Langley House Trust is sad to have to announce that the Trust’s first project, Elderfield (Winchester), has closed its doors after 60 years of working with ex-offenders.

Elderfield was opened in 1959 by Langley’s founders, Team K, to help them to fulfil their vision of providing a home and support to men coming from prison. The project featured heavily in the life of John Dodd, Langley’s first General Secretary, who raised his young family with his wife Alyson, alongside running Elderfield.

Elderfield has been home to almost 1000 men coming from prison since it opened. It has been bravely operating without local authority funding since 2016 following government spending cuts. As a result of the government cuts,

Elderfield was remodelled to run Pathways to Change, an innovative offending behaviour programme based on our Challenge to Change prison programme. This was funded through grant providers and voluntary donations.

However, despite best efforts, sustainable funding has not been forthcoming for the project. The difficult decision was made to close the project earlier this year. The closure reflects the challenging funding climate that we operate in. Many local authorities have cut their budgets for providing housing and support to ex-offenders living in their areas.

Speaking about the situation, Tracy Wild (CEO) said:

It is really sad that we have got to this point and that there isn’t sustainable funding available to keep Elderfield going. Elderfield holds special significance for the Trust as this is our first project. Hundreds of client lives have been impacted since it opened in 1959.

The Elderfield staff team has been absolutely amazing during this time and I am grateful for all their support for our clients. I am thankful too for all our supporters and donors who have supported Elderfield in the last 60 years. Most of all, I am grateful that the legacy that Elderfield has left will live on in the client lives that have been changed.