Welcome to our new blog!  We’ll be posting on here regularly with news about what’s happening at Cambridge Cyrenians.

We are delighted that law firm Mills & Reeve, Cambridge branch, has made us their Charity of the Year 2019.  Over Christmas, they raised over £1,350 for us as part of their annual Festival Week. We’re looking forward to seeing what they get up to during the year as they raise further funds and we’re extremely grateful for their ongoing support.

Our thanks go to Irwin Mitchell solicitors, who made a Christmas donation of £300, specifically for our allotment project which provides horticulture training, supported work experience and a safe, calm social space for some of the most disadvantaged people in the city.  Participants can get involved in a multitude of tasks year round, using organic methods to grow vegetables, herbs, soft fruit, tree fruit and wildflowers.  Read more about our allotment project on our website: https://cambridgecyrenians.org.uk/our-allotments/

We’re hugely grateful to Theresa, the mother of one of our project workers, who laced up her trainers on New Year’s Eve and ran the Flitch Way Marathon to raise funds for Cyrenians.  And what’s more, she achieved a personal best time of 4 hours 37 minutes too!

Welcome to Sarah Newton, our new Project Worker, who joins us from another East Anglian housing provider. Sarah is working with our residents in two of our move-on houses, one of which is for women only.

Our thanks to Emily, a friend of Cyrenians, who got a group of her colleagues and friends together to spread some Christmas cheer by creating a reverse Advent Calendar, resulting in a fabulous donation of food, sweets, wallets and Christmas treats, all of which went down very well with our residents.

Residents and staff here at Cyrenians are limbering up as the Football Group starts training every Wednesday morning on the indoor pitch at Kelsey Kerridge Sports Centre, funded by a generous donation of £1,000 from Mick George Ltd, a leading supplier to the construction industry in East Anglia and the East Midlands.  The fifteen weeks of training lead up to the Tommy McLafferty Cup, a football tournament that is hotly contested by teams from Cambridge homeless charities, the police and the Council.We were just pipped to the post in 2018 when we came second so this year, we are going all out to win that Cup!

One of our longstanding female residents recently moved on to her ideal accommodation. She had some kind words about us that we would like to share with you here:

“When I became homeless, I was preparing for life on the streets until I found a place with Cyrenians. Since living here, Louisa and Katherine of Cyrenians in particular have helped me to no end. Whilst I had been going through a particularly difficult time, I always felt I had someone to talk to whether it was on a visit, via the phone or by email. I enjoy living with Cyrenians, my house is peaceful and I’ve made some good friendships. I’m recovering now and helping to deliver my testimony around the country. I’m also working with my church to develop community activities for children, by doing this I hope that the children do not have to experience the things I have”