Providing Sheltered
Accommodation to
Retired
Sportspeople
About the Charity Proposal (Continued)
The Reposm Sporting Housing Trust will create a fund to purchase a block of flats solely for retired sportspersons who after their career has come to an end need housing and assistance/ welfare assistance and support from the SPB or a sportspersons benevolent organisation. The fund would consist of funds donated by professional sporting bodies, private donors and commercial companies with a contribution also being made from East Boro Housing Trust.
The Detail – Purchase, Nominations, Management, Governance and Security
East Boro is a charitable not for profit registered housing association. It is managed by a team of professional housing staff who report to a voluntary Board of Management. Michael Soper is one of the twelve voluntary board members whose skills cover and range across business, accountancy/audit, banking, law, social care, health, human resources, building/engineering, surveying and public service.
The Reposm Sporting Housing Trust and with East Boro would purchase the flats and have complete responsibility for the flats ongoing management and maintenance. The Reposm Sporting Housing Trust and East Boro are not for profit social housing organisations that would ensure that rents are let at a “social housing rent level” (the lowest possible rent level) ensuring that the gross charge for rents and eligible service charges would reflect the level of the Local Housing Allowance Cap for the size of the relevant flat and this would see that Housing Benefit would meet the vast majority of these charges should the occupant need housing benefit/welfare assistance.
The Reposm Sporting Housing Trust and East Boro would also ensure that there was an “Enhanced Housing Management” Service supplied to the flats/scheme. This would ensure extra assistance could be provided to the future occupants covering all aspects of benefits/welfare, community support, individual support to avoid isolation and general daily activity, scheme wide trips/events and individual one to one support when it is required.
An Example Reposm Scheme
The example below is detail of how a possible scheme may work financially
Eligible Service Charges approx £12 per week
(Inc hallway lighting, gardening, caretaking, re safety, enhanced housing management etc)
Non eligible service charges approx £5 per week.
Who Would Benefit From this Proposal?
It is proposed that Sports Bodies would be able to nominate retired sportspersons to the flats who, for whatever reasons in their life need assistance to provide them with a home and other associated support (if this is required). Nominees ordinarily would meet the national criteria for sheltered housing and be 55 years of age or above or younger if they qualify due to other necessitous circumstances/vulnerability such as disability, health, or other qualifying criteria that could be agreed with the SPB. All flats would be one or two bedroom enabling couples to occupy the flats and family life to be enjoyed by all. It is acknowledged that not all professional sportspersons in their career make it to the first class or international level in their sport.
Even some who are successful in their playing careers are not in their personal/financial lives or their lives after retirement from sport activities. This proposal would help to create an affordable/social housing safety net that could provide a safe and secure home for their nominees and would be given a full assured tenancy (tenancy for life) at a substantially sub market.
The Trustees of Reposm
Michael Soper
Chairman
Born, bred, schooled and ran businesses in Croydon. On retirement, Michael moved to Dorset. Michael was Managing Director of several companies in Croydon mainly specialising in Computer Business Forms and A&E Clinical Excellence Documents. He also held directorships in companies that were involved in printing, debt collecting, home security and a cricket school. Since 1980 Michael has been involved in cricket administration. In 1995 he became Chairman of Surrey County Cricket Club (SCCC).
In 2003 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of The England & Wales Cricket Board and was also Chairman of the First Class Forum, in charge of all the 18 First Class Counties. Michael resigned in 2008 and in 2009 became President of SCCC for one year. He is also a Vice President of Hampshire County Cricket Club. Michael too is Chairman of the 450-member strong SCCC Dining Club which he jointly founded in 1995.
David Cawdery
Deputy Chairman
Born in Liverpool in May 1946, David attended boarding school in King’s Lynn. He joined Barclays Bank as a junior and enjoyed a highly successful career working all over the world. David is married to Pauline and has one son, Simon.
David enjoyed a 36-year career with Barclays Bank which saw him work all over the globe including Malta, Nigeria, Fiji, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Middle East, Bahamas, Bermuda, United States, Barbados, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Poole! One of his most prestigious roles was manager of Barclays’ operations on the QE2. David was involved in computer systems design and so following his retirement in 2001 he undertook IT consultancy work in places such as Bangladesh, Malawi and Zambia David is a big sports enthusiast and particularly enjoys football, golf, cricket and rugby. He is a Norwich City fan, a member of Broadstone Golf Club, is a member at Hampshire County Cricket Club and was lucky enough to attend the Rugby World Cup final in South Africa in 1995. David Cawdery joined the Board of East Boro Housing Trust in March 2003 becoming the Trust’s Chairman in 2007. He retired from the Chair in 2017.
Richard Teather
Honorary Treasurer
Born and brought up in Manchester but has been moving south ever since. Arrived in Dorset in 2000, found he couldn’t get further south without getting his feet wet, so has settled near Bere Regis with his wife, two children and an increasing number of animals. After a law degree from Oxford, Richard qualified as a Chartered Accountant with what is now Deloitte, specialised in tax and went to work in a leading law firm in the City of London. In 2000 he moved out of London to become Senior Lecturer in Tax Law at Bournemouth University. He also writes about tax reform, systems, including introducing VAT to Jersey. Richard is a Freeman of the City of London, is a Fellow of the Adam Smith Institute and is listed as one of the 500 most influential people worldwide in global finance.
Key Website Links
EAST BORO HOUSING TRUST
www.ebht.org.uk
CYRIL WOOD MEMORIAL TRUST
www.ebht.org.uk/pages/cyril-wood-court
Reposm appreciate your financial contribution
HELPING FALLEN SPORTS PEOPLE BACK ONTO THEIR FEET
CONTACT DETAILS
Michael Soper, Chairman
The Reposm Sporting Housing Trust
01202 883503 (Office)
07768 558043 (Mobile)
m.soper@reposm.org.uk
HEAD OFFICE
The Reposm Sporting Housing Trust, Faulkner House,
31 West Street, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1JS