PSS (UK) is a national social enterprise in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. Liverpool Personal Services Society was founded by
Eleanor Rathbone
Eleanor Florence Rathbone (12 May 1872 – 2 January 1946) was an independent British Member of Parliament (MP) and long-term campaigner for family allowance and for women's rights. She was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool.
...
and
Dorothy Keeling in 1919, for over 100 years PSS has provided a range of support services.
The charity operates services in Liverpool, Manchester, Wirral, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire and North Wales.
Head office
PSS's head office is in Eleanor Rathbone House, Derby Road in the Sandhills area of Liverpool. PSS moved into this office in 2018 from its previous home on Seel Street in the city centre.
History
In 1918 the personal services committee of the Liverpool Council of Voluntary Aid was established with
Dorothy Keeling as its first secretary.
Founded in 1919 by philanthropist and prolific social campaigner
Eleanor Rathbone
Eleanor Florence Rathbone (12 May 1872 – 2 January 1946) was an independent British Member of Parliament (MP) and long-term campaigner for family allowance and for women's rights. She was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool.
...
and social worker and campaigner Dorothy Keeling in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. The title 'Liverpool Personal Services Society was not adopted until 1922 but those involved with its creation were philanthropist and prolific social campaigner
Eleanor Rathbone
Eleanor Florence Rathbone (12 May 1872 – 2 January 1946) was an independent British Member of Parliament (MP) and long-term campaigner for family allowance and for women's rights. She was a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool.
...
', Dorothy Keeling,
Elizabeth Macadam (1871–1948), and academic
Frederic D'Aeth. They saw the need for friendly visiting. The PSS faced opposition by other societies who saw it as offering no material help and as was just another competitor.
[
Keeling would remain as the secretary of the PSS until the start of the second world war. It was not just advice as the volunteers ran boot and clothing clubs, a loan scheme, a holiday scheme and in 1932 the well funded Central Relief Society used the PSS to find the best place for its funds. The advice offered included bureaux for new tenants, legal and marital advice, visiting and care for the old and disabled.][
The charity's first headquarters was on Stanley Street in Liverpool. A long queue of people that could be found lining up on its winding staircase to speak to someone at Liverpool Personal Services Society. 'The Crowded Stairs' was the title of Dorothy Keeling's book about social work in Liverpool, including the Liverpool Personal Services Society, 'The Crowded Stairs'.
]
See also
* Bradbury Fields – another Liverpool charity and fellow member of the 800 Group.
References
External links
PSS (UK) websiteShared Lives Plus
*{{EW charity , num=224469 , name=PSS (UK)
Personal Service Society
Charities based in Merseyside