INTERVIEW: JAMES NORTON
SAVE IT FOR A RAINY DAY T
he Rainy Day Trust, the charity which looks after the industry’s own, was 180 years old last year. That’s 180 years of offering support, sometimes financial, sometimes not, to people who have worked in the home improvement, DIY and merchanting sectors. And there’s often help for their families too.
The support covers a range of areas. It could be a one-off grant for a cooker, bed or a new TV, or to pay for urgent house repairs, care home top-up fees, training and education grants to help find a new job, or travel expenses to get to the interview or to get to the new job. It could be a fuel poverty help pack with a boiler and heating system service, a ‘Let’s Save Energy’ pack including free LED lightbulbs, eco shower heads and radiator reflectors, all designed to cut bills by up to £300 a year, as well as grants to help with utility bill arrears, or to buy heating oil at lower, summer prices. For people facing redundancy or looking for a new job, there is a series of e-learning modules, such as CV writing, basic computer skills and application guidance, accessible via the Trust that can help them to find a new job. The Trust also works with partners, to provide financial help to young apprentices as they work towards their qualifications, whether that be regular financial assistance to help with living costs, transport grants to pay for season tickets or for tool kits or safety equipment. “All the amazing support that the Trust can offer is no good if people don’t know about them,” says James Norton, who is stepping
How suppliers and merchants can support the charity
1. Business Partnership - Gold, Silver, Bronze model (support from £1,250 a year)
2.Donation of stock that we can sell into the domestic market
3.Payroll giving/Pennies from Heaven - regular small amounts donated monthly by staff
4.Run events internally for us - golf days, fun runs, quiz nights. 5. Volunteer Charity Ambassadors to be our voice at the business.
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down as Chairman of the Rainy Day Trust, after 11 years as a trustee of the charity. “Sometimes we find that the call for help or support is received too late to really be any use. We want to raise awareness of what we can offer people so they know to access support sooner rather than at the last minute.”
It’s not all about giving out grants or handing over cash, Norton points out. “A lot of what we do is talking people through issues, pointing them in the right direction, helping them to access benefits, highlighting the areas that they can go to for longer term support. There’s also short term help available too, we might be able to fund something, or point an enquiry in the direction of a local food bank or food vouchers ito overcome a short-term serious cash flow problem. We also do a lot at the moment that’s centred around utility bills and mortgages.” He says that there are millions of pounds of benefits that go unclaimed because people either don’t know that they are entitled to them, or how to access them. “People who have always been in work, but who find themselves suddenly out of work, don’t always know where they can go to seek help. We can be the voice on the end of the phone that points them in that right direction.” Norton adds that one of the Rainy Day Trusts’ biggest challenges is getting people to think about the charity at times other than when it
Fiona Russell Horne chats to the outgoing chairman of the Rainy Day Trust, James Norton, about what the charity can do for people in this industry.
What the Charity can do for supplier/
merchant teams
1.Talk to HR staff/managers on how we can help staff so reducing HR workload. Brief entire staff team or give you collateral so staff are aware of how we can help 2. Help with food bills, childcare, utility costs, to stop staff leaving because they can earn 50p an hour more somewhere else. 3. If colleagues need an advance of pay, refer them to us for assistance keeping pay as normal.
4.Give you mental health booklets for everyone on how staff can look out for each other. 5. Make the whole charity sector accessible to your colleagues, searching out whatever assistance they may need.
is there in front on them. “Bryan Clover does a fantastic job of banging the drum, raising awareness – and funds - making sure the Trust and what we can do for people is publicised at industry events,” he says. “However, people hear his rallying cry at industry dinners, put their £20 in the envelope, and often that’s the last time they think about it until the next dinner. We need to get them to be more aware that we aren’t just a big bucket for their money, that we exist to help people in this industry, in our industry, to access help when they need it.” One of the things that Norton says would be helpful is if more HR departments could put posters up, or notes in people’s payslips, or on company internal communications, just to put it into people’s minds.
Fund-raising isn’t just about giving over cash at industry dinners, either, Norton says. “There are a number of other things that people can do to help us. The Pavestone Rally has been a huge fund-raiser for us, as is the annual Rainy Day Trust Golf Day, while organisations such as NBG, SIG and Stax have consistently donated large amounts annually. Plus, of course, there is the charity envelope option. However, we can also help merchants and suppliers sell off spare stock through our eBay channel, and that can really help our funds as well as clear much needed space on shelves.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net May 2024
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