Long-term planning for a listed building: Signpost for Carers, Bruntwood and Funding Plus
The OCT’s Funding Plus programme shares resources and specialist professional expertise from our networks, to respond to gaps in provision. To illustrate this in action, we’re sharing a recent Funding Plus collaboration between Signpost for Carers and Bruntwood.
Signpost for Carers is a Stockport-based local charity that has been supporting carers for more than 30 years. They operate from the Heatons Centre, a large, historic listed building in the heart of Heaton Moor with over 120 years of rich history. The building serves as a critical hub for local carers as well as a space for smaller charities and community groups, but the age of the structure has led to deterioration, with damp and leaks in the roof preventing full operation of the building.
While the team at Signpost knew a professional building survey was essential, the cost of hiring a consultant was simply too high:
“Due to financial constraints, we had not progressed a full building survey despite recognising the need. As a charity operating within a challenging financial landscape, available funds are prioritised towards frontline delivery. The cost of a full professional survey would have delayed this work significantly, meaning we would have continued operating reactively without a clear understanding of risk or required investment.” – Bethan Kelly, CEO Signpost for Carers.
Through Funding Plus, we were able to link Signpost to William Plant, Apprentice Building Surveyor at Bruntwood, who used his Bruntwood Cares Hours to provide specialist building advice.
Will visited the site and conducted a detailed site survey, inspecting the building’s state. He then produced a Schedule of Condition – a detailed report to record the state of the building, identifying issues in its condition, such as roof deterioration causing water ingress and ageing windows contributing to heat loss and drafts. Alongside the report, Will also put together a detailed cost assessment and a roadmap for improvements. This proved invaluable to Signpost:
“The building assessment has been transformational in moving us from a reactive to a strategic approach. Having a clear, professional evidence base now allows us to prioritise works, strengthen funding applications, and make informed decisions about the future of the building. It also strengthens our ability to advocate for investment and safeguard a vital community asset that supports thousands of carers and local groups.”
“The support felt genuinely collaborative, with a strong emphasis on providing practical solutions rather than adding complexity. It enabled us to access expertise quickly and efficiently.” – Bethan
For Will, the project served as a unique professional development opportunity, whilst allowing him to use his skills to positively benefit a community organisation:
“With this being earlier in my career, this opportunity gave me invaluable experience in a core building surveying role – that was extremely useful from a learning perspective. It was also incredibly rewarding to be able to use and expand my skillset to support a charity doing such good in the community. It was a win-win being able to provide professional expertise to them whilst developing my own skills.” — William Plant, Apprentice Building Surveyor
