2011
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Down Not Out project now recruiting21st December 2011 Down Not Out Leicester is a vibrant community news agency run by people with experience of homelessness or vulnerable housing. It is a joint project by Action Homeless and Citizens Eye, supported by the Big Lottery Fund. Down Not Out is recruiting for an Editor, 4 Sub Editors and 20 Volunteer community news reporters. Please see this flyer for more details. For further information or to apply for one of the positions please contact Monica Hingorani at monicahingorani@actionhomeless.org.uk or phone 0116 221 1851 |
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Caterpillar puts the winter appeal firmly on track6th December 2011 A donation of £5,000 from the workers charity society at major Leicestershire employer Caterpillar has given a huge boost to the Winter Appeal by Action Homeless to secure emergency beds for people made homeless this Christmas. Speaking at a short ceremony at the Caterpillar plant at Desford on Tuesday, Karen Purewal, Director of Operations at Action Homeless said, “This gift will guarantee three bed spaces for three months and mean such a lot to people who are destitute.” Action Homeless was one of three local charities chosen by the Caterpillar Cares Society from nominations from employees. The society is able to distribute funds from a payroll lottery scheme offered to all employees at Caterpillar. Karen was also invited to pick a number in the weekly draw and some lucky employee will receive a prize of £500 from the fund. Tony Droogleever, the Manager of the Desford Plant, said that Caterpillar believed in putting something back into the community and he praised the scheme for encouraging positive charity involvement by the workforce and for its success in being able to distribute over £20,000 for local charities in the last year. |
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Action Homeless Winter Appeal 2011/12 launched30th November 2011 It has been a busy few days at Action Homeless as we launched our Winter Appeal 2011/12 with a number of events. Last week, Reverend Tim Blewett spent the week experiencing what it is like to live within the hostel system. Tim, a trustee of Action Homeless, started his journey at Mayfield House on Monday 21st November, where he stayed for two nights. He then moved to The Hollies, a smaller project before spending his final night staying with an ex resident of Action Homeless in order to experience a typical move on flat. During the week, Tim joined in with various Action Homeless activities and events including a trip to the Outdoor Pursuits Centre, the Action Homeless AGM and a day’s work with Action Clean and Action Paint. You can read all about Tim’s experiences by looking at his blog Friday evening saw the official launch of our Winter Appeal with a Christmas House Party at the beautiful Launde Abbey. Guests enjoyed a delicious meal followed by live jazz music from the Sven Klangs Jazz band. A silent auction raised a fantastic £800, a fabulous start to the appeal. We would like to thank all those who attended the dinner and those who supported the evening by providing auction items. The weekend’s festive fundraising activities ended with a team running the Great Lutterworth Santa Fun Run to raise money for Action Homeless. The Winter Appeal 2011/12 aims to raise £10,000 which will help to fund emergency beds for rough sleepers in Leicester. Since 1st November, 3 extra emergency beds have been in operation at Mayfield House, we want to keep these available throughout the winter period and help as many people off the streets as we can. To make a donation to our appeal please click here.
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Investors in People3rd November 2011 We are delighted to announce that Action Homeless has been recognised as an organisation which meets the Investors in People standard. After an assessment day in October, we were informed that we had achieved the award. Action Homeless was recognised as having a clear purpose and vision focusing on empowering homeless people to change their lives. Tammy Bolton, Human Resources Manager at Action Homeless, said ‘this is fantastic news and a great achievement for Action Homeless. I would like to thank the staff for all their support.’
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Action Homeless AGM 20112nd November 2011 The Action Homeless AGM 2011 will take place on Thursday 24th November 2011 at 7pm in the Undercroft room of St James the Greater Church. Please have a look at the AGM flyer for further information. If you’re free, we’d be delighted to see you on the night. This is a public event and anyone is welcome to attend. Our special guest speaker this year will be Jon Ashworth MP. If you would like to come we'd be grateful if you could let Eilidh Kennedy eilidhkennedy@actionhomeless.org.uk know by Friday 18 November. If you would like to read the formal AGM notice please click here |
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Action Homeless awarded Big Lottery Fund grant18th October 2011 Action Homeless and Citizens Eye are delighted to announce that they are the recipients of a Big Lottery Fund Grant allowing them to establish a new project to benefit the homeless community in Leicester. The new project, Down Not Out, will see the creation of a community news agency run by homeless people in Leicester. At a time of cuts Down Not Out is a real investment in Leicester with a £139,960 grant being awarded to the charity over two years. This new partnership between Action Homeless and Citizens Eye will mean the development of exciting new opportunities for vulnerably housed and homeless people in the city. Through use of a range of media outlets in print, on line and radio, Down Not Out will create a platform for people affected by homelessness to have a voice on issues that matter to them and the local community. As well as offering work placements to a number of homeless people in Leicester, Down Not Out will recruit over 100 volunteer Down Not Out community reporters. A certified media training course will be delivered to all Down Not Out staff and volunteers, allowing them to develop valuable skills and knowledge. Around 40% of people living in hostels or temporary accommodation are there for a second, third or maybe even fourth time. Down Not Out will help those people break the cycle of repeat homelessness by offering volunteering, training and work opportunities. These are vital steps in breaking the cycle of repeat homelessness. |
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Leicester Marathon 201110th October 2011 Congratulations to our 5 runners who completed the Leicester Half Marathon in aid of Action Homeless. Karen, Hannah, Christina, Promise and Stacey all entered the half marathon with some impressive times being set. Hannah Malcherczyk completed the route in 1 hour and 48 seconds, a fantatsic achivement! Karen, Director of Operations at Action Homeless, completed the half marathon in 2 hours and 17 minutes, beating last year's time by a long way. Stacey Wragg from Aspire Magazine, who are supporting Action Homeless as their charity of the year, managed an impressive time of 2 hours and 26 minutes. A team of Action Homeless stewards were also there to help make sure the event was a success. The team of 7 marshalled the route as it came back into the city centre near St Margaret’s Bus Station. They offered much needed encouragement to all the runners as they tackled the last 2 miles of the route. All of the stewards did a fantastic job of making sure all of the runners kept on track and kept their enthusiasm going throughout the event. We would also like to say a special thank you to Helen Cockle who provided all of our runners with a massage after they had finished. To have a look at more photos from the marathon please visit our facebook page. If you have been inspired and would like to do some fundraising for Action Homeless please contact Jonathan Cryer on 0116 221 1851. |
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Charity Curry Night 201130th September 2011 Thank you to all those who came along to our Charity Curry Night on Monday 26th September at Cuisine of India in Wigston. It was a great event and a fantastic £845 was raised for Action Homeless. We would like to say a special thank you to Syed Rahman and his team at Cuisine of India for hosting the evening. We would also like to thank all the local businesses and people who provided us with raffle prizes for the Curry Night inlcuding Freeth Cartwright LLP, Sainsbury's Wigston, Johnson Paint and Wallpaper and Swift Fox Cabs. |
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St Georges Nursery Harvest Collection30th September 2011 We are pleased to announce that St Georges Nursery in Enderby has once again donated its harvest collection to Action Homeless.The nursery, which looks after around eighty children each day, has chosen to support Action Homeless for the second year running. Food collected as part of the harvest appeal will be arranged into washing up bowls to make moving in packs for service users leaving supported accommodation. The nursery collected a huge amount of food, far surpassing last year’s total. St Georges Nursery said, ‘St George’s Nursery School has again chosen to support Action Homeless by donating our Harvest collection this year. We have previously supported this charity and we teach and encourage the children to give something back to the community to help and support others. The children have taken a real interest, and have been getting their parents involved!’ Eilidh Kennedy, from Action Homeless, spent the morning at St Georges Nursery and said ‘It was such a surprise to see just how much food had been collected. I would like to say a huge thank you to the children, parents and staff that have donated to us. When our service users leave Action Homeless accommodation to move into their own home they often have very little so it is great that we are able to give them a moving in pack with some of the essentials that they need to get started.’ If you are interested in arranging a moving in pack collection please contact Jonathan Cryer on 0116 221 1851 or email jonathancryer@actionhomeless.org.uk |
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Evesham House opens its doors26th September 2011 With reports that alcohol addiction is on the rise, Evesham House in Leicester invited people to see how they are tackling the issue amongst the homeless community. Evesham House is a supported housing project for homeless men and women who have a long history of problematic drinking. This month it is opened its doors and invited local people and organisations to have a look at the services offered. On Friday 23rd September, Evesham House opened to those who would like to have a look around and learn more about the project. Visitors were also able to sample food prepared by the residents and met those who are currently benefitting from the project. Residents of Evesham House are able to continue drinking alcohol during their stay within a structured harm reduction framework, making the project quite unique in Leicestershire. Evesham House has been open for two years and with six residents currently has no vacancies. The aim at Evesham House is to help residents to reduce their dependency on alcohol and work towards enabling residents to live independently in the future. Audassa Powel who manages Evesham House said 'amidst all the bad press surrounding alcoholism, we hope to publicise that there is a working model for progress in Leicester. We want to change the perception that overcoming an entrenched issue is impossible. If you’re motivated to change then we are here to help and that is the message we want to get across. We want people to be able to access our services.’
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Ukuleles and a Cream Tea – music to your ears?7th September 2011 An opportunity to learn something new and offer homeless people in Leicester the chance for change. A group of friends in Leicestershire have come together to raise money for Action Homeless. They are off to a great start having raised over £250 through book and garage sales earlier in the year. The two couples, Becky and Garry Woodhouse and Marilyn and Colin Chappell, have come up with a new and exciting fundraising event for this September and would like local people to get involved. They will be hosting a Ukulele and Cream Tea afternoon. People will pay £7 to take part and this will include an ‘Introduction on how to play the Ukulele’ from a tutor as well as a cream tea. A treat for the ears and the taste buds! This original fundraising afternoon is taking place on Sunday 25th September in St James Church Hall, Newbold Verdon at 3pm. All Ukuleles will be supplied by the tutor. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn a new skill and help a local charity at the same time. The Chappells and Woodhouses will continue their fundraising efforts throughout the year and plan to take part in the Lutterworth Santa Fun Run in November as well as hosting dinner parties and running raffles. For more details or if you would like to contribute to their efforts by donating please visit their online giving page. |
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Walk to tackle homelessness a success!8th August 2011 Rutland Water was turned orange on Saturday 6th August as local people joined the Action Homeless Round Rutland Ramble to help tackle homelessness in Leicester and Leicestershire. People of all ages turned out to take part in the walk, tackling either the 3.5 or 7 mile routes. Walkers set off from Edith Weston at 10.30am and after the first 3.5 mile stretch enjoyed a well earned picnic stop in Barnsdale Wood where there was lots of yummy treats at the cake sale, a teddy bear’s picnic, an Action Homeless quiz and various other activities. Those attempting the longer route then set out for the return journey to Edith Weston. Marc Stringer, who completed the 7 mile route, said ‘I’ve really enjoyed today, it is great to know that you can have a fun day out and help a local charity at the same time. I’ve come along with a group of friends and I would encourage others to do the same for future Action Homeless events, we’ve had lots of fun.’ Everyone that took part wore something orange to show their support for Action Homeless. Jonathan Cryer, Senior Fundraiser at Action Homeless said ‘it is really fantastic to see these people here today supporting Action Homeless. I am very impressed with the effort some people have put into the orange theme and would like to thank everyone for coming along and raising money.’ A big thank you also goes to RAP (Residents Actively Participating) from Action Homeless who provided a marshalling team to guide walkers and helped to make the day a success. |
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Bangers and CashTuesday 26th July 2011 Action Homeless is pleased to announce a new and painless way to give. We have teamed up with the award winning social enterprise, Giveacar, who turn old bangers into cash for charities like Action Homeless. Launched in January 2010, Giveacar collects old and unwanted cars and takes them to the scrap yard or to auction absolutely free of charge to the owner. They then donate all of the proceeds after a reasonable fee to a charity of the car owner’s choice. It really is very easy to turn your old car into a valuable donation. Action Homeless has already benefitted from this innovative scheme; we received our second donation last week. Altogether we have been given £170, money that will go towards the expansion of our services and enable more people to move into their own homes and live independently. Giveacar take the hassle out of getting rid of your car, van or motorbike. The steps are very simple, firstly you just need to visit their website or call 02000111664 and give some basic details. Giveacar will then arrange for your car to be collected, usually within 1-3 days and your donation will be sent directly to your chosen charity. Action Homeless is asking anyone who does have a car that they need to get rid of to visit Giveacar now and select Action Homeless as their beneficiary – with no cost to yourself you can support a local charity, it’s a win- win! |
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Congratulations to Tim, Matt and LiamTuesday 19th July Despite the torrential rain and difficult conditions the Reverend Tim Blewett, Lieut. Matthew Cryer and Lieut. Liam Wilson, set out from Launde Abbey at 12 noon on Saturday 16th July to walk the Leicestershire Round to raise funds for Action Homeless and the outreach work of Launde Abbey. The adverse weather conditions added a new dimension to the challenge as the three walkers had to fight their way through boggy fields and muddy pathways. They also negotiated their way through a field of inquisitive bullocks. However this did not hinder their enthusiasm as they made good time, reaching Foxton before 3.30pm. Throughout the challenge the walkers were supported by a team from Action Homeless and Launde Abbey, a special thank you goes to Jacqueline Platt who provided medical support and treatment. The sun did make a welcome appearance in the afternoon, giving the walkers an opportunity to dry off and re-focus their energies. The weekend of the 16th and 17th was specially selected due to the full moon but as clouds descended, the moon’s light disappeared and as darkness fell, the walk became even more challenging. With head torches on, the walkers continued with Matt and Liam reaching Market Bosworth by 11pm, an amazing achievement. After many litres of water and numerous energy gels and bars, the walkers ran out of steam and came to a stop between 3am and 5am on Sunday morning. Despite not making it back to Launde Abbey, it really was a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. The walkers demonstrated high levels of physical fitness as well as extreme strength of mind to keep going for as long as they did. Liam and Matt maintained an average speed of 4.9 miles per hour, covering 64 miles in 15 hours. Tim went one village further, stopping at Thornton just after 5am. A big thank you goes out to all those people that helped out along the way and those who came out to greet the walkers and encourage them. Of course, we would especially like to thank Matt, Liam and Tim for their tremendous efforts! You can still make a donation and show your support for their fantastic achievement.
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You can now help Action Homeless whilst enjoying your summer holiday abroad!Monday 11th July 2011 Going abroad? Buy your holiday or business currency competitively, carry it safely and help Action Homeless. Buy your currency with a Travel MasterCard and help improve services for homeless people in Leicestershire. Action Homeless has teamed up with Global Currency Exchange Network, Newcastle Building Society and MasterCard to offer a new and safe way to buy and carry your foreign currency while you are abroad. Instead of buying currency, travellers’ cheques or adding to your credit card you can buy a First Premier Travel MasterCard and load it up with as much value as you choose. You can then use the same card to buy products or services up to the limit you have put on it, in just the same way as any other MasterCard service. By purchasing your card, using the link below, Action Homeless will receive a commission from the card provider at no extra cost to you. So when you spend on holiday you can be helping valuable charity work back home. The benefits of this pre-paid currency card are:
All you have to do to get started is apply for your First Premier MasterCard here, load it up and then you can start spending and helping homeless people in Leicestershire today! |
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100 miles, 24 hours, 1 Extreme Hike Round LeicestershireMonday 4th July 2011 At 12 noon on Saturday 16th July the Reverend Tim Blewett and Lieut. Matthew Cryer will set off from the stunning Launde Abbey deep in the Leicestershire countryside on a hiking adventure all in aid of Action Homeless and Launde Abbey’s outreach work. The pair want to raise £5,000 for these two local charities. They aim to walk the Leicestershire Round in 24 hours, returning to Launde at 12 noon on Sunday 17th July. Villages on the route are encouraged to get involved by welcoming Tim and Matthew and maybe even walking alongside them for part of the route. As darkness falls and tiredness sets in, a friendly face is sure to provide a much needed boost! The walkers will move clockwise around the Leicestershire Round and hope to reach Frolesworth by nightfall where they will have a brief break for some supper. They will then go on to tackle the northern half of the route, reaching Gaddesby by breakfast time on Sunday. Have a look at the official route map! This will be the second attempt for the Reverend Tim Blewett, a trustee of Action Homeless, who says, ‘It is a huge challenge to try and walk 100 miles in 24 hours but a challenge which is important to rise to. It is vital that we support and raise money both for the work of Action Homeless to extend its vital tenancy support work with homeless people moving on into their own accommodation and Launde Abbey, which is the Retreat House serving the Dioceses of Leicester and Peterborough. The developing partnership between Launde Abbey and Action Homeless is based upon the fact that both charities value everyone and want them to be able to flourish as people. Action Homeless transforms the lives of those who may end up rough sleeping on the streets of Leicester, while Launde Abbey helps those who come to this sanctuary of peace to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Last year I managed to walk 88 miles in the 24 hours but this year I want to complete the whole of the 100 miles if I can.’ You can make a donation through this website in support of Tim and Matthew’s efforts to help them reach their £5,000 target. Alternatively you can send a cheque ‘Launde Abbey’ (write Extreme Hike on the back) to Colin Towell, Launde Abbey, East Norton, Leicester, LE7 9XB. To get live updates on the progress of the walkers follow us on twitter or visit our facebook page! |
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Engage gets off to a fantastic launchWednesday 29th June 2011 Action Homeless and Leicester Drug and Alcohol Action Team are celebrating the opening of ‘Engage’ at 6 St. James Terrace in Leicester. Engage, a former drop-in centre, has been transformed thanks to an investment of £80,000 from the National Treatment Agency and will now offer homeless people in Leicester a chance to reduce the harm caused by substance abuse. The suite will provide a comfortable and homely environment for those who will use the new service. Alyson Taylor from Leicester Drug and Alcohol Action commented, ‘it is great to have Action Homeless on board; they are supportive, accommodating and are an organisation with vision. The whole project wouldn’t have been possible without their vision. I am so pleased, the building itself epitomises the ethos behind it’. Guests were invited to a grand opening on Tuesday where they could view the suite, which is now fully equipped with a training kitchen, computer work stations, a private consultation room and a large comfortable meeting space. Upstairs, visitors were able to see the therapy room and even sample some of the treatments that will be available to service users. Representatives from RAP (Residents Actively Participating) were on hand to answer questions about the activities they organise and distribute the latest edition of ‘Upwards and Onwards’, a magazine put together by users of Action Homeless services. The suite was opened officially at 12.30pm by Mark Grant, Chair of Action Homeless and Ann Habens from the Safer Leicester Partnership. Mark described the suite as ‘a great facility that he has seen develop over the past few months’ and issued a sincere ‘thank you to everyone who has been involved’. Ann Habens, who cut the orange ribbon and declared Engage open, said ‘it was great in the current climate, to be making an investment in one of the most vulnerable groups of our society.’ Action Homeless supports over 300 people each year with supported accommodation and moving on into their own homes and being able to stay there. Engage is a major new addition to being able to do this more effectively. |
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David Walliams supports Big Stinky Read2 June 2011 “Mr Stink stank. It wasn’t Mr Stink’s fault that he stank. He was a tramp after all. He didn’t have a home and so he never had the opportunity to have a proper wash like you and me. But no one was really friendly towards him. No one stopped for a chat. At least not till the day that a little girl finally plucked up the courage to speak to him...” (Mr Stink by David Walliams, 2009 HarperCollins) Action Homeless is inviting local schools to join in the Big Stinky Read of Mr Stink by David Walliams. The story of Mr Stink involves twelve year old Chloe Crumb in a hilarious adventure but it also says some positive things about how we can treat homeless and vulnerable people with dignity. Action Homeless wants to raise awareness about homelessness in Leicester and Leicestershire and raise funds to support homeless people as they re-establish their lives in new accommodation. The aim is to get as many children as possible to read Mr Stink and be sponsored to do so over two weekends this summer between 24 June and 4 July. “Our aim,” says Senior Fundraiser Jonathan Cryer “is to have at least 30 schools and 500 children taking part. Children will be recording that they have taken part and what they enjoyed about the story and learned about homelessness.” David Walliams is supporting this initiative and has said: “I am delighted that schools in Leicester and Leicestershire will be reading Mr Stink this summer to set a record of reading the same book and raising awareness about homelessness with local charity Action Homeless. I wish them every success.” Find out how to get involved in the Big Stinky Read |
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Action Homeless football team to see City in action5 May 2011 Members of the Action Homeless service users football team, who have been battling away in their local 5 a-side matches recently, will be cheering on the professionals this Saturday thanks to an initiative by Leicester City Football Club to offer reduced price seats at the Walkers Stadium for the final home match of the season to local charities. 15 service users and support staff will be attending the match on Saturday and Action Homeless will be profiled by the Club on its PA and video systems. Ash Nathwani who organises the football activities says, "This will be a great day out for our football players and I'm hoping that they can get inspired to up their game in the future."
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Action Homeless Winter Appeal receives boost from Leicestershire Freemasons
14 February 2011 Rob Parkinson, Chief Executive of Action Homeless, received a generous donation of £1,000 from David Haggar, Provincial Grand Master of Freemasons in Leicestershire and Rutland, on 8 January towards our Winter Appeal to bring an end to unintentional rough sleeping in Leicester by securing funding to provide emergency beds and support at Mayfield House. Rob was accompanied by Karnn Bates, chair of Residents Actively Participating, and fundraiser, Jonathan Cryer. Action Homeless is very grateful to all the members of the local lodges whose generosity has made this gift possible and enabled the appeal’s aims to be met.
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