Special Update – March 2016

Celebrating 3 years since inception

This is a special version of the regular Lowestoft Rising updates which the Support Group provides each month to the Sponsoring Group (consisting of Suffolk County Council, Waveney District Council, Health East, Suffolk Police, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Community Action Suffolk for the Voluntary Sector).

Aspiration

Education Summit 2014 Lowestoft Rising co-ordinated a summit that brought together all the primary and high Schools in the Lowestoft area to identify how we could assist Lowestoft in ‘raising the bar’. This led to the creation of the 7 key objectives for Lowestoft and Lowestoft Rising has undertaken to deliver on those objectives.

Regular Head Teacher MeetingsLowestoft Rising attends all sets of head-teacher meetings on a half-term basis - one for high schools and colleges and one for each of the North and South primary school clusters. This presence has built up a strong relationship between the various head-teachers/principles and has allowed us to deliver the objectives of the summit together.

Work Inspiration PackageThe Suffolk County Council project to promote work inspiration and employability skills was introduced into Lowestoft in September 2014 ahead of planned schedule. It sees a dedicated work inspiration broker for Lowestoft who connects schools with businesses and promotes events in school to raise awareness of career opportunities and employability skills required for life. With a large range of business contacts now involved Primary schools and High Schools have far greater access to the world of work.

Mentoring SchemeUp and running and funded through a bid to the East Suffolk Partnership, the scheme deploys trained mentors from the public sector into high schools to help those with identified additional support needs.

Lowestoft Love to Read SchemeUp and running in 3 primary schools, this scheme sees people go into primary schools to assist with 1:1 reading time. The scheme is testing three models; one using 6th Form students, one using high school students and one using parents and community support volunteers. Reading and literacy in primary schools is a key factor in later high school life.

Annual Sports on the Beach eventsAs part of the Lowestoft Summer Festival, each year pupils from local high and primary school are invited to take part in a fantastic sports event held on the beach in July. Using local sports and health organisations, we put on an event which uses the Blue Flag beach and gets schools having fun together trying out different sports.

Beat the StreetThis was a walking, cycling and running initiative funded via Public Health and co-ordinated by Health East. 12,500 people take part, all supporting a school of choice and travelled 161,000 miles in a month using electronic ‘beatboxes’ strategically placed at ½ mile intervals about the town. All schools and colleges took part in the event, showing the join up we have with schools.

Careers and Skills FairsFor the past two years, we have supported the schools to take part in the Suffolk Skills Fair at Ipswich. In addition, working with the two colleges, we are putting on a Lowestoft based Skills and Career fair in July 2016 for all Year 10 students. This will be a full day event in Lowestoft focusing on the local jobs market and sectors with local firms taking part.

Golden Mile SchemeFollowing the success for Beat the Street, we have worked with Public Health to bring ‘Golden Mile’ to primary schools in the area, with some 15 schools now signed up. This sees pupils assessed for their fitness level and a ‘golden’ mile measured out around schools. Pupils are encouraged to walk, jog, run and record their journeys. Looking to put the same on the seafront and in our parks to encourage adult and children to keep active and use facilities we have.

Lowestoft Engineering ProjectRoyal Academy of Engineers and Ogden Trust now delivering their successful Engineering project here in 2 Colleges, 4 High Schools and 12 Primary Schools. The 3 year project will promote the STEM subjects and the careers available in Engineering, identified locally as a key growth area.

Lowestoft Cultural Education Partnership Lowestoft Rising is leading the work to create an ‘Arts Council’ Cultural Challenge partnership for Lowestoft to bring a wide

range of cultural activity to the Lowestoft Schools. The partnership will drive culture in all schools but with a very clear link to literacy levels. The partnership will include the Marina Theatre, Aldeburgh Music and Flipside who lead the first series of events linked to the 2016 Rio Olympics with a poetry competition for all Primary Schools.

Group “A” Aldeburgh MusicAldeburgh music are now working with Lowestoft Schools to create a Lowestoft wide youth choir, called Group A, with some pupils having already performed on stage.

Waveney Youth CouncilThe Youth Council has gone from strength to strength supported by Lowestoft Rising. The students won national recognition for their ‘Transition Ambassador’ scheme which sees older high school pupils trained to help newly arrived year 7 students as they make the transition from primary to high school. The scheme has been funded for a second year with more schools taking part.

MYGO Youth Job centrePartnership work to deliver Lowestoft’s own MYGO Centre, expected April 2016. This is a one stop shop in the town centre giving young people a place to go for help with careers, employment and training opportunities.

JSA Figures DropJSA claims for those under 24 years age range have now dropped to 160 claimants compared to 195 in July. This is a 52.9% drop in those claiming JSA in this age group in the last 12 months. Overall figures have fallen 29.8% in last year and now only 990 are claiming, down from 1410. This is due to a genuine increase in job opportunities and more young people attending both colleges.

Integration

Co-locationLowestoft Rising has helped to deliver the multi-agency buildings at Kirkley Mill, Riverside and the re-developed Marina Centre providing public with better facilities to access services and better working conditions for staff in a multi-agency working arrangement. Helping with the organisational development work in each location.

Lowestoft Collaboration AcademyFormerly known as the Commissioning Academy, the Collaboration Academy is now operational. Fully funded by three grants, the Academy will train 100 managers in collaborative working techniques. The first cohort, comprising 25 members, has completed their nine day course and the second cohort is now up and running. Each cohort will produce a number of ‘100 Day Plans’ to deliver projects that cut across all sectors of work and deliver on the Lowestoft Rising aims and objectives.

VCS networksLowestoft Rising has helped to re-invigorate or create new VCS networks, giving the VCS opportunities to come together with public sector staff to share what is on offer in Lowestoft. Current networks include the Active Waveney (Sports) Partnership, Recovery Forum (Drug and Alcohol) Domestic Abuse Forum, CYP Cluster Network, Adult Learning Network, Church and Faith Group Network (with some 48 identified groups), Mental Health Network, Health and Well-Being Network (formerly the WASP network) and the Waveney Youth Council Network of all high school councils. The networks are supported using Delivering Differently Funding and the Lowestoft Rising Change Manager attends all networks to ensure connectivity.

Police Community Support OfficersPCSOs have been seconded to assist Lowestoft Rising with community engagement and schools work in a joined-up approach.

Public engagement eventsEvents are held to allow all partners to engage the public in a single joined-up approach to engagement. The most recent event was a ‘world café’ style event held to showcase the new Riverside building.

Community DevelopmentLowestoft Rising is looking to create a single team of community development officers for a single location so that engagement and development can be done in a multi-agency way. This will avoid duplication and consultation overload. Currently, we are looking at this at a local and county level to develop a model that can work across Suffolk.

Lowestoft OgogoThe Lowestoft Ogogo partnership was created across Lowestoft to secure Sports England Funding with match-funding totalling £300,000 and delivers a town-wide sports programme to those most inactive. Targeting young mums, the over 55s and over 70s, this is a 3 year programme that has created jobs and is delivering much-needed activity to people who are not sports active.

Work Placement ProgrammeAccess Community Trust, PCC Office, DWP and Kirkley & Pakefield Football Club have teamed up to produce a work placement programme for 12 long-term unemployed people to give them work experience and training for 6 months under the National Work Placement scheme. The work they do will help with the Pride in Lowestoft theme.

Lowestoft ‘Out of Hospital’ TeamCreated by HealthEast working with social care to provide a 24/7 service to keep people from going to acute hospital, this is multi-agency working at the highest level. The team has won national recognition and has reduced admissions by 352 cases in the first year. The model is now being rolled out across the rest of the HealthEast area. A Cost Benefits Analysis carried out on the scheme under the Delivering Differently

DCLG programme showed significant benefits from investment.

Intervention

Police-led Vulnerability Impact Nights Developed by Suffolk Police and working with the VCS and public sector partners to provide resources to help deal with people who have become vulnerable through alcohol on key nights of the year. An immediate response is provided by St Johns Ambulance to alleviate pressure on JPUH

services.

Substance Misuse Group Lowestoft Rising chaired the Waveney and Gt Yarmouth Substance Misuse Group to bring together all parties involved in the substance misuse field to deliver the SLP Strategy.

Street drinking interventionsLowestoft Rising led an interventions meeting created to tackle the street drinking problem. The Multi-Agency Case Conference process has almost reduced

street drinking problems to zero, bringing some 35 cases to just two cases. Attention has now turned to hidden needs cases of drug and alcohol dependency to reduce demand on services and this is already being seen.

MEAM (Making Every Adult Matter) Funding obtained to provide 2 dedicated Homeless resettlement workers for Lowestoft and Gt Yarmouth. To help house the most demanding and chaotic cases effected by alcohol and/or drugs. Working closely with Interventions process have taken on 15 people in year 1 and working to house all of them with long term stable accommodation. Year 2 being funded by joint Public Sector Commissioning led by Health East in Lowestoft and Gt Yarmouth. Vitally needed function for Town and provides additional employment in both Towns.

Pride

Queen’s Baton RelayLowestoft Rising helped to organise the Queen’s Baton Relay event in 2014, getting local organisations to pull together to put on the event which included the first Sports on the Beach day for children.

Lowestoft Summer FestivalLowestoft Rising, working with Lowestoft Vision, Lowestoft

Lions, Sentinel Leisure Trust and the town’s three Rotary Clubs created a Summer Festival Committee that is now leading on the annual Summer Festival. Street velodrome, walking carnival, a world record sandcastle building competition and sea front activities on Royal Green have all taken place as part of the Summer Festival to promote Lowestoft.

Kipper the Red HerringKipper is the town’s new mascot and continues to make appearances at key events. He was designed by primary school children as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay event and his story is circulating around schools.

Guest articlesThe Lowestoft Journal ran a series of ‘guest columns’ over the Christmas and New Year 2015 period to promote pride in Lowestoft. Lowestoft Rising was one of the guest contributors along with Chief Exec of WDC Stephen Baker, MP Peter Aldous, and Councillor Colin Law. All articles provided positive messages about Lowestoft and its potential for the future.

Local RacesThe Lowestoft Scores Race, Lowestoft Pancake Race and Lowestoft Park Run (most easterly Park Run in the UK) are now all part of the Pride in Lowestoft ethos to promote the town.

Stars of Lowestoft and Waveney Business AwardsThese are both supported by Lowestoft Rising to highlight the wealth of talent the town has working for it.

Blue Flag AwardLowestoft’s South Beach is again awarded Blue Flag status.

Lowestoft’s Sea Front Play Park The park is re-opened with new equipment as part of the sea front redevelopment. A second phase to increase the size of the play area into Royal Green is now being planned.

Suffolk Specials OlympicsLowestoft Rising opens the Suffolk Specials Olympics (for those with learning difficulties) at an event hosted by Waveney Gym Club in

Lowestoft. This is the launch of Suffolk’s involvement in the national movement being the recognised 3rd strand of the Olympic movement.

Healthy High StreetLowestoft town centre becomes one of the first 29 towns under the ‘Healthy High Street’ scheme. Led by M&S, Boots and Santander with BiTC to improve the town centre footfall, shop vacancy rate and overall pride in the town. Managers from leading stores are working with Lowestoft Vision and the Chamber of Commerce to develop an action plan.

Royal Philharmonic OrchestraThe Marina Theatre announces that the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will continue to base its home at the theatre. New CEO Lee Henderson is now in post and pledges to support Lowestoft Rising.

Patsy KnightA new £2 million, state of the art, RNLI lifeboat “Patsy Knight” comes on stream in 2014, replacing the “Spirit of Lowestoft” boat. Patsy Knight was a local Kessingland resident and left the money to pay for the new boat.

Lowestoft Town Football ClubThe club wins promotion to Football Conference status, making them the 3rd highest team in Suffolk and Norfolk, after Ipswich Town and Norwich City. A celebration was planned in the town to recognise this achievement.

Infrastructure

Former Zephyr Cams siteThe Range, Aldi and Costa are all part of a planning application submitted to locate to the old Zephyr Cams site in Pakefield, creating a new out of town retail and leisure facility. This will improve the look of the southern approach to Lowestoft from the A12 and create further retail job opportunities.

Sam’s Coffee HouseSam’s Enterprise Lounge opens in the town centre in the former Sam Hooks shop. The café will provide a young persons centre to help provide a location for work experience ( café) and a place to develop skills.

PubsTwo of Lowestoft’s oldest

pubs, The Jolly Sailors (Pakefield) and The Harbour Inn (seafront) both re-open under new management after refits offering good restaurant facilities. The Stanford Arms in Lowestoft wins Camra ‘Pub of Year 2014’ offering a different pub experience.

Kingsley HealthCareKingsley move into the old Clapham House building and are in the process of converting to their new headquarters for the region. Kingsley is a large employer with headquarters in centre of town.

Hamilton HouseECCH take over the Hamilton House building in town as its new headquarters and will move from Beccles to Lowestoft.

Sewage system workAnglian Water starts work on installing the non-return valves to prevent flood waters entering the sewage system the wrong way which has caused previous flooding issues.

Cycle routesHighways England, start work on the new Cycle routes planned for Lowestoft which will see improved junction lay outs and additional cycle lanes from North Lowestoft to Bascule Bridge. This will include improving the junction at High Street with Artillery Way.

Coastal Community Team (CCT)The CCT has been created from organisations and businesses across Lowestoft and has been successful in 2 bids to the Coastal Revival Fund receiving £25,000 for each bid. One bid is to plan the development and regeneration of the Old Scores, and one to look at how we develop the seafront and Children’s Corner veach area following the sea defence work. The CCT Seafront Strategy will be a complete and will provide a blueprint

for future seafront and town centre projects. Looking towards the £90 million Coastal Community Fund to help fund some of the projects for Lowestoft.

Coastal ManagementWork to repair the seawall and strengthen sea defences at South Beach is completed. Re opening of South Beach with launch of the Coastal Community Strategy planned. Also plans to test a road train along the seafront during the Easter weekend to support local businesses in area affected by the works.

Flood Defence Works£25 million to be spent on creating a full coastal defence plan for Lowestoft, with gated harbour protection and a flood defence wall built to stop future flooding. Short term defence work under way already with full plan delivered by 2020.

Third CrossingSCC and WDC are working together and have submitted the final bid to Dept. of Transport for the building of a third central located crossing for Lake Lothing, outcome of which will be announced in March budget. PM David Cameron promising bridge would be built by 2020 if the business case stacked up. Supported by a town petition signed by 1000s calling on government to approve the scheme.

Wind EnergyAn announcement was made that Anglia One and Galloper wind farms will be built off Lowestoft coast. Lowestoft chosen as the Operations and Maintenance Port for Anglia One will bring a £25 million development of the port by ABP. Jobs and investment in the town will follow.

Starbucks Starbucks announces a new town centre location, Burger King announce a new location - both wil bring additional jobs to Lowestoft.