Great news!
Spring is here and this March, we have some great news to share. We found out last week that we’d been chosen to receive £50,000 from the Postcode Community Trust thanks to money raised by the players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
This money comes at a crucial time when we see ever-increasing demand for our vital services. It will help us provide stability and care to some of the most vulnerable members of our society, ensuring people experiencing homelessness have the support and resources they need to help rebuild their lives. Thank you to the Postcode Community Trust!
Save The Date: Art Auction
Save the date: We will be launching a charity art auction alongside Streets Ahead Collective in April. The online auction will start on 24th April and will run for two weeks until a special live event on 8th May.
Would you like to take on a fundraising challenge?
We’re looking for fundraisers to take part in the Kent Charity Trek on 17th May, organised by Kent Search and Rescue. You can sign up via the website and then select Catching Lives as your cause. It costs £55 to enter and you can raise as much as you like! Please get in touch with georgia@catchinglives.org if you are interested or have any further questions.
Canterbury Community Shelter ends
It was the final night of the Canterbury Community Shelter on Sunday 16th March. Thank you to everyone involved for their incredibly hard work in making it happen. Over the course of three months, we have welcomed 135 volunteers who have supported the operations of the night shelter. CCS volunteers are essential to both what we can provide and how: from logistics with bedding and offering a hot meal in the evenings, to providing a warm and welcoming environment at the venue each night. Thank you everyone who has shown support to Catching Lives and our guests.
One guest said: “I don’t think I would be here still if it wasn’t for the support and help I received at Catching Lives. When I came here, I was lost and broken, but staff and the people have helped me to start my life again.”
We did have some good news regarding accommodation for some of our guests, but sadly some of our clients faced sleeping rough.
Isobel Lamb, Canterbury Community Shelter Coordinator said: "A real sense of community has emerged from the night shelter, with clients going out of their way to advocate for one another and to find creative solutions to their respective situations as the winter provision drew to a close."
If you are able to support our work, we’re still trying to reach our target of £50,000 for our Winter Appeal by the end of March. We’re nearly there!
We're recruiting!
Meanwhile, we are recruiting for two part-time roles in our Day Centre. We’re looking for a Weekend Project Worker to help to run the day centre every Saturday and Sunday, 8.30am-4.30pm. This role has a salary of £25,522 pa pro rata (deadline midday Saturday). We’re also hiring a Centre Cleaner/Assistant for 10 hours a week, 2-4pm Monday to Friday at a salary of £12.60 per hour. Both roles are fixed term until September 2025. Visit this page for more information.
2024 stats are in
Catching Lives saw a 21% increase in footfall in 2024 compared to the previous year. Our Day Centre footfall was 13,346 in 2024, compared to 11,040 in 2023. This figure had already increased by 22% between 2022 and 2023. However, the number of unique clients - 517 people - was only 3% more than 2023, meaning that those who use our services are doing so for longer. Read more here.
On 27 February, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) published the annual rough sleeping snapshot, which showed 4,667 people were estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in autumn 2024 in England. Figures for Canterbury show an estimate of 31 people sleeping rough on a single night between 1 October and 30 November, compared to 33 people in 2023. Read more here.
Meet the volunteers
Our Meet the volunteers feature celebrates the amazing people at the heart of Catching Lives. Lucy has been volunteering with us since May 2024.
How did you hear about the volunteering opportunity?
I knew about Catching Lives and was interested to volunteer but did nothing. Then I met two volunteers on a stand at Tesco. Speaking with them encouraged me to contact Catching Lives and start volunteering.
Why choose Catching Lives?
I became a volunteer because I could see the rise in homelessness on the streets of Canterbury and elsewhere. I wanted to contribute with helping other people who find themselves in this terrible situation. It really can happen to anyone.
What are some joys you have experienced since starting with Catching Lives?
Meeting other volunteers and learning how to make homemade coleslaw. Seeing clients eating well and chatting with them.
What would you say to someone thinking about volunteering with Catching Lives?
If I knew someone who was thinking about volunteering I would say "Just do it". I thought about it for a long time and just needed a nudge.
Outside of Catching Lives, how do you like to spend your time?
l like meeting up with friends for walks and coffee, a bit of gardening and visiting other parts of the UK and Europe.
What is your previous line of work/study?
I retired from nursing last year after 45 years in the NHS.
What are your passions and interests?
I'm not a 'twitcher' but I do love birds and watching them whilst on a walk or gardening. I also love all music ( except Country & Western!)
Thank you
Thank you to the team at the Druids Head in Herne Bay for raising an incredible £1,100 for Catching Lives. A pool tournament is played at pubs in Herne Bay to raise money for charity every year in memory of Lee Harlow on his birthday 2nd March. The Lee Harlow Cup is a singles knockout Tournament and the winner gets £100. It costs £10 per player to enter and all proceeds were donated to Catching Lives. Lee's mum Annie and brother Terry came into the Catching Lives Day Centre to donate the money.
A huge thank you to Karen Baxter who has left Catching Lives after 12 years as a Mental Health Specialist. Her support has made a big difference to the lives of so many people, and we wish her every success for the future.
Thank you to students from CLW Kortijk who came over from Belgium to volunteer and cooked a dinner, two lunches and also hosted a bingo afternoon for clients. Also, a big thank you to Andy & Alex from The Pig Hotel in Bridge for putting up the pergola in our garden.
Thanks to St Edmund's Junior School and Simon Langton Girls School and everyone else who has supported our Winter Appeal.
For more regular updates, please do keep an eye on our website, Facebook and Instagram until we write to you again in April.
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