Rev Lucy Holt (Rector of St James’ Poole, Rural Dean & Routes to Roots’ Trustee) successfully completed the last 5km of this momentous endeavour on 22 December 2018. Her aim was to raise awareness and money for the R2R Christmas appeal. She ran a total of 55km in Poole over Advent (11 x 5km) to mark the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
For the third year running Poole Bay Rotary will be running a GRAND RAFFLE in support of Routes to Roots. There are over 15 prizes, each worth at least £20. Tickets (£2) each will be available for sale to the public on Sunday 2 December in Falkland Square, Poole at the end of the Santa Parade and during the rest of the day till about 4pm. Tickets are also available from the Routes to Routes office.
In October Nationwide Building Society launched a practical partnership with St Mungo’s aimed at providing a consistent and compassionate response to people rough sleeping on the high street – and is urging other businesses to follow suit. The Society is the leading sponsor and member of HomelessWise, a community of high street member organisations managed by St Mungo’s.
The HomelessWise initiative will provide online and offline expertise and resources to help staff in Nationwide branches to respond in practical and meaningful ways to those who are rough sleeping. This includes appropriate referrals to StreetLink – an app and weblink designed to alert local authorities to people sleeping rough in England and Wales – as well as awareness-raising for other homelessness services and local support groups. In addition, St Mungo’s has developed specialist training for Nationwide staff members, to give them the confidence to provide the right response to those sleeping rough and needing help.
Businesses interested in HomelessWise, can find out more at:
http://www.mungos.org/homelesswise
Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water*
Our patron, The Right Reverend Karen Gorham, successfully completed this 24k walk across 16 iconic London bridges in September, raising £1260 for Routes to Roots. “As Bishop of Sherborne in Dorset with an area of oversight which covers Poole I am proud to be Patron of Routes to Roots – a fantastic homeless charity making a real difference to the lives of those who find themselves homeless.
“Over the course of the day we walked into London ending at Southwark Bridge. Each bridge crossing reminded us of the bridges which need to be crossed to bring dignity and hope to the homeless.”
* Simon & Garfunkel
…When you’re down and out
When you’re on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you (ooo)
I’ll take your part, oh, when darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down…
Welcome to Helen Porter who joined R2R as its part-time Drop-in Manager and Volunteer Co-ordinator in the middle of August. Helen’s role is to manage and oversee the volunteers who run the charity’s afternoon and evening drop-ins, including responsibility for rotas, training, client records, food management, stock control and issue of clothing and other necessities.
Our new shower has been installed and is now in use by clients during drop-in hours. Previously their only access to a shower had been once a week at the Salvation Army, so this new facility is a real godsend. One client commented that he felt like a ‘new man’ and he promptly took advantage of an opportunity to have his hair cut as well. Many thanks to Skinner Street URC for allowing us to install the shower in their hall and to The Screwfix Foundation and Valentine Charitable Trust who provided all the money. Tom Belmont, Manager of Screwfix at Creekmoor, presented Pat and Susan with a cheque for £1000 and took a look at how we have spent Screwfix’s money.
Pics by Samantha Cook Photography, 4th June 2018. The Screwfix Foundation donation to Routes to Roots (Poole), Skinner Street URC, Poole, Dorset BH15 1RQ, towards a new shower in the church hall, for use by rough sleepers during drop-in hours. Pic: Screwfix Poole-Creekmoor Store Manager, Tom Belmont, presents cheque to the R2R Team: (right) Chair and Founder Trustee, Revd Pat Southgate, (left) Susan Gittins, Volunteer and R2R Publicity and Fundraising.
Donations & Fundraising
• Albion Language Tours: £100
• Asda carol singing: £244.82
• Baden-Powell Junior School: £274.21
• Bankes Charity Cup: £1000
• Broadstone Methodist Church: £990.13
• Broadstone Townswomen: £30
• CAF: £150
• Canford Magna Church: £110
• Catholic Women’s League: £83
• Christchurch Creekmoor: £100
• Colehill First School Harvest: £201.59
• Foundry Arms: £115
• Hayeswood First School: £214.36
• Holtwood Church Council: £50
• Holy Angels’ Church: 89.50
• Homeless Sunday Service: £182.30
• Longfleet Primary School: £803.25
• Luminos: £685.04
• LV: £1,100
• Poole Bay Rotary Club: £2188.47
• Poole Grammar School: £222.75
• Poole Printmakers: £308.50
• Quakers: £300
• Romsey Rotary: £135.22
• St James Old Town: £5,000+ from a sleep-out
• St John’s Ashley Road choir: £104
• St John’s Broadstone: £780
• St John’s Heatherlands: £260.80
• St Mary’s & St Anthony’s of Padua: £300
• St Mary’s Longfleet: £2762.81
• St Michael’s & St Gabriel’s: £45
• St Michael’s CofE Middle School: £261.50
• St Joseph’s Nursery: £200
• TSB Bank: £300
• Verwood URC: £235.68
• Waitrose carol singing: £71.16
• WH Smith Trust: £100
Individuals
• £2731.14
• Laura’s Tombola stalls: £1884.48
• The Burdons’ Dorset Doddle walk: £365
• Adrienne’s carol singing: £100
Food
• Dorset Pizza Kitchen: pizzas at a November Drop-in
• Kingsbere Kitchen: brought their burger van to a Christmas Drop-in for the third time
• Koh Thai: Thai end-of-year meal at a Drop-in
• Lakeside Fish & Chips: half-price chips at a Drop-in
• Merlin Entertainment staff: sponsored all the food for Christmas Day Lunch, sent in gifts and decorated the hall
Donations in kind
• Big Yellow, Poole: storage space valued at £2000
• Ceuta Healthcare: printing
• URC Skinner Street: subsidised premise hire
In response to the decision made by Poole Council on 13 March that its PSPO will be implemented on 16 April for a period of three years, Rev Pat Southgate Chair of Routes to Roots, spoke to the BBC: “In light of the decision made by Poole council last night with regard to the PSPO I would like to say that Routes to Roots are no longer surprised by any decision the council make regarding the homeless in Poole.
“Once again we are appalled by the way in which this measure shows complete lack of care or compassion for the growing number of people, many with a local connection to Poole, who are having to sleep on our streets or in our car parks. Many of these people are having to beg in order to survive.
“This measure does nothing to help these most vulnerable people find a solution to help meet their needs: it merely puts them at risk of being criminalised for being poor.”
R2R currently are the only help to people who would otherwise be dying of exposure on the streets of Poole this week. On 2 March the Salvation Army was unable to get into Poole to provide their weekly Friday breakfast for rough sleepers. R2R opened up and served poached egg on toast this morning! We were open again from 2.00-4.00pm and hope to have our regular drop in at 7.30pm.
Because of the severe weather the homeless, who accepted the offer, slept in the Skinner Street URC hall last night and will do so again this evening. Big thank you to the URC for enabling this to happen!
Poole’s SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Provision) was again triggered on the night of Thursday 22 February as temperatures plummeted. Workers from St Mungo’s, who are responsible for outreach to rough sleepers, informed all those they found to be at the Salvation Army car park, New Orchard Street, Poole by 8.30pm. After that time, they would have to make their own way to the Gateway Church, 133 Alder Road, where just 10 bed spaces are available. Support staff are on site throughout the night and a hot meal is provided.
Only if the temperature drops to zero degrees or below for three consecutive nights or more does the council have a responsibility to offer emergency housing to people who are rough sleeping.
Verified rough sleepers are able to access the shelter from 8.30pm. Doors close at 10.00pm – there is no access after this time.
If you are going to be, or are aware of anyone who is going to be, street homeless then contact the Bournemouth and Poole Rough Sleepers’ Team on 01202 315962 or 0300 5000 914 (both 24 hours).
At Poole’s annual Homeless Sunday Service on Sunday, 4 February, the Right Reverend Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne and Patron of Routes to Roots, expressed outrage at the introduction of the full PSPO, in particular the provision which prevents any homeless person from finding somewhere to sleep before midnight. Bishop Karen talked of how devastating, dangerous and isolating it is to be homeless: one in three homeless people will be a victim of violence and they have an average lifespan of just 47. The Revd Pat Southgate, chair of R2R, told the large congregation that Poole Council should be ashamed that it allows people who are ill and need care to be out at night and unable to bed down, even in a cold, damp and smelly car park, until after midnight.
On 1 February, despite opposition from all those involved in helping the homeless, Poole’s Public Spaces Protection Order came into effect. Poole Council refused to publish the results of the consultation before enacting the order and the policy has been implemented without being discussed at committee but following a decision by a delegated officer.