Published: 01/02/2024
January Donations
To start 2024 as we mean to go on, we had DOUBLE nominations and they were:-Grove PreSchool, Stanway
We spoke to Sharon who said 'Hello, Thank you so much for awarding us with £500 to complete our Forest School. We are so very grateful and excited, we know our children will have enormous fun exploring and learning about nature.'
The preschool had been unable to finish their Forest School, with the gift of £500 from the 500 Club they are really looking forward to be able to complete the project.
We look forward to sharing with you the before and after photos soon!
Colchester Engagement & Next Steps (CENS)
We spoke to Patsi Brown, who was thrilled the Colchester Night Shelter had been nominated by the 500 Club. They have asked if we could donate supermarket vouchers to them to be used towards the food they provide their residents.'Thanks for phoning, and thank you for this wonderful donation, we are really pleased that you chose to nominate us and the £500 will be a great help for the work we do here. Residents have breakfast and lunch provided, and our kitchen co-ordinator Emma works hard to ensure we provide a healthy and varied menu. Fareshare also donates food and Emma plans menus and shopping based on what they deliver. The vouchers will be the best way to help us respond the varying requirements week to week, as well us helping us with the essentials that we always use (teabags always being top of the list!).
Attached are some photos of our menus and dinners provided here, and one of the residents on Christmas Day.
Colchester Engagement & Next Steps has been supporting people who find themselves homeless in Colchester for 40 years. The shelter has seen much change in this time and at present we are pleased to have rooms for up to 15 residents each night. In 2019 we purchased another house that operates as a move-on accommodation, allowing people a longer time to get back on their feet and save money to move into private rental. In addition, we are very excited to have just purchased a second house with 6 more move-on units, which we are hoping to start using in the coming months. CENS is not just about providing an emergency solution; we work with each resident to deal with the underlying cause of their homelessness and to break cycles, We are pleased to report a move on rate of 68% over the last year. It is wonderful to see so many residents getting off the streets - into permanent accommodation and back into the community.'
The 500 Club were also excited to have donated some bears to the Colchester Arts Centre, for their Teddy Bears Concert at the end of January! Think globally, act locally.