Care Ltd Tells Us Why Lived Experience is Not a Buzzword

Last month, The Clothworkers’ Foundation brought together nearly 200 amazing people representing charities from its open, proactive, and regular grants programmes. They came from all corners of the UK to connect with each other and celebrate their work.

It was an inspiring day for The Foundation, as we heard about the impact our funding can have. Anne Bickerstaffe, Chief Executive at Care Ltd in Grimsby, told us about the work the charity does to support its community members in an area of Lincolnshire facing extreme deprivation, and how the team's lived experience helps them to understand and support the people they help.

Anne said, "It's not just what we do. It's who does it. And we have the most amazing team in our charity. Many of you have lived experience. Now I know that's a buzz word and it's often used nowadays, but actually, for us, it's really meaningful. And I think about Tenancy Officer Anita, who came to us 24 years ago with her 2-year-old child, and she was homeless. And she said to me when I first started in the job, she said, 'If I ever forget what it feels like to walk through that door and know how terrifying that is to ask for help', she said, 'I'm going to leave this work.'

And you should see her with people. She's just got a heart of gold. No matter what issues and difficulties people walk through the door with, she just has love and compassion and understanding for them."

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Check out the speech made by James and Jermaine from Set Them Up Foundation.

Check out the speech made by Martin Finegan from Do It Now Now.

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