and supporting staff health and wellbeing thorough regular contact and access to mental health support and guidance.

Zest was part of the citywide partner network coordinated by Voluntary Action Sheffield to ensure we could share and respond to vital intelligence.

• Deliver a COVID-19 community response hub to provide a single point of access for essential services • Develop new ways of delivering services including online, via phone and outdoor • Adapt to changing requirements such as increase in clients with mental health needs

This involved covering outbreak control issues and voicing the uneven social and financial impact of COVID-19. Zest also coordinated development of the local COVID-19 test centre on the Shipton Street car park.

Zest Centre: leisure and library The pandemic had a marked impact on the delivery of services at the Zest Centre as leisure, library and café services were subject to enforced closure. There was a brief and short-lived reprieve for leisure services in the early autumn, but the main focus of operations was to ensure we protected and retained staff, remained open for essential services such as food parcel collections and be ready to mobilise as soon as lockdown measures eased. We also took the opportunity to carry out some essential building maintenance.

Upkeep and structural improvement Replacement of the flat roof was completed during lockdown and the swimming pool tiles re-grouted in preparation for re-opening.

Obtaining support A gratefully received additional allocation of £87k from our local authority partners in recognition of unprecedented budget pressures and a £25k grant from Power to Change both helped bridge the trading income gap.

Managing furlough Safeguarding jobs was a priority so Zest took steps to top up pay to 100% throughout closure.

Operational staff review Zest undertook a voluntary redundancy process in the Autumn, recognising it was not financially viable to retain the full team given the prolonged period of closure.

Zest was also able to host school swimming sessions later in the year and deliver a Sport England funded programme This Girl Can with online exercise classes.

The Zest Centre continued to provide tenancies to a range of community providers, including the NHS Integrated Care Team, The SCC West Multi Agency Service Team, Langsett Advice & Advocacy, Sheffield Young Women’s Housing Project and YAFA.

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As well as the online classes which I like very much, I also benefitted greatly from the Saturday disabled swimming sessions at Zest and hope that after the pandemic I can return to those sessions. It was so good to chat to the other people there too. Mrs B. A This Girl Can client

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Health and wellbeing Our local offer Zest staff responses had to flex in line with changing COVID-19 restrictions ensuring the comfort levels of individual clients at all times.

Black, Asian & y Ethnic Minority People

This meant shifting client support across all health services from face to face meetings to telephone calls, online oneto-one and group sessions, and in some cases to socially distanced outdoor walking meetings. This agility approach was key in helping us maintain ongoing health and wellbeing support to the local community throughout the pandemic.

Highlights

COVID-19 support

Vaccination Clinic

Supporting people through the pandemic was a primary focus for the health team with staff making personal telephone calls to provide emotional and practical support including shopping and making foodbank referrals.

Zest volunteers and staff members offered their time to support vaccination clinics by welcoming patients, registering attendance and post-vaccine observations. Zest worked with local community leaders, clinicians and colleagues at ShipShape to deliver two video vaccination Q&A sessions aimed at local black and minority ethnic communities.

Community wellbeing programme and social prescribing This programme was delivered by our health and wellbeing coaches to improve lives by supporting people to make lifestyle changes. This included providing support to improve mental health, increase physical activity and eat more healthily.

Mental health support

Small grants

The local health team delivered two dedicated mental health services during the year. The first, Emotional Wellbeing helping Central GP registered people with mild to moderate conditions by navigating support to range of agencies. The second programme, Student Mental Health Project involved working with students aged 18+ with moderate to severe conditions referred by Sheffield MIND for emotional and practical support.

Local community organisations and groups successfully bid for £19k in small grants to fund equipment and services that help people to experience the '5 ways to wellbeing.'

Looking ahead the Local Health Team will: • Continue to support people with dementia and their carers to understand the condition and access appropriate support.

• Facilitate co-operation between local health and wellbeing organisations. • Extend our physical activity offer to engage more women and people from black and minority ethnic communities with coaching through This Girl Can and Leading the Way projects.

• Secure opportunities to enhance our student mental health offer. • Enhance our workplace wellbeing policies to ensure staff feel well supported.

Health and wellbeing Our city health offer Over the past year our city health offer has focused on two successful programmes: Live Lighter Sheffield, a weight management initiative and Smoke Free Sheffield, a project supporting under 18s to quit smoking.

Live Lighter Sheffield Live Lighter Sheffield is a highly successful project funded by Sheffield City Council to help adults, children and families manage their weight by empowering them to live healthier lives through a series of workshops. The free to access programme is the tier 2 weight management service commissioned by the council and is open to anyone in the city 16 years plus with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or over and for children with a BMI centile of more than 91. The onset of COVID-19 brought about significant challenges to the Live Lighter team not least of these being the forced cancellation of face to face sessions. However, te Live Lighter team developed a new virtual offering that our clients could access online, whilst still receiving the same level of quality support and advice to help manage their weight and promote healthy lifestyles. We have supported 449 adults, children and families towards a healthier lifestyle in Zoom sessions this year. Of the adult completers, 76% were female and 20% were from a black and minority ethnic background. Of the child completers, 69% were from a black and minority ethnic background. An additional 199 individuals accessed our universal web-based support which provides lifestyle information and weekly emails offering encouragement that clients can access at their own pace. The children and families sessions have benefitted from weekly Zoom physical activity sessions. Children on the programme received a skipping rope and cones to encourage them to engage in physical activity outside of the sessions.

I would love to thank Live Lighter for all the help they've given me through my 12-week course and for showing me how to eat well. I'm just so happy that I've been given this opportunity to finally get where I so want to be and to give me my life back, thank you. 12

Live Lighter Sheffield, bariatric client

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We've found the sessions really great so far. D finds it hard to talk to me about changing his habits, but he likes being able to talk to other people and likes the recipe ideas. We also like the play trail that you sent, we're going to try that at the weekend.

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Live Lighter Sheffield, family client

Zest's Live Lighter team has trained 112 healthcare professionals helping to raise awareness of obesity among NHS and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals' staff.

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Live Lighter continues to support clients waiting for bariatric surgery to stay motivated with hour-long monthly drop in sessions on Zoom.

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Thank you so much. I'm in tears here as I just can't thank you enough for all the help I've been given and that I'm finally going to get the surgery! Live Lighter Sheffield, bariatric client

Young people's Smoke Free service

Despite the challenges of schools being closed for much of the year, the local authority funded Smoke Free team has still been able to adapt the service for primary and secondary schools. • We've partnered with four primary schools delivering Smoke Free sessions to 270 children.

• 17 young people have been supported through the quits service despite various lockdowns.

• Four secondary schools have been recruited for a whole school approach with at least 40 teenage students receiving ASDAN accredited ambassador training.

• We've trained 60 education and health professionals to better understand young people's smoking habits.

Looking ahead, the City Health Team will: Continue to support a range of partners in delivery of the extended Live Lighter Sheffield service following additional investment from Central Government. Re-establish face to face services, delivering Live Lighter sessions in community venues across the city and supporting children and young people in school settings.

Children, young people and families

“

I would like to thank you for the effort and dedication shown working with our kids. M was so happy and had lots of fun on his Zoom and Play meetings. We hope to see you soon.

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Salime, Mother of two. Started attending Zest’s online activities during lockdown.

Zest community services were adapted to meet the needs of the community during the pandemic. Initially, this took the form of a COVID-19 community response hub, which created a single referral point for individuals and families requiring support. It also provided a set of additional services. Here's just some of the highlights:

Lockdown Facebook Group

Developed during the first lockdown to stay in touch with local families. The group's purpose is to circulate COVID-19 messages, provide activities and educational materials for children and as support hub for parents. Currently has 107 members

Essential items delivery service Provided weekly shopping deliveries to 29 households where people had COVID-19, were self-isolating or were unable to get essential items.

This Community Can Tea Tent From 10am-3pm each Tuesday the team put up the tent and served tea, coffee and biscuits to everyone. Supported by three volunteers, 203 people enjoyed some light refreshment.

Zoom and Play During the first lockdown, we offered online play sessions for kids. We had 263 attendees over 58 sessions allowing valuable socialisation time for children and parents alike. Sessions continued until the return to school in September.

Adapting existing provision The Communities team successfully adapted a range of existing provision to meet the needs of children and families in the area. Supported by a team of 45 volunteers highlights included:

Happy Holidays A citywide project to reduce child food poverty during the school holidays. Zest coordinated partner organisations to organise delivery of vital provisions across Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe, Langsett, Hillsborough, Middlewood and Stannington. Delivered 919 food hampers, providing 2818 kid’s meals, 1357 activity packs with 568 face to face attendances.

Homework Club Providing one-to-one video calls to 247 children to assist them schoolwork

Play Trail App Designed for kids to stay active whilst socially distanced, this app provides challenges to be completed at nine play areas and green spaces.

Root and Futures A collaborative project with the University of Sheffield, Ecus Ltd and Kelham Island and Neepsend Community Alliance (KINCA) to connect people to the heritage and history of the area.

Empowering Parents Empowering Communities A self-help parenting initiative where we trained 33 volunteers to deliver 15 'Being a Parent' groups benefitting 144 adults, 55% from ethnic minority backgrounds. This year three volunteers gained employment one as a doctor, one as teaching assistant and the other infant feeding peer support worker,

Looking ahead, the Communities Team will: • Stabilise and develop the new youth mentoring project. • Redevelop and enhance the local primary-aged activity offer. • Carry out a research to identify needs of the local community post-pandemic. • Ensure a smooth comeback to face to face activities/services after COVID-19. • Work closely with the SCC to establish new opportunities to meet community needs. 15

Our youth offer Zest's youth service continues to provide a vital, safe, social hub for young people. Part of our offer is funded by Children in Need where we focus on three equally important key areas that make all the difference to a young person's life.

Developing self confidence and resilience

Improving life skills and allowing young people to have a voice

We helped 106 young people feel better about themselves this year.

This year we helped 102 young people feel more empowered.

Ensuring young people feel safe in the community This year 107 young people were supported to feel more secure in everyday life.

So how did we go about it? Creating a 'Covid safe' environment was important for both young people and staff so to begin with we delivered Q&A session on 'How you feel about COVID-19'. The answers revealed young people felt isolated and vulnerable. The insight helped us deliver an immediate response through provision of online games and competitions to lift spirits and take minds off the pandemic. We then set about a series of actions to support the three key areas: building self-confidence, improving life skills and ensuring young people had a better understanding of keeping safe.

Building Confidence

Created online sessions providing tips on how to manage emotions as many young people described feeling "stressed".

The Youth Team recorded exercise videos which were posted on Instagram. The videos were well received and we had requests for additional videos.

We also talked online about managing stress techniques resulting in some young people requesting one-to-one sessions which interlinked with building confidence.

Money management skills We delivered a money management workshop to teach young people financial life skills, covering budgeting, shopping and what kind of bills they will need to pay when living alone.

Support to feel safe We used young people friendly messages on social media to give individuals greater insight in to COVID-19. Creating dialogue through Instagram, answering questions and enabling a better understanding of keeping safe.

Counselling service Counselling became an important bi-product of service offering after demand for one-to-one support became popular especially with females. One young female had turned to alcohol after feeling anxious and helpless. She reached out and following a series of personal sessions about alcohol use and keeping safe has decided to catch up with school work and now has ambitions of becoming a social worker.

Rooted in the community With workers living and working in the community we were better able to react to specific needs. One of these the provision of toiletry hampers which were regularly dropped at front doors.

Highlights • • • •

Developed a flexible service to provide online and face to face provision for young people. Enhanced social media service to give young people a stronger voice during lockdowns. Refreshed team with new local workers from the local community. Winn Gardens sessions developed and established.

Looking ahead, the Youth Team will • • • •

Continue to be flexible and alert to community issues. Develop a Winn Gardens youth offer in partnership with St Johns Church. Develop a parental support session. Work with the SYNC partnership to obtain local commissioner buy in and establish responsive local youth hubs in the city.

Supporting work and training

“

Zest has been brilliant, I have had so much support to be more confident, to believe in myself and to successfully find employment in a role I wanted to do. Russell always listened, understood and believed in me, he truly has helped me every step of the way. I can’t wait to start my new job! – Thank you. Subair Hujaleh, Zest4Work client

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Zest for Work provides a range of interconnected services, taking a holistic approach to supporting individuals. Our experienced team, delivers Matrix accredited information advice and guidance services, empowering individuals to access employment, training and voluntary opportunities.

COVID-19 service adaption

The team contacted services users to compile data and tailor our support, identifying high risk groups, self-isolators, those seeking employment during the pandemic and those who chose to stop actively seeking employment. This included launching monthly and weekly newsletters and bulletins to ensure clients had access to up to date information about routes to support and employment.

Keeping people connected

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Through the Good Things Foundation, Zest secured 10 new tablets with free internet access. Some have been distributed to our services users to enable them to continue seeking employment and others allocated to the most vulnerable and isolated. Digital champions have supported those who have limited IT skills. One of the customers contacted us via their device to say:

Thank you all so much for all your help, I can now connect to my family. I am on meditation and the app you installed is really helping me to relax as I listen to soothing sounds. Service user

Keeping volunteers connected In the first week of lockdown we created a WhatsApp group to keep volunteers engaged and up to date. Some had reported feeling low after the structure of volunteering had vanished with the onset of the pandemic. In response we used the opportunity to leverage technology further and involved staff and volunteers on a weekly Wellbeing Wednesday Group Zoom call. Activities made for varied, fun and informal meetings, giving everyone something to look forward to each week, especially our volunteers, many of whom are isolated and live alone.

Mental Health Education Programme Although this programme was limited by the pandemic with courses being put on hold we still:

• Supported 25 referrals to managing anxiety and managing depression courses. • Made 61 wellbeing calls made to clients waiting to start courses.

Family Adult Community Education Service (FACES) Engaging and supporting adults into training, employment, or volunteering.

• We engaged 226 people (55% female participants). • Referring 159 to a learning opportunity. • Supported 49 people to access employment advice. • Supported 18 people with volunteering advice and opportunities. • Progressed 15 individuals onto further learning. • Delivered four courses to 33 learners.

Supporting people back into work European Social Fund (ESF) Lead Keyworker Service Supporting people into employment and training, which included:

• 55 unemployed and economically inactive people engaged (45% from a Black and Minority Ethnic background, 23% reported to have a disability). • 22 people secured employment (48% from a Black and Minority Ethnic background). • 16 people went into education (56% from a Black and Minority Ethnic background,

Matrix Accreditation As well our actions during a very challenging time we again secured Matrix accreditation reflecting our continued commitment to high quality and responsive delivery of information, advice and guidance.

Looking ahead, the work and training team will: • Develop our training and employment support with young people, in partnership with our youth service. • Work to ensure effective transition to face to face engagement and delivery. • Work to secure more equitable and longer-term contract arrangements with the local authority for delivery of adult learning. • Adapt services to respond to increased vulnerability of service users based on changes to Universal Credit and the increased cost of living.

Action on equality and diversity Zest developed an Equality & Diversity Group made up of staff and trustees with a view to taking a stronger stance and collective action at organisational level to redress institutional racism and inequality, and to improve diversity and representation. The first steps have been made in establishing an improved set of baseline data, which will flow from an all staff survey and recorded small group conversations undertaken in Summer 2021. Following this, a proposed framework for action will be developed including clear routes for consultation and review. The baseline data and framework will be included in the 2021-22 trustee report.

Our Governance We currently have a Trustee Board which is:

Our community membership is:

We aim to build on this diversity and representation with targeted promotion and recruitment to further reflect the make-up and voice of the local community.

Diversity and equality - our next steps

Establish clear baseline data from existing staff, trustees and community members

Develop an Equality & Diversity Framework setting objectives and priority actions.

Establish a range of accessible options for obtaining staff, trustee and service user voice.

Work with local partners to support and enable improved resourcing and capacity building for local black-led organisations.

Improve recruitment practices to increase the diversity of our workforce.

Celebrating the diversity of our local community.

Looking ahead as an organisation Looking to the year ahead, the organisation's strategic priorities will include:

COVID-19 recovery and reset Adapting services to ensure they are COVID-19 safe and accessible. Engaging with local stakeholders to understand and address any ongoing negative impact and concerns stemming from COVID-19. Supporting local vaccination roll out. Working to get the Zest Centre and Shipton Street hub back up and running with the reintroduction of all face to face services in line with COVID-19 safe protocols alongside ongoing assessment of the changeable trading environment. Being prepared for business continuity in the event of future lockdowns and restrictions. Introducing permanent agile working practices for staff.

Funding priorities and commitments Engaging with local commissioners to understand the emerging funding landscape and press for longer term funding commitments/ frameworks for the sector including more consistent practice across the local authority. Securing longer term capital and revenue funding commitments in relation to the Zest Centre, tied to the City Leisure Strategy, alongside identifying routes to external capital match funding. Engaging with the new Local Area Committee structures and consulting with local people to set priorities for the local area.

Financial review

Impact Report April 2020 - March 2021

Nifty Fox Creative, 2021.