A North West homelessness charity is celebrating its chair of the board for 25 years of service, making a difference to thousands of lives in Lancashire and Greater Manchester.
Sue Ashby, of Rossendale, is marking 23 years as the chair of the board and 25 years as a trustee at charity Stepping Stone Projects this March.
The mother-of-two says that “as long as there’s a need and we are able to provide high-quality accommodation, I will do all I can to help.”
Sue works in finance for a manufacturing company alongside her trustee role. It was while working for the Rochdale Borough Chamber of Commerce and Business Link that she came across Stepping Stone Projects.
One day at work she spotted the homelessness charity was advertising via Business Link for a Treasurer at the office in Rochdale, which was local to where she lived at the time.
“I wasn’t really looking for extra work – I had two young children aged seven and four – but the ad caught my attention. It wasn’t something I’d seen anyone in my family do before, but I wanted to give something back to the community and I thought my business background could benefit other organisations.
“I could see the impact that homelessness was having on Rochdale, and I thought these people and organisations needed my help. It was actually my boss at the time who got the role of treasurer, but I joined the board and then took on the chairperson role two years later.”
Stepping Stone Projects had been founded 14 years earlier in 1984 and was working with the Business Link to grow its support services. When Sue joined Stepping Stone Projects, the charity only had 38 supported homes – it now provides over 600 homes with another 200 homes currently in development, and supports over 800 people at any one time.
Dave Smith, Chief Executive at Stepping Stone Projects, said: “When you add it all up, the number of people supported over Sue’s leadership would be around 15,000 people – that’s the equivalent of a small town – it’s truly amazing. We are very grateful to Sue for her excellent oversight and guidance throughout her 25 years of service on the Stepping Stone Projects Board.”
Sue continued: “A real highlight throughout has been seeing the impact we have on people – how the customers come on in confidence and independence thanks to being given somewhere to stay and the support they need.
“One particularly memorable moment was helping a couple of people who had lost their jobs and homes. We were doing a few creative projects at the time: one was a production written by the customers hosted at the Royal Exchange Theatre, one was a series of poetry workshops and another was a photography workshop. We got our customers involved and I remember being reduced to tears realising these people had grown so much they could produce wonderful pictures and poetry that meant something to them.
“I’ve been made redundant in the past and know how tough that is. But Stepping Stone Projects has been a constant in my life for 25 years, and that has motivated me to make sure help is in place for others.”
Originally from Northampton, Sue grew up in Surrey and moved to Greater Manchester following completing her degree in Leeds and has stayed in the area ever since.
“What’s kept me hooked is ensuring the quality of accommodation that Stepping Stone Projects provides. I thought ‘would I be prepared to put a member of my family in this accommodation?’ It could be my kids that happens to. If other providers beat us on price, we know we don’t cut corners on the quality of housing and the support services we put in place for our customers.
“Being on the board means I can make an impact. It’s hard to put into words the pride I have for the work we’re doing. We hold ourselves to high standards and that’s our priority.”
Sue also notes that although trustees have come and gone during her leadership, they all share the same goal and have become friends, saying: “Everyone around that table has the same aim of getting people the support they need to thrive.
“And that continues throughout the rest of the charity. The organisation is buzzing – it’s growing and the teams are doing some incredible work.
“We were recently awarded Gold Standard for workplace standards by Investors in People. I couldn’t feel more proud of my Stepping Stone Projects colleagues, especially when I think back to when I first joined the board.”
