David was referred to The Whitechapel Centre by his drug worker as was in need of support around rehousing, negotiating debts and applying for benefits related to his health issues.
 
David was living in a private rented property that was in disrepair and had no heating. David had severe mobility problems and there were concerns around him having to climb the stairs to the bedroom and bathroom. David was feeling very depressed by his situation and was low in motivation.
 
His worker helped David think about change, both in relation to his substance misuse and his housing issues. We helped David apply through Propertypoolplus and obtain information from his doctor to increase his PPP banding on health and welfare grounds. 
 
His worker provided extensive support in maximising David’s income including Personal Independence Payment on both care and mobility and Employment Support Allowance. David had several debt issues and these were negotiated and a payment plan set up.
  
David had needs around his health and dependency issues. We liaised with his drug agency on a reduction programme and with his doctor in relation to securing the appropriate medication for his depression. This allowed David to reduce his dependency intake to a minimal level. His doctor also supported him around his physical health referring him to the appropriate specialist units.
 
David has now secured a ground floor flat that was suitable to his mobility needs. His drug issues have been so improved that he has stopped using altogether. David has had his income maximised which enables him to remove his debt issues.  David feels the changes that have occurred have given him control over his life and a brighter future.

Peter is 55 and was born and raised in Merseyside, 5 years ago he moved down south to live with a girlfriend. When the relationship broke down he found himself in a cycle of drug dependency and alcoholism and had not kept in contact with his family in Merseyside. He did not feel he could access services – 

So, we survived!

Team ‘Well Refined’ clubbed together to face the tough Samworth challenge in The Lakes on Saturday 17th June.
Tom, Stuart Lauren and Leanne representing New Britain Oils, raising money for The Whitechapel Centre.

We participated in one of the two gruelling 10 hour Samworth Charity Challenge events in the Lake District on what was the hottest day of the year so far! There were more than 100 teams over the two weekends. Each Challenge team had to complete a tough mountain walk/run, long mountain bike ride and canoe race.

Here’s our story:
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On arrival, we saw a spectacularly well hosted event. The planning was immaculate and ran so smoothly- much like the ideals of what we set out to do!

We had the opening meeting late Friday night and realized what we were truly in for! It dawned on us that we were a little unprepared, seeing as Samworth state that the route requires a high level of fitness. Along with a good 13 week training programme prior to the event should ensure you are capable of completing it… Say hello to 7 days of being a formal team! Seeing all the elite athletes, the rugby players, the obvious sports types and even the Brownlee brothers was a little daunting! So, over a Chippy supper (nutritious), we had a late night quick team meeting on how to tackle the day ahead.

A 5am start, quick breakfast, team huddle and before we knew it- we were off! A mass start and wearing tags for electronic checkpoints, we ran down to Derwent Water for our first event- the canoe! We paddled around the lake at ferocious speed (once we got the knack of it), taking in the spectacular views and channeling our competitive side beating teams to the checkpoints. This was our best event!

After completing the canoe race, it was then on to the cycling and boy was it HOT! We mountain biked up steep slopes and ledges, rambled down narrow channels and endured a few mishaps, bumps and bruises along the way!
From this… a mountain ‘run’… The scaling of the mountain was tough, and the glorious sunshine didn’t do us any favors but as a team we pushed on and achieved another great score. But note to self, remember the sunscreen!
Physically and mentally exhausted, we completed the mission about 5pm. We ended on a fantastic score ranking superbly well and even finishing well above the other competitive teams that had openly been training. We didn’t come first- and we came far from last!

As a team, we completed the Challenge with bumps and bruises, sunburn and ridiculous sunburn/tan lines. Even though it was tough, throughout the day we reminded ourselves of the cause. Putting the pains and challenge in perspective, this was nothing in order to support an amazing charity that helps, protects and supports the most vulnerable on our streets of Liverpool -on that, we’d do it all over again! I guess there’s only one thing I’d change… not buying the tinted after sun in the post triathlon state but at least it added comic value!

With the fantastic help and support of you all here we managed to achieve our £2000 fundraising pledge, raised for our local charity- The Whitechapel Centre. https://www.justgiving.com/companyteams/NBOSamworth 

Overall, the 2017 Samworth Brothers Charity Challenge is celebrating an amazing record breaking achievement… raising £385,000 going to all the individual charities each team had pledged to!
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Together at New Britain Oils, we truly are Well Refined!
Thank you all!

Anthony is 21. He has always lived with his mum in the family home in Liverpool but they had a family argument and Anthony was asked to leave. For three weeks Anthony was sofa surfing with different friends until he had nowhere else to stay and his only option was to rough sleep.

Anthony contacted the No Second Night Out phone line at 9.30pm. The call was taken by one of our outreach workers who arranged for Anthony to stay in our overnight Sit-Up pending an offer of suitable accommodation. The Sit-Up is temporary accommodation in a communal room with a member of our staff on duty throughout the night. A taxi was arranged to take Anthony straight to the venue where he was met by our worker. 

Anthony had been job hunting and while in the Sit-Up he was offered employment. We were very quickly able to find accommodation for Anthony, through our Private Rented Bond Scheme. The Whitechapel Centre paid Anthony's first month’s rent in advance as he was being paid a month in arrears. Within the week, Anthony moved into a shared house with other young working people. Six months on, Anthony is still employed in his Admin role and remains in his shared house. 

In June 2017, the Liverpool Braveheart Bicycle Club took on the Land’s End to John O’Groats. Over the course of 9 days, 8 riders endured mountainous hill climbs, strong winds, rain and a broken down van to cycle the 996 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Club member Hannah Fawcett tells us about the experience:

The Braveheart Bicycle Club is a relatively new cycling club in Liverpool with riders of mixed abilities from beginners to some very experienced riders.  We wanted to take on a cycling challenge that would help us build camaraderie, friendships and test our skills – the iconic ride from Lands’ End to John O’Groats from the most south-westerly to the most North-easterly point of Great Britain seemed like a great choice.

Planning the challenge as part of the club meant that we had plenty of people who could share their experience and knowledge on how to prepare and what routes to use. The route we chose kept to quieter roads but meant it was longer and hillier than more traditional routes.

Whilst planning the challenge we also thought about using this event to raise money for charity.  The Whitechapel Centre is a local charity which our club members are very much aware of the excellent work they do in Liverpool.  Working in social services and in the NHS we have seen the difference the charity can make to the lives some of the most vulnerable people in society.   Together we decided that we would start a Just Giving page to raise money.

On to the challenge! It was a tail wind that set us off from Lands’ End after the drive down from Liverpool it took a while for the legs to pedal into the miles ahead.  The first day is undulating terrain across Cornwall.  With the first stop in Oakhampton the evening meal was very welcome. The next day we then had to negotiate Cheddar Gorge – a dramatic limestone scar through the landscape of Somerset – and then the 90+ miles of climbs that were steeper than anticipated, before crossing the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge and on to our B&B for the night.  The third day took us to Ludlow, over the Severn Bridge and up the Welsh boarder through some picturesque scenery.

However the miles were starting to take a toll on the legs and the tiredness was setting in as we finally descended into Ludlow.  We knew there were some big days ahead so it was early to bed.  The fourth day took us to familiar territory and into Liverpool, via the famous Eureka café.  We had been lucky with the weather until then.  However a stiff North-easterly wind had developed bringing with it a steady precipitation.  After a few hours of enduring this we were thoroughly soaked through and by the time we reached the Eureka café at Two Mills, the first stop after 80 miles of cycling we were tired and cold.  The warm welcome in the café helped to warm us up before we got to Ormskirk for the night. The next day we had more members of our club join us that made a big difference to the effort that you put in. The weather did not improve and the persistent wind was weakening the legs, so it was a group effort to get through Penrith, Carlisle and on to Gretna Green. There was a last gallop for the Scotland sign and a feeling of achievement that we were almost half way on the adventure. 

It was now into the daunting prospect of Scotland and the hills and mountains ahead of us. The first day in Scotland took us the 120 miles from Greta Green to Greenock. We cycled to the highest village in Scotland and then on to lunch kindly catered for by a cycling friend Callum Gough. We then headed into the rolling hills of Ayrshire, giving us some welcome respite from the wind. Climbing out of one town however we saw  cyclist approaching fast down a descent and realised as he came closer it was none other than the previous World Champion Graeme Obree – we all cheered!​