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Author: Hannah

Care equipment social enterprise takes a step towards its target of helping 10,000 people by 2028, and one million in the long term

Grace Cares, the circular economy social enterprise that rescues, refurbishes and redistributes unwanted care equipment, has announced a new partnership with Burton based recycling charity the Star Foundation.

From August, the Star Foundation will stock Grace Cares care equipment at its Burton store, giving people across East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire local access to mobility aids, daily living equipment and other essential items at half the original RRP or less.

The partnership marks a significant step in Grace Cares’ growth plan. Having already helped more than 5,000 people since it was founded in February 2023, the social enterprise is targeting 10,000 people by the end of 2028, with a long term ambition of reaching one million people through social franchising.

Care equipment that would otherwise sit unused, or go to landfill, becomes affordable and available on the high street, without a wait, a referral, or a full price tag. Every sale funds free community programmes, including Care Club, tea parties, the Caring for Tomorrow webinar series and hardship grants for older people and unpaid care givers.

The two organisations share a model built on the same principle: that what one person no longer needs can fund what another person urgently does.

The Star Foundation’s Rags2Riches campaign works with schools, clubs and community groups nationwide to collect unwanted clothes, shoes, CDs, DVDs and books, turning them into funds for the groups that collected them. Those funds open up sport, music, arts and media opportunities for young people, and the charity involves young people directly in the campaigns that generate income for their own clubs and schools, building community spirit, pride and personal discipline in the process.

Pete Tryner, Founder of the Star Foundation, said:

“Everything we do at Star starts with the same belief, that something unwanted in one household can change things completely for someone else. We have spent years proving that with clothes, shoes and books for young people. Bringing Grace Cares equipment into our Burton store extends that thinking across the generations. Now a family in Burton can walk in and find the wheelchair, walking frame or bath aid they need at a price they can actually manage, and know that what they have spent goes straight back into community programmes. It is the right partnership at the right time and we are proud to be part of it.”

Emma Smith, Co-Founder of Grace Cares, said:

“We set out to reach one million people, and partnerships like this one are exactly how we get there. We cannot open a unit in every town, but we can work with brilliant organisations who are already trusted in their own communities. Star Foundation has that trust in Burton, and they understand the circular economy because they have been living it for years. Reaching 10,000 people by 2028 is not an abstract number to us. It is 10,000 individual moments where someone got the equipment they needed instead of going without, and Burton is now part of that.”

Get involved

Organisations, care providers and individuals with unwanted care equipment can arrange a donation via hello@grace-cares.com or 01543 730189. Grace Cares is also actively seeking partner organisations interested in stocking rescued care equipment in their own communities.

Grace Cares’ Care Club welcomes Speakmore and Lichfield Film Club for latest face-to-face session

Grace Cares held its latest face-to-face Care Club session, bringing together those who care for others for a morning of support, connection and useful information.

The session welcomed guest speaker Tracy from Speakmore, alongside representatives from Lichfield Film Club, who shared details of their upcoming showings designed to support those caring for others.

Tracy brings over 30 years of experience working in both the NHS and independent sector, supporting people with neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease, as well as successfully treating clients with stammers and voice problems. Over the course of her career she has worked as a clinical lead and specialist in acquired neurological disorders, a team leader, lead for local and national research projects, chairman of a professional study group, and team lead for a community rehabilitation service.

Since qualifying, Tracy has continued to study across all areas of her work, gaining postgraduate qualifications including a Certificate in Counselling, Advanced Dysphagia, a Leadership Award, the Lee Silverman Voice Technique, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, a Certificate in the Principles of Dementia Care, and Talking Mats Training. She has worked across acute, neuropsychiatric and mental health hospital settings, as well as care homes, people’s own homes and out-patient clinics. Tracy is passionate about providing practical solutions to communication and swallowing problems, and believes that long-term conditions require long-term support.

Tasha, from Grace Cares, said:

“We gather feedback after every Care Club session, and it’s clear how much value carers get from having a space like this to come together. We’ll be looking to increase how regularly we run these sessions moving forward.”

Grace Cares’ Care Club runs regularly to bring together those supporting others in a caring role, offering guest speakers, useful information and a chance to connect with others in similar situations. For more information please email hello@grace-cares.com.

Pictured: Tracy from Speakmore and a member of the Grace Cares tribe.

Grace Cares volunteers pause, breathe and reconnect at latest Coffee, Cake & Catch Up

Grace Cares, the Lichfield-based circular economy enterprise supporting the social care sector, welcomed Nicola Kathryn Coaching to its most recent volunteer Coffee, Cake and Catch Up session, where Nicola led volunteers through a series of practical breathwork techniques.

The session recognised that supporting vulnerable people in the community, while rewarding, can also bring up strong emotions for those doing the supporting. As a predominantly volunteer-run not-for-profit, Grace Cares places as much importance on the wellbeing of its people as it does on the work they carry out, with organisers noting that volunteers need to “put their own mask on first” before they can continue helping others.

Care sits at the heart of Grace Cares’ work, and that ethos extends to the volunteers who help deliver it. The organisation says it wants everyone who gives their time to feel welcome, valued and supported, with a genuine place to make a difference and to feel proud, happy and healthy while doing so.

Emma, Co-Founder of Grace Cares, commented:
 ” Our volunteers give so much to support people across our community, so it’s important we give something back. Sessions like this remind everyone that it’s okay to pause and look after themselves too.”

Nicola, of Nicola Kathryn Coaching, added:
 “It was a privilege to spend time with the Grace Cares volunteers. Breathwork is a simple, accessible tool, and it was wonderful to see the group take it on board and support one another.”

Grace Cares runs bi-annual Coffee, Cake and Catch Up sessions for its volunteers to connect, share experiences and feel supported in their role within the community. Whether you’re interested in volunteering ad hoc, monthly, or more regularly, Grace Cares would love to hear from you, please get in touch to find out more. 01543 730189 hello@grace-cares.com

 

Pictured: Nicola, of Nicola Kathryn Coaching, and some of the Grace Cares tribe.

Severn Trent support helps Grace Cares rescue more bulky care equipment from landfill across 2026

Grace Cares is expanding its van operations across 2026 thanks to new support from Severn Trent – enabling significantly more bulky care equipment to be rescued from landfill and redistributed to households who urgently need it.

The not-for-profit organisation exists to make care more sustainable by rescuing pre-loved equipment and making it available at affordable prices. Until now, van collections have relied heavily on volunteer drivers and limited operational capacity.

With Severn Trent’s backing, that capacity will dramatically increase – allowing Grace Cares to collect and deliver more large, heavy items such as profiling beds, rise and recliner chairs and mobility scooters.

 

Tackling bulky waste that would otherwise go to landfill

Large care equipment is expensive, difficult to transport and challenging for households to dispose of responsibly. Without a collection service, many of these items would ultimately be sent to landfill.

Across 2026, Grace Cares estimates the expanded service will:

  • Rescue more than 1,500 additional bulky care items
  • Prevent approximately 37 tonnes of waste from entering landfill
  • Save around 180 cubic metres of landfill space
  • Avoid close to 8 tonnes of CO₂ emissions

These bulky items make the greatest environmental impact when diverted from waste streams – and the greatest personal impact when redistributed affordably into homes.

Supporting independence at home

By increasing its ability to transport larger items, Grace Cares expects hundreds more individuals to benefit across the year – including older people, unpaid caregivers and individuals returning home from hospital.

Access to affordable equipment such as beds and mobility aids can be the difference between remaining safely at home or facing hospital readmission or residential care.

Emma Smith, Co-Founder of Grace Cares, said:

“Our volunteers have been incredible in helping us build this model, but bulky items like beds and rise and recliners require additional capacity and coordination. With Severn Trent’s support, we can now step up our ability to rescue the items that are hardest to move – and therefore most likely to be discarded.

This isn’t about sending a van to collect small household items that people can easily bring to us. It’s about intervening where transport is the real barrier – ensuring large, life-changing pieces of equipment don’t go to waste.”

Strengthening the circular economy in care

Smaller care items will continue to be managed through drop-off and collection arrangements at the Grace Cares unit, maintaining an efficient and community-led model. The expanded van service is specifically designed to address the transport gap for heavy, bulky equipment.

By supporting this expansion, Severn Trent is helping to strengthen a circular solution that delivers measurable environmental impact while improving quality of life for local residents.

Through this partnership, more essential equipment will stay in circulation, more carbon will be saved, and more households will be supported to live safely and independently at home. 

 

Image: L-R Emma Smith, Adam Harrison and Hannah Montgomery, Founders of Grace Cares with the Grace Cares van

The WAGS award gala evening took place on Tuesday 21st November 2023 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London.

The awards recognised accomplishments of women in social care at all levels of leadership and from across the whole of the social care sector; including services for older people, people with learning disabilities and/or autism and children, young people and families.

Grace Cares wishes to congratulate everyone who was nominated – as well as the highly commended and the category winners!

Click here to see the results.

It was a night of celebration for the Grace Cares CIC team at the Care Talk Magazine Women Achieving Greatness in Social Care Awards (WAGs) as Hannah Montgomery (MCIM) was Highly Commended in the New Business Award category, with the judge’s comments summarising her passion for Grace Cares:

“Inspired by a charitable act, Hannah founded Grace Cares, a not-for-profit repurposing care equipment to benefit those in need. Her passion for social care and commitment to making a difference resonates through the organisation’s positive impact.”

What an amazing achievement – well done the GC team Emma Smith and Adam Harrison 🥂💚 We also made it our Christmas do and a recap of a mental but wonderful year so far… can you believe this time last year Grace Cares was just an idea 💡

Thank you for John Moore and Andrea Vinten for coming and supporting (let’s be honest you’re part of the team!)

And well done to the WAGS for making a movement to elevate a sector that we LOVE 💚💚

Grace Cares, a Lichfield-based non-profit that supports older people and care workers, received a welcome funding boost this week. The organisation received an award worth £20,000 from the Aviva Broker Community Fund, thanks to a nomination from Tamworth-based Prizm Solutions.

Grace Cares is a not-for-profit organisation that supports older people, their families and care workers across the UK. They collect, donate, and sell pre-loved care equipment to enhance people’s quality of life and keep it from going to landfill. All profits go back into supporting care workers and older people in need, in the form of one-off grants.

Prizm Solutions is a local business with a commitment to doing business ethically and giving something back to the community. Matthew Small, Director at Prizm Solutions, volunteers with Grace Cares and nominated them for the Aviva Broker Community Fund.

Hannah Montgomery, Co-founder of Grace Cares said, “We’re overwhelmed to receive the top award. We believe that good social care is fundamental for our country, and we’re super proud of the positive impact we are having already for older people, care workers AND the planet. This money will make a huge difference to what we can achieve as a small non-profit. Thank you to Prizm Solutions for the nomination, and to the Aviva Broker Community Fund for choosing Grace Cares from the many good causes who applied. We’re beyond delighted.”

Aviva Broker Community Fund supports causes that actively make a difference at a local level. This year’s judging panel were particularly looking for nominations in two key areas:

  • Environment Action – helping communities to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
  • Financial Wellbeing – helping communities to cope in the face of financial difficulty.

The work of Grace Cares was recognised for its impact in both Environmental Action and Financial Wellbeing. They were selected as one of only five good causes to win the Top Award worth £20,000.

The award comes just days after Grace Cares picked up three more accolades:

  • Best Sustainable Business – Lichfield District Council Beacon Awards
  • Community Hero – Lichfield District Council Beacon Awards
  • Suppliers of Products and Services – Care Talk Magazine Social Care Premier Supplier Awards

Aviva Broker UK shared a total prize pot of £300,000 across 65 non-profits. Awards started from £500, and they received over 160 applications for funding.

 

Photo caption:

Founders of Grace Cares Hannah Montgomery and Emma Smith accepting their £20,000 award at the Aviva Broker Community Fund ceremony on Tuesday, 17 October 2023 at the Honourable Artillery Company, London. They were joined at the event by Matthew Small from Prizm Solutions, who nominated them for the award, Will Greenwood MBE and David Martin, Managing Director of Aviva.

 

VERY kindly written for us by the lovely Denise Atkins who is a content designer & copywriter for charities and non-profits. You should Link In with her, click here.

Grace Cares are finalists in The Social Care Premier Supplier Awards – Manufacturers & Suppliers of Products & Services Category
THANK YOU TO WHOMEVER NOMINATED US 🤩
A panel of independent judges headed up by Prof Martin Green, CEO at Care England, now have the difficult task of choosing the category winners.
Wish us luck for the 12th October down in the Big Smoke 🤞

Care Home Professional have recognised Hannah as an Innovator In Care in this years Power List.

If we are honest, she is a little shell shocked (which we are glad of as gives us a moments peace! 🤣) and may have had a little happy cry and a team hug.
This journey is a team effort and wouldn’t be possible without the unstoppable Emma Smith and Ad Harrison and all the support from family, friends, volunteers and the business and health and social care community. We have a long way to go but together we have already achieved so much. The more we do, the more we can help people – It’s compound effect!
We are driven by the need to save the planet, support health and social care and do what’s right.
Cheesy as it sounds – Care really is at the heart of everything we do 💚
Here is the write up

Hannah Montgomery is founder of Grace Cares, a not-for-profit organisation which launched this past Valentine’s Day.

It collects, donates and sells pre-loved care equipment to enhance people’s quality of life, support care workers and older people in need with grants and community groups, and leave a better planet for future generations.

The charitable organisation’s formation came from a lightbulb moment of Hannah’s: she asked a colleague in the sector about where she could acquire a stairlift, and he mentioned that a lot of care equipment goes to landfill. There had to be a way to repurpose this care equipment for those who needed it, Hannah decided.

Grace Cares has already had donations from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games and has secured formal partnerships with Birmingham and Midlands NHS Trusts and Barchester, while Hannah Montgomery is the driving force that has made the organisation a reality.

Care Home Professional Grace Cares Power List 2023
Care Home Professional Grace Cares Power List 2023

 

Find out more

Read about the other individuals featured in the Innovators in Care category here.

Care Home Professional – The Power List 2023: Read more click here.

 

Grace Cares have not only been nominated but also in the final 3 for not just one but THREE awards at the Lichfield District Council Beacon Awards 2023.

OH MY GOSH!

So what are they?

“The Beacon Awards will bring together the brightest and most talented individuals from businesses of all sizes from across the district and recognise their hard work, dedication, and contributions to their industries. From entertainment and sports to business and technology, The Beacon Awards will honour the best of the best.”

Council Leader Doug Pullen says:

“I am thrilled that the council has been approached to establish a new award to recognise the fantastic work and achievements that take place across the district.  The community and business awards will shine a spotlight on people who might not otherwise be celebrated and on businesses that are at the heart of our economy.”

 

Grace Cares are in the final 3 for the below categories:

💚 BEST SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
💙 COMMUNITY HERO
💚 CHARITY OR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE OF THE YEAR

A massive thank you to John Moore for nominating and believing in us.

If we are honest we know of far more deserving community heroes such as Elaine Hutchings, Wai-Lee Ho and Jonathan ‘Jono’ Oates to name just a few. So here’s a shout out to you and all you do for our local community.

Whatever the outcome CONGRATULATIONS to all of the other nominees, especially our friends at JCFX Media James Cooper, THE LISTENING CENTRE (EAP) LTD Sharon McCormick, Lichfield PAT Testing Graham Shipton, The Hub at St Mary’s Sarah Clark, FRIARY SHOES LIMITED, Lichfield Garrick Theatre, Duke of York, Chase Terrace Academy Julie Poppleton.

We are very excited to attend the presentation evening on Thursday 12 October at the National Memorial Arboretum with our supporters and health and social care colleagues. Wish us luck 🤞

Get your tickets and find out more click here.

Welcome to Kirsty Meets!

Each month I meet key stakeholders and business leaders in the social care sector. This month I met Hannah Montgomery, Co-Founder at Grace Cares. I caught up with Hannah to discuss sustainability, wellbeing, and supporting older people in local communities.

So Hannah, can you tell us a little bit about Grace Cares?

Grace Cares is a not-for-profit that wants to stop care items needlessly going into landfill, make them available to people at around a third of the price, and use the profits to help care workers, older people and their families nationwide with hardship grants and also support the local community with social groups and activities.

Why is sustainability important within social care specifically?

In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to pass the net zero emissions law. Which means the government has set a UK commitment to sustainability that has to be met by 2050.

Compulsory change is coming to evolve practices, processes, and culture this is why I am on a mission to educate myself as much as possible on the subject.

It is evident that the social care sector is a significant contributor to carbon emissions and other forms of environmental impact. Our sector uses large amounts of energy, equipment, and resources to provide care, which can lead to waste and pollution. Think about it, social care activities protect and restore health and save lives BUT what about the impact to health and lives from the waste and by-products we generate?

What is the state of sustainability within the social care sector at the moment?

People I have been talking to are often not fully aware of the changes that are around the corner or are overwhelmed by sustainability in the sector. With rising costs and environmental changes, we personally and commercially need to be more waste and carbon aware. It’s a company culture change on all levels, which is a scary thought. The sector is still trying to carry on after the impact of covid, recruitment is challenging, and we are waiting for the roll out of a new regulatory framework. So how the heck are care providers meant to learn and adapt processes to be more sustainable at the same time?!

I get it! IT IS A LOT. You don’t want to go gung-ho on changes (especially with a small team) and take your eye off the ball in other areas, it’s all about compound effect. It’s about juggling improving and commercial viability.

What does the future of social care sustainability look like?

The government are really going to be driving this as they have forecast that damage by climate change will cost the UK economy £20 billion by 2050.

One thing care provider’s need to be thinking about is if they have an evolving net zero plan.

My advice to any care provider reading this would be to initially pull together a working group of managers, carers and service users who all have a passion for sustainability. Get an initial sustainability and net zero plan, it doesn’t have to be war and peace. As a starting point I would recommend exploring:

  • Environmental Compliance
  • Waste Reduction and Recycling
  • Energy Conservation
  • Water Conservation
  • Sustainable Transport
  • Green Procurement
  • Community Engagement and Awareness
  • Continuous Improvement
  • Reporting and Accountability

Book in a regular group catch up and action just one point off the plan each time.

The extra win is that genuine sustainable changes will also generate you higher profits. Researchers from McKinsey & Company found that companies which pursued sustainability with the genuine aim of creating additional value (not just attempts at greenwashing) generated higher profits for their organisation in both the medium term (3-5 years) and in the long term (5-10 years) than those which did not pursue sustainability.

By adopting sustainable practices, supporting the workforce, engaging service users, and collaborating, social care providers can work towards a more sustainable, cost effective, higher revenue generating and resilient future.