Loose Ends, Newbury’s longest running drop-in centre for homeless and vulnerable people, has announced that they are moving. After over 30 years serving food to the homeless and vulnerable from the Baptist Church’s Morton Hall in Cheap Street, they are partnering with Newbury Cricket Club in the redevelopment of their pavilion in Northcroft Park. Loose Ends Newbury delivering their services from there when work on the pavilion is complete.
Loose Ends are launching a fund-raising campaign to meet the cost of the kitchen and other fit out costs. If you would like to support them in our new venture, they are receiving donations through their Local Giving page, through their Amazon Wishlist on the Donate page on our website www.looseendsnewbury.org or through their Facebook page.
From their new site they will continue to serve meals five days a week – providing on average 140 hot meals a week with the support of around 60 volunteers who give over 6,000 hours a year of their time.
In addition to hot meals, Loose Ends offer mini food parcels, toiletries and clean clothes to all those in need as well as start-up boxes for newly housed clients. Their safe, friendly provision, where people can socialise and find out about support that is more widely available, is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), but they are still run on a fully voluntary basis.
Loose Ends’ clients are often homeless or ‘sofa surfing’, may have addictions, suffer from a mental illness or be on low incomes. Loose Ends Newbury provides vital support to them.
Linda Fergusson, Chair of Loose Ends Newbury, said “We must thank the Baptist Church for the support we have had over the years and the Cricket Club for their generous offer to host us in the future”.
John O’Sullivan, Chair of Newbury Cricket Club said “Newbury Cricket Club are delighted to be partnering with Loose Ends Newbury and, as a community cricket club, we want to share our facilities with them so that they can continue to operate their important activities. We would like to think that they will be a long-term partner of ours and that we can share the benefits of our redeveloped clubhouse together.”
Loose Ends’ website is: www.looseendsnewbury.org
If you would like to volunteer with them, please contact: recruitment@looseendsnewbury.org
