Blogs

It’s been four years since Lintel Trust joined Scottish Procurement Alliance and the wider LHC Procurement Group.

During this time, Lintel Trust has made a positive impact in shaping our organisation, sharing valuable insights with our partners and assisting our funded projects - widening their impact, achieving ambitions and informing their journey.

Lintel Trust are a registered Scottish charity, established close to 50 years ago, they support thriving housing communities, acting as a collective voice that drives change, considerations and investment. They work in collaboration with residents, community groups, social landlords and other housing organisations. They invest in communities to improve places, widen impact, build relationships and foster community generated initiatives.

For SPA, Lintel Trust guide partners on community benefit aspects, relating to projects, policies and procedures. They actively guide organisations on identifying community benefits within local areas, reviewing and advising on proposals, sharing best practice, locating match funding opportunities and providing online tools to measure and record community benefits delivered. Access to community benefit advice provided by Lintel Trust is offered through our Added Value Services programme available to partners at no cost.

In addition to the Added Value Services offered, Lintel Trust manage, distribute and report on the SPA Community Benefit Fund. Launched in 2016 to accelerate community development and regeneration, while helping people reconnect and form strong communities through essential investment. Our surplus from framework usage generates the funds that are channelled directly into the community from our committee partners, supporting a diverse range of community groups, projects and initiatives.

We are thrilled to announce that the SPA Community Benefit Fund has surpassed £1 million of awarded grants supporting over 100 projects, leading to in excess of £5million in social value and benefitting 27k residents across Scotland.

As we explore some of the key highlights of the four years it must be acknowledged the  work that Lintel Trust have delivered and contributed towards. Their knowledge, insights and relationships have informed our processes, supported our partners and appointed companies and bolstered our strategic partnerships.

In Summer 2024 we published our 3 year social value commitment with the aim of maximising community benefits using our influence as a framework provider. There are three focus areas which set out this commitment relating to our frameworks, our people and our appointed companies. Alongside HACT and our internal teams Lintel Trust informed this strategy using their experience, knowledge and deep understanding of community benefits and the current landscape locally and nationally.

As part of their fundraising efforts, Lintel Trust manages and distributes a small grant fund. The fund supports residents and housing associations, enabling access to vital grants of up to £1,000 to help launch projects and initiatives that will benefit the wider community such as tackling social isolation, employment support, and wellbeing projects.

Over the four years, Lintel Trust has supported a variety of housing projects with small grant funds, like:

Elder Voice Strathmore & The Glens

Elder Voice is a local charity connecting people in the community. They aim to tackle loneliness, isolation and malnutrition in older people living in and around Perth and Kinross (Strathmore and the Glens). Through their work, they match older people with volunteers who can help with practical things like shopping,  transport and also a befriending and support service.

Buddies of Hunterhill Care Home

Hunterhill Care Home in Paisley was awarded funding to purchase materials and equipment to allow service users an opportunity to participate in DIY projects. This is an initiative that has been introduced by the care home as an activity to engage some of the service users and extend their core schedule of activities while utilising the skills of the residents.

BHealthy Together

Formerly known as Broomhouse Strategy Group, B Healthy Together is a community-led health project located in south-west Edinburgh. They have several streams of support including from private companies as well as smaller funders like Lintel Trust’s small grant fund.

B Healthy Together make a positive impact in the community by aiming to improve the health and well-being of its residents. They organise and provide free access to activities and groups such as parent and toddler classes, community meals and craft groups.

Netherholm Area Association

A collaboration between 3 organisations - Netherholm Area Association, Thenue Housing Association and Glasgow Kelvin College. The STEAM club offers children and young people, aged between 7 and 13, to get involved in a diverse range of activities, learning about 3D printing, science projects and craftwork to inspire future aspirations. Their approach allows the children to lead and explore their interests and curiosity. The club is run by volunteers, assisted by a qualified lecturer in 3D design and architecture and a trained early years practitioner.

Attendees gain skills in areas such as 3D printing and CAD Design whilst building an understanding of how to maintain the equipment. They also learn how to build bridges and design communities with 3D maps and models.

The club were awarded a small grant from the fund to assist them with running costs including hall hire, materials and tutor expenses.

Lintel Trust has developed a host of fundraising initiatives during its partnership with SPA.

In early 2024, Lintel Trust formed a partnership with Clyde Recycling to generate funds from textile waste collected from recycling banks that benefit local housing associations and their residents.

The Reduce, Reuse and Raise Funds project has been rolled out in 10 areas across Glasgow and is now gathering momentum with expansion plans in place to grow this project into other areas of Scotland.  For every tonne recycled, Clyde Recycling donate £200 that’s ringfenced for projects in that community. Once the value reaches £500, this can be claimed by the local housing association.

The project has already seen some early success with over 9 tonnes of textiles donated in Lintel-branded recycling banks. The first recipient of a £500 grant from the initiative was Cassiltoun Housing Association.

Lintel Trust continues to push support to Scottish Community Housing Projects through various fundraising activities and the SPA Community Benefit Fund alongside sourcing our funders for projects.

Lintel Trust’s 28th Annual Golf Tournament takes place at Auchterarder Golf Club on May 30th. Preparation for this year’s event is well underway with 20 teams taking part on the day. The money raised will help fund the trust’s small grant programme enabling them to fund more community projects and initiatives across Scotland.

Lintel Trust’s partnership with SPA has led to a significant boost to community investment in Scotland. The charity has demonstrated its commitment to driving meaningful community benefits to our communities. Their continued partnership with SPA ensures that their expertise and social value knowledge remains a vital asset to the Scottish social housing sector.