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Routes to Roots’ volunteer, Tony Ridgway is tackling one of Europe’s most grueling challenges to raise money for our clients. Designed by British Special Forces to challenge the toughest of the tough, Tough Mudder is a series of hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle race – mud run events. And, Tony will be entering possibly the muddiest of the lot – the London South event in October.
Notorious for resembling a medieval battlefield, London South’s Tough Mudder is sprawled over hundreds of acres of barren farmland and jagged, meandering trails, making it fast and slippery.
Tony comments: “With around 20 obstacles over 20km, fire, water, climbing and crawling, and at 51, this is going to be tough! Since competing in the London Marathon at 19, I have to admit my overall fitness has been pretty hit and miss, with the usual New Year resolutions fading away by March. My reason for doing Tough Mudder is purely down to my son Matt, who challenged me to do it, and in fact bought my entry as a birthday present.”
“I’m looking forward to doing it. This is the most active I have been for a number of years and it’s paying off: I’m getting a real benefit from it, and I want to share that around.”
Tony will be sharing it around with the homeless and vulnerably housed clients of Routes to Roots by donating all sponsorship to our minibus appeal
“About three years ago when I decided I wanted to do some charity work, a chance conversation with a colleague resulted in my giving Routes to Roots a try,” explains Tony. “This evolved into actual cooking for the clients at the Skinner Street Drop-In. I enjoy it and never know from one month to the next what I’m going to cook: I turn up, see what ingredients we have in, and one hour later we produce a hot meal for between 20 and 30 people. It amazes me how every time we manage to have enough for whoever turns up – although there have been some very late arrivals where we have had to improvise. I can tell you that when you’ve not eaten for a while, a bit of fried spam and beans on toast taste pretty good!”
Tough Mudder – London South
Matterley Bowl, Temple Valley, Winchester
25-26 October
Please support Tony and Routes to Roots by donating through his myDonate fundraising page:
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/tonyridgway51
You can follow his progress on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tony.ridgway2
Routes to Roots is delighted to announce that the Bishop of Sherborne, Dr Graham Kings has agreed to become its Patron.
Dr Kings has long been familiar with the charity’s work and was a guest at a service in March 2012 at St Peter’s Church to celebrate and give thanks to God for 10 years of being Routes to Roots. One of the most moving parts of that service was when he presented a Bible to one of our homeless friends.
Dr Graham Kings served as a curate at St Mark’s Harlesden, London; vice-principal of St Andrew’s College, Kabare, Kenya (CMS mission partner); Lecturer in Mission Studies in the Cambridge Theological Federation, founding Director of the Henry Martyn Centre for the study of mission and world Christianity, Cambridge and affiliated lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity; vicar of St Mary’s Islington and now Bishop of Sherborne (in the Diocese of Salisbury). He is also a co-founder and theological secretary of Fulcrum.
He has published three books: Offerings from Kenya to Anglicanism (2001) – with Geoff Morgan; Christianity Connected (2002) – PhD thesis from the University of Utrecht; Signs and Seasons (2008); and writes for The Times, The Guardian and Fulcrum.
Alison, a psychotherapist, and he have three daughters in their 20s.
The June Community Matters appeal at Waitrose in Parkstone raised £297 for R2R. Thanks to all who gave us their tokens and to Waitrose for your continued support.
In August 2014, two people walked on behalf of R2R in a sponsored 14km walk arranged by the Rotary Club of Poole Bay. Starting and finishing at The Fish Shambles on Poole Quay, the walk took in some of Poole’s most attractive scenery: the harbour side, Evening Hill and its beautiful viewpoint and the beaches before returning via Branksome Chine and pine covered areas back to Whitecliff Park and to Poole Quay. Following this event, the Rotary Club added another £650 to a donation of £1100 given to us earlier this year.
In June one of our clients wanted to say thank you to R2R and all of our volunteers for their help and kindness and presented us with this beautiful flower.
Routes to Roots’ clients, staff and volunteers participated in Poole’s Walk of Witness on Good Friday. This culminated at Skinner St URC with a short service outside the church, after which all gathered in the hall for tea and hot cross buns.
Afterwards the R2R group joined together in the parlour to hold a short, very moving service remembering our friends who have passed away.
The Walk of Witness regularly takes place in Poole – as in other towns across the UK – and it is encouraged for Christians of different traditions and different denominations to cast their differences aside for a day to take the message of Christianity to the High Street in a special way. Over 200 participated this year with church leaders joined by The Mayor and Mayoress of Poole, Cllr and Mrs Philip Eades.
Routes to Roots, in association with The Fisherman Café and for a short period The Kings Arms, has again been able to provide a much needed hot breakfast to rough sleepers over the winter months. This year the service ran from the end of November 2013 to the beginning of April 2014, a shorter period of 18 weeks in comparison to 21 weeks last year when the weather in April was severe.
In that shorter period, the number of individuals assisted has risen to 40, the average number of rough sleepers per week accessing the service has increased by 33% and the number of breakfasts claimed has risen by 38%, 826 breakfasts over 18 weeks compared with 604 breakfasts over 21 weeks – indicating an increasing need amongst our clients.
Pictured here is one of our rough sleepers. Routes to Roots is grateful to The Fisherman Café, The Kings Arms and to all those funders who have made it possible to make this service available to rough sleepers. This proves a real lifeline to our clients.
When asked why it was important to have a cooked breakfast, another R2R client, Paul Ford said “five nights out of seven there is only cold food available – it gives you one hot meal a day at least – some nights can be rough and it’s good to get camaraderie back – it does lift you after a crap night”. Paul was recently housed in emergency accommodation and whilst he was delighted with this, one thing he did miss was having the hot breakfast and the opportunity to catch up with mates.
R2R in partnership with Bournemouth Churches Housing Organisation delivered outreach services (POST) to rough sleepers in Poole from 2009 until April 2014 when Poole and Bournemouth Borough Councils jointly contracted with another organisation, CRI, to deliver this service across the whole conurbation.
Dear Sarah, Mark & Gabi
Just wanted to thank you and all those that have worked for POST over the past few years. The commitment, time and energy you have given to rough sleeper group in Poole is very much recognised and appreciated. There are too many individuals to name that have benefited from the support and assistance the service has helped to change and turn individual lives around. I’m sure they will also extend thanks.
The service has helped to significantly engage and influence a range of stakeholders, provide person-centred support in a multi-agency setting, to a complex group which is difficult to achieve, let alone sustain. Although there is much work still to do, the council recognises the progress made by the service in recent years (& is appreciative of your cooperation with CRI in the handover).
Thank you again and I’m sure there will be opportunities to work together in the future.
Regards
Ben Tomlin
Housing Services Manager
Housing and Community Services, Borough of Poole
Routes to Roots is delighted to announce that its application for Charitable Incorporated Organisation status was accepted by the Charity Commissioners on 26 February 2014. Routes to Roots (Poole) CIO has been entered onto the Register of Charities with the Registered Charity Number 1155945.
Routes to Roots (R2R) has operated in Poole for 14 years and registered as a charity in 2002. Throughout this time, the charity has evolved, formalised its governance and initiated various activities to meet its aims. As a CIO, Routes to Roots will be able to own property, employ staff and enter into other contracts in its own name rather than in the names of the Trustees. CIO status will give greater stability as the charity looks to the future.
R2R in partnership with Bournemouth Churches Housing Organisation has been delivering outreach services (POST) to rough sleepers in Poole since 2009. Poole and Bournemouth Borough Councils have now jointly contracted with another organisation, CRI, to deliver this service across the whole conurbation. R2R has, therefore, taken the opportunity to review its core activities, resulting in a greater emphasis on the new projects and programmes that R2R has been introducing in recent years.
The charity feels that this is a great opportunity for it to concentrate on actions that will promote the reintegration of rough sleepers, vulnerably housed people and the newly homed into society. Specifically, R2R will continue with its twice weekly Evening and Afternoon Drop-Ins at Skinner Street URC, its thriving Holton Lee Outdoor Project and Winter Hot Breakfast provision for rough sleepers. In addition the charity will recruit a Projects Co-Ordinator to plan and implement further projects and activities aimed at helping its clients move back into ‘normal’ society by providing support, guidance and skills training.
The Revd Pat Southgate, Chair of Routes to Roots (Poole) CIO and Chaplain to the Homeless in Poole, comments: “This is an exciting time for us as an organisation and we hope our revised focus will result in continually improving outcomes for our clients. We know from the sad news of five recent deaths among our client community that years of rough sleeping take their toll on the health and self worth of people. We have wanted for some time to devote more of our efforts to ending the recycling of homelessness by supporting people even after they are accommodated with both practical help, such as helping them learn how to cook and manage their money, and with motivational opportunities that teach teamwork, and develop self-confidence and employable skills.
“Getting people off the streets is only the start of what will always be a long and difficult journey. Without ongoing help it is unlikely that many will be able to rebuild their lives and keep their accommodation. Our future work will be an important support mechanism along the way.”