Jenny and Pat featured on BBC TV’s South Today programme on 4 April and this feature has become the third most watched video online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-43671269/the-dorset-chiropodist-healing-homeless-people-s-feet/
On the last Friday evening of 2017 Jenny Donovan, our long-term volunteer chiropodist, arrived at the drop-in and sat herself in a quiet corner to wash and tend to feet and fit new shoes. Jenny, a self-employed Chiropodist, has since 2009 been treating R2R clients at our evening drop-ins on the last Friday in every month. Sore feet are inevitable in our clients’ way of life and treatment a luxury that none could ever contemplate before Jenny joined our team of volunteers. Most have very damp or wet feet because their shoes are on all the time, and often they walk all day. In 2017 Jenny started to buy shoes herself to ensure that those sleeping rough had something waterproof and suitable for a hard day, and night, on the streets. Thanks to a grant from the Haddon Trust, R2R is now able to support Jenny financially with her purchases.
A lovely thing happened at the drop-in on the last Friday of 2017. 28 guys and girls came in from the freezing cold and were able to enjoy hot chicken curry and jasmine rice courtesy of Koh Thai. The ladies from Koh Thai laid the tables and served the food, offering our clients a complete dining experience which they felt was easily equal to that enjoyed by the clientele in this boutique tapas restaurant in Lilliput High Street Poole. Crackers were pulled and jokes were shared: it was a really happy party atmosphere.
https://www.koh-thai.co.uk/restaurant/lilliput/
Routes to Roots’ carol singers will be entertaining customers at Waitrose in Parkstone on Saturday 16 December from 12 noon and at Asda in Poole from 11am. Please spare a moment at this busy shopping time to support us.
Gemma and Kev from Poole Bay Rotary Club are again organising a music event over Christmas to raise money for Routes to Roots. This year the event will be part of the Poole BID Christmas Extravaganza Festival, which is taking place in Poole over a whole weekend from 30th November to 3rd December.
Collections will be gathered for Roots to Routes on Saturday 2nd December, from midday until 5pm, at music stages on the Quay and in Falkland Square.
There will also be a Christmas club raffle, with all proceeds going to Roots to Routes. We are extremely grateful for their continued support and hope you will all support them and us.
“Why not join us on Saturday 9th December 10 pm at St James Church in Poole Old Town. Spend a night sleeping outside in solidarity with our friends who are homeless: raising awareness and also vital funds for Routes to Roots’ Winter appeal. Last year we raised £1,055 and we are looking for new fundraisers to take on the challenge on this cold December night, and hopefully will beat that amount!
“It will provide a small insight into what it might be like to be without a safe place to call home, and having to rely on the support of others.
“You will need to bring a warm sleeping bag and lots of layers. We suggest bringing a ground sheet or some cardboard to sleep on, and some waterproof sheeting or a survival bag.
“It would be great to have lots of churches represented. Hopefully see you there!”
If you have any questions about the sleep out or would like to join in, please contact Rev. Chris Harwood on 0781 3782 801.
For more information, or to donate go to:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/R2Rwinterappeal
You can also leave donations of clothing and other items at Big Yellow Self Storage, Poole when it is open: from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, 9am to 6pm on Saturdays and 10am to 4pm
on Sundays. The Reception will notify R2R that a donation has come in so we can sort it. Please label your donation with your name/organisation so we know whom to thank.
…The Churches in Poole have for many years worked together in supporting the work of the charity Routes to Roots and also the Soup kitchen for the homeless. As such they represent a key part of the provision locally for the homeless which takes place within the central town area either at Skinner Street URC or under the arches by the station. To have a policy of moving homeless on out of this local area will curtail their access to this valuable resource for them. The soup kitchens do not start until 8pm which gives little time for the users of this resource to move to an area out of the PSPO area. The provision of the proposed PSPO appears to put our most vulnerable members of our society at more risk and seems to show a lack of compassion in our community…
Download the full letter: Letter re PSPO
Nationwide Building Society has nominated Routes to Roots to be one of three local causes to receive a proportion of a £2,000 charity grant. The amount each cause receives is based on the percentage of votes given to that cause by members. Voting will take place in September.
Following a visit to a Monday drop-in by Roger Gregory of The Valentine Charitable Trust, we were delighted to hear that R2R has been awarded a grant of £10,000. The Trust has previously supported us and we are grateful that they continue to take an interest in our work.
Laura Wyatt continues to run fundraising events for R2R, supported by Flying Tiger Copenhagen in West Quay, Southampton. Her two latest school Tombola events raised the amazing sum of £531.02. Laura collected from the schools for the shoe boxes full of gifts given to our guys and gals last Christmas and she has organised a number of school events throughout this year.
