A creative partnership at Gateway Women’s Centre
At Gateway Women’s Centre, we love to offer a range of group activities for the women we support. Recently, we’ve been privileged to work with Creative Future (www.creativefuture.org.uk) – an amazing local charity who exist to support creative people, underrepresented artists and communities facing barriers & inequality to opportunity. They use the arts to improve the lives of the people we support.
Creative Future recently funded and ran two Photography Courses at Gateway. The women said they loved the opportunity to learn new technical skills, try out new and inventive approaches to photography, as well as the chance to connect with other women in a supportive environment.
Creative Future’s Director Jane McMorrow says: “We love working with the women at Gateway Women’s Centre. We are constantly impressed by how well the groups have responded to the workshop programmes & the incredible work they have produced. We find that connecting to creativity in this way can help increase self-awareness & self-reflection, allow time to think things through & to connect with others, and also build confidence & motivation.”
Some of the women who attended the workshops told us: “The photography course has completely transformed taking a walk! I’m now taking my time more, observing what I see, looking out for interesting shots.”… “It’s been good for my anxiety and mental health – it took my mind off things”... “it was wonderful to meet such a lovely group of women – it was a lot of fun and lifted my spirits.”
If you’d like to know more about the work we do at Gateway, please get in touch with us at: gateway@offthefence.org.uk.
Calling all designers with a heart for the homeless
Designer, artworker or painter/illustrator passionate about social justice?
You will have a hand in developing leading edge designs for a new social enterprise CIC clothing brand that will break new ground in providing meaningful jobs for our clients.
You will be part of an exciting new initiative unique to Brighton & Hove that will have an impact on the social fabric of the City..
We are looking for 10 Brighton & Hove-based designers who would be willing to contribute one design each with a Brighton & Hove/social justice to act as the lead ambassadors for Team Hope.
The Team Hope Fashion brand is a Social Enterprise/CIC will be a not-for-profit company set up independently of OTF but with all profits going to the charity.
Raquel Seliva (Bruno Saltor’s wife) has a history of designing and launching sports related fashion brands (including Valencia’s team strip and the Captain of your Life armband Premiership campaign).
We have 7 contributor volunteers including a video team (24Tides), designer (Tom Barnard), e-commerce and social enterprise specialist (Graham Mason), Ricoh clothing print technology and Penina Shepherd from Acumen Law (legal advice).
Team Hope is a range of clothing created specifically to help the homeless and the marginalised. Its profits will profit the poor. Its margins will help fill the gaps in our City.
Born out of the kinder community of Brighton & Hove, Team Hope will level the playing field, wear its heart on its sleeve and provide extra time for those for whom society has no time.
There will only ever be 1000 numbered clothing items in any one release. All profits will be used by the charity Off The Fence to help the people most in need in our community. It will form the basis for a social enterprise that we hope will provide employment for our clients in the future.
Here is Team Hope’s Vision:
‘Team Hope is more than a brand, it’s a brand new beginning. It’s more than apparel, it’s a parallel route to change. It’s more than a fashion statement; it’s a statement of intent. Our range of clothing doesn’t shout, it persuades. Its exclusivity leads to inclusivity. Its fashion lines draw circles around the socially excluded and says they will always be in style.
The ultimate aim is to provide meaningful jobs in fulfilment and delivery for clients within a corporate structure that could be part-employee owned’.
Interested?
Contact Roy Stannard on 07803 269154 or roy.stannard@offthefence.org.uk
“School’s out for the summer!” (Alice Cooper)
With schools closed for the summer this is the perfect time for our Schools and Youth Team to take a well-earned break. But as well as taking some time to catch their breath, summer break is also a great opportunity for the Team to plan for the coming year.
Their summer to do list includes a varied assortment of activities...
Lesson package review and re-write
Planning and publicity for September
Office space deep clean
Store room tidy and inventoried
Building maintenance
Training
Team building days
Meetings and diary planning
Recruitment (volunteers/new team member/intern)
….to name just a few things!
They will also be saying goodbye to Daniel as he moves on to a new job role at a church in Brighton. Please join with us all to pray for Daniel and the rest of the team (Lizzi, Rich, Jen & Suzanne) as they aim to finish the school year well and prepare for the year ahead.
Gateway Women’s Centre – Volunteers’ Week 2022
At Gateway Women’s Centre, we celebrated Volunteers’ Week at the beginning of June. This is a great week to both celebrate and thank our dedicated team of volunteers, who support us tirelessly behind the scenes and with our group activities.
So, why are our volunteers so important? Well, our team of 9 volunteers bring a wealth of different experiences and backgrounds, which contribute greatly towards the welcoming and therapeutic atmosphere at Gateway sessions. Volunteers also increase our capacity to support more women, by freeing up the staff team, who can focus on offering one-to-one emotional, practical and spiritual support.
Providing hospitality and befriending-style conversations at our ‘Coffee, Craft and Chat” groups are important volunteer tasks, as well as helping the team to set up and clear away activities. For example, our volunteers make sure every woman has a made-to-order drink, ensuring each woman feels valued as an individual. As one of our volunteers recently said, “it’s amazing how small details can make such a great difference to a woman.”
Roles for volunteers at Gateway include leading group activities - like our singing workshops, sewing skills groups and Alpha courses. We greatly value their expertise in these areas – it means we can offer the women a wider range of high quality activities.
Some of our volunteers focus on praying for the project, the team and the women we support. This invaluable role means that confidential prayer requests are acted on quickly – and we are frequently amazed by the outcomes of these faithful prayers. The volunteers have also been a wonderful source of encouragement and inspiration for the team, especially over the past 2 years.
Other volunteer roles have included help with admin tasks, supporting at trips to the theatre and on our annual coach trip, taking part in our Wellbeing Workshops programme, as well as making gifts for the women.
We also plan to introduce a scheme so the women we support also have the opportunity to volunteer at Gateway. Roles may include welcoming women who are new to the service, as well as helping the team with our garden and managing donations. This will be an empowering experience, that increases the women’s involvement in Gateway, while teaching new skills and building confidence.
Volunteers are recruited for Gateway from time to time as needed. Please keep an eye on Off the Fence’s website and social media for updates. Potential volunteers complete an application form, interview, references check and DBS check before starting. There is induction training, and on-going training and support. As one of our current volunteers recently said “I feel very privileged to be a Gateway volunteer. You are all a great team to work with.”
Thank you to all our amazing volunteers! For more information, please get in touch with us at: gateway@offthefence.org.uk
Not off the cuff. Not off the peg. Made to measure help for the homeless – Team Hope.
We are launching a pioneering new social enterprise/fashion line this October.
The Team Hope Fashion brand is a Social Enterprise/CIC will be a not-for-profit company set up independently of OTF but with all profits going to the charity.
Raquel Seliva (Bruno Saltor’s wife) has a history of designing and launching sports related fashion brands (including Valencia’s team strip and the Captain of your Life armband Premiership campaign).
We have 7 other contributor volunteers including a video team (24Tides), designer (Tom Barnard), e-commerce and social enterprise specialist (Graham Mason), Ricoh clothing print technology and Penina Shepherd from Acumen Law (legal advice).
Team Hope is a range of clothing created specifically to help the homeless and the marginalised. Its profits will profit the poor. Its margins will help fill the gaps in our City.
Born out of the kinder community of Brighton & Hove, Team Hope will level the playing field, wear its heart on its sleeve and provide extra time for those for whom society has no time.
There will only ever be 1000 numbered clothing items in any one release. A range of street-savvy designers will be selected to donate a unique design.
All profits will be used by the charity Off The Fence to help the people most in need in our community. It will form the basis for a social enterprise that we hope will provide employment for our clients in the future.
When you buy 10 or more items you will be invited to join the closed membership Team Hope group. Once admitted you will be offered exclusive access to patron evenings, events and personally signed items by models and designers.
On your first purchase you will be added to the Team Hopefuls – a monthly news group.
You will be invited to send in selfies in Team Hope clothing.
Its mission
Team Hope is more than a brand, it’s a brand new beginning. It’s more than apparel, it’s a parallel route to change. It’s more than a fashion statement; it’s a statement of intent. Our range of clothing doesn’t shout, it persuades. Its exclusivity leads to inclusivity. Its fashion lines draw circles around the socially excluded and says they will always be in style.
The ultimate aim is to provide meaningful jobs in fulfilment and delivery for clients within a corporate structure that could be part-employee owned.
www.teamhope.live (coming soon)
Wheels of Finance
Investment Solutions got on their bikes to support Off the Fence with a charity ride on the afternoon of the 27th of May. MD David Connor takes up the story:
“Employees decided to ride 25 miles to celebrate the 25 years of service that Off the Fence has provided to the local community. We had an eclectic mix of riders, ranging from regular cyclists to staff that needed to borrow bikes! The ride began from our offices in the heart of Worthing, taking us along the coastal cycle route to Brighton Marina and returning to the office for a well-earned pizza.
12 staff members set out on what was a glorious early summers day (thankfully, or it might well have been less!). With light westerly winds, the outgoing journey was an enjoyable affair, particularly stopping at the ‘Gather Inn’ at Hove Lagoon for a drop of sustenance. The return journey was slightly more challenging for some of the riders as we had a moderate headwind. despite this, all bar one of the riders made it back to Worthing (with just one rider requiring support from the recovery vehicle). We made it back to the office at about 5 o’clock, where we enjoyed pizzas whilst listening to Off The Fence’s Sarah Melvin speaking about the essential community support work that the charity does. All in all, we raised £1,650 for Off the Fence and had some fun at the same time.”
About our supporter:
Investment Solutions is a Chartered Independent Financial Advisory firm. They have been trading from the same offices in West Sussex for over 30 years. Almost all their advisors are Chartered or Fellows - and being independent (with no external shareholders) provides the Gold standard for Investment and Financial Advice. Because of this, the firm enjoys an excellent reputation, with many of the clients being local professionals.
If you would like an unbiased review of your investments, pensions or savings please do get in touch with Sarah Brine at sbrine@graftonhouse.net. Any initial consultations are without cost or obligation.
Head Over
Moving up to secondary school is a big period in a child’s life. Whilst it is an exciting new stage, it can also feel rather scary. Lots of things change as you move to a bigger school; you’re no longer the oldest students, instead you’re the youngest again. Us, as a school team, know this can be a challenging time which is why we’re running ‘Head Over’. ‘Head Over’ is a course of lessons designed for Year 6 students to help them with their questions and worries about moving school. We do this through a mixture of games, activities and group discussions. As we are already working in their future secondary school we are able to easily answer their questions and take photos or videos of different parts of the school to show them.
The best part of ‘Head Over’ is that we don’t just leave them at the end of their primary school journey. We then ‘move up’ with them to their new secondary school! And at their new school we run our ‘Head Start’ course with them in their first half-term. During these lessons they are then able to tell us how they’re finding settling into their new school and feel supported in their transition.
Sussex residents urged to nominate charities for £1,000 reward
Sussex residents have been encouraged to nominate charities they believe deserve a £1,000 grant.
For the fourth year running, Benefact Group is giving away more than £1 million to charities with the return of its Movement for Good Awards.
The group said 500 charities around the UK will receive £1,000 during the campaign
A Benefact Groupspokesperson said since the initiative began in 2019, around 10,000 Sussex residents have nominated causes they care about, leading to the Movement for Good Awards gifting £33,000 to charities across the county.
Charities including The Grace Eyre Foundation, The Early Birth Association and Worthing Women’s Aid were amongst the beneficiaries last year following overwhelming public support.
The first 250 winners will be announced in June with the other charities being confirmed in September.
The group said winners will be drawn at random and the more times a charity is nominated the better chance it has of being selected.
Mark Hews, group chief executive of Benefact Group, said, “We were thrilled to receive so many nominations from the public last year and this year we are encouraging even more people to nominate a good cause they love.”
The group said a further 120 £1,000 grants will be given away in December while £500,000 will also be given in larger grants later this year.
Charities can be nominated at www.movementforgood.com
Taking Poverty to the Cleaners
The major facelift given to the Antifreeze Centre is now more or less complete. A laundry has been built, a shower room installed and the interior of the Centre has been completely freshened up with the help of volunteers from The Point Church in Burgess Hill; with money donated by Sussex Community Foundation, Southern Water and others. Phil Cross of Mid Sussex Maintenance Service has also been hard at work making sure the drainage and water supplies are properly working. In the 7 months since re-opening, the shower has been used 129 times an we have done 189 lots of washing.
Thanks to a great team of volunteers coming alongside the staff, we are now running our BLAZE evening outreach 4 nights every week, with 2 teams covering the main streets of Brighton and Hove. With the generosity of Roedean School, we are able to give food out alongside our provision of essential items to keep warm overnight in addition to offering ongoing one to one support, helping people to access housing and health services, and offering spiritual support to those feeling lonely and vulnerable at night.
Our aim is to provide a safe and welcoming space where those experiencing homelessness can come and share, feel at home and receive help and advice about the best way to move forward.
Head Space
As part of their “Where’s your head at?” campaign one of the group programmes our Schools & Youth team offer to our local schools is ‘Head Space’ – a group work supporting students that have been bereaved.
Rich and Jen are currently doing ‘Head Space’ with a group of Year 9 students at Hove Park Upper School. Each student they see has experienced at least one significant bereavement (a parent, sibling or friend) and some have experienced multiple bereavements.
It can be hard for young people to articulate all the thoughts and feelings they are having after someone dies. ‘Head Space’ offers students a supportive space, without judgment – where no feeling is “wrong” and no question goes unanswered.
As with all their group work programmes students are free to share their thoughts and spend some quiet time writing in their booklets, as well as joining the team in playing games and watching film clips.
Off The Fence wins Seagull's Players Award
Paul Young, CEO of Off The Fence, has won the Sarah Watts Inspiration Award, sponsored by Tan’s Tasty Cakes in the annual Brighton & Hove Albion Players Awards on Monday 9th at the Amex.
Since Paul and his wife Wendy founded the charity in 1997, Off the Fence Trust has worked to redress the social and economic imbalances in Brighton & Hove through its homeless, women’s and schools work. In the last couple of years through economic downturns, lockdowns and rising rents, the charity has implemented ever more inventive ways to maintain its essential services.
These included a major sleep-out on the north side of St Peter’s Church last November when 100 supporters slept out for the night and paid £20 for the privilege. With the help of some large businesses and the participation of Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Billy Reid, the event raised a staggering £34k in one night.
Paul and his team has helped tens of thousands of rough sleepers, thousands of vulnerable women and more than 100,000 school children in that time. It has raised and spent over £9 million to make a real difference in this City.
Brighton & Hove Albion has been instrumental in this its 25th year in raising both profile and money through the active participation of patrons Graham Potter and his wife Rachel, and Bruno and his wife Raquel. Off The Fence is currently one of five Mayor’s charities; and in addition to the Brighton coaches, numbers Peter Kyle MP and Claire Martin OBE amongst its patrons.
Hot Off The Press!
This Easter, Primary school students are taking up the role of investigative journalists and heading back to the empty tomb of the first Easter Day to see what they can discover!
Our schools team are teaming up with our friends from Brighton & Hove City Mission to deliver ‘Hot Off The Press!’
Years 5 and 6 will investigate various sites around their school, gathering evidence as they go!
They’ll see if they can crack the Roman Soldier eye-witness as they ask penetrating questions.
They’ll take a close look at the crime scene to see what clues they can find.
And they’ll do a real science experiment to see what the results uncover.
Working together as a team, each class will investigate the evidence and see if they can figure out what really happened that first Easter Sunday!
Our schools team are excited to take this immersive experience to 3 different primary schools in April.
The discovery of the empty tomb may be old news, but as so many have discovered for themselves – it’s really good news!
Spring is in the air at Gateway Women’s Centre!
Spring is a great time to think about wellbeing and to try out some fresh ideas. We ran two Wellbeing Special activity sessions at Gateway recently, giving women an opportunity to take precious time out from sometimes very stressful or difficult life situations. The women said they loved the relaxed and unpressurised atmosphere of the sessions. They also appreciated the opportunity to meet new women and to make friendships, as well as to try activities they wouldn’t usually do.
The array of activities to choose from were very popular. These included planting spring flowers and seeds to take home, nail painting, making a fragranced hand scrub to use at home or to gift to another woman, and card making.
Our Occupational Therapist Laura led a fun seated exercise class. It was suitable for all abilities, and we were all amazed at how much of a workout you can get with just a water bottle for a weight!
There were a selection of delicious home-baked plant-based snacks – the ginger and apricot muffins were especially popular. And each woman went home with a gift bag filled with Body Shop and other goodies, so they could continue to take time out for themselves after the session.
We couldn’t have run these groups without the hard work of the Gateway team and volunteers, and the generous donations of gifts and materials from our kind donors.
Our Easter Special groups are coming up on 14th April. As well as Easter Eggs for all the women, we’ll have an Easter craft, coffee and Hot Cross Buns, and time to connect and find support in an encouraging and relaxed environment. Following the popularity of our Christmas Carol Service, the team will be leading an inspiring Easter Service in the church. We’ll be telling the Easter Story, singing some favourite Easter hymns, and explaining why Christians celebrate the hope and good news of Easter.
Please do get in touch if you’d like to support us with financial or other donations eg Easter Eggs, or if you’d like to know more about Gateway Women’s Centre.
Q&A with Paul Young, Co-Founder & CEO, Off The Fence
What do you think is the charity’s greatest achievement over the past 25 years?
Off The Fence has been helping the most vulnerable in Brighton & Hove since 1997. In that time we have supported tens of thousands of rough sleepers, thousands of vulnerable women and more than 100,000 school children. We have raised and spent over £9 million to do this. Last year when our Gateway Women’s Centre in Portslade was put up for sale we took the decision to raise the money to purchase and then double it in order to increase its capacity by 50%.
What projects are Off The Fence running at the moment?
Off The Fence Trust continues to act in a practical and supportive way to rehabilitate the homeless, at risk and disadvantaged communities of Brighton and Hove - helping individuals who are facing crisis situations with little or no support. To this end, Off The Fence operates three projects: Antifreeze, a day centre for the homeless - part of an emergency outreach to rough sleepers: a schools programme for 6-18 year olds; and Gateway, a women’s centre supporting women in crisis. Our mission remains: Resisting poverty. Empowering people. Restoring hope.
Are there fewer people sleeping on the streets since the lockdowns?
Good question! Sadly not, as the ‘Everyone in’ initiative has come to the end of its funding.
Most homeless people don’t sleep on the streets – they find safer, more secluded places. We know where and how to find them. Moving the problem off the streets during lockdown was a short term fix which meant that the issue morphed into social isolation, loneliness and mental illness instead.
Lockdown has shown that the prevention of homelessness saves £000s. It costs on average £22k a year to house someone compared with around £4k to assist them into independent living.
How are you celebrating your silver anniversary?
We have our anniversary event in June, a celebration service in the Autumn and are currently planning a major music event with the involvement of significant local artists. In July we will host the official opening of our new Gateway building and extension. A full events calendar can be found on our anniversary web page. www.offthefence.org.uk/25years
Brighton & Hove is one of the strongest communities in the UK because there is a rich seam of compassion and care for others running through it. That includes your readers..
Do you need any volunteers?
Whatever people’s skills, experience or motivation, there is a role for you. We are actively seeking volunteers with outreach skills, mental health experience, teaching, admin, events and corporate backgrounds.
For more information on volunteering or to donate, please visit www.offthefence.org.uk/volunteer
Working with charities is good for Business
Sarah Melvin (OTF) and David Thomson, MD of Sutton Winson Insurance Brokers
Ok, you’re a fledgling business just making your way in the world. You’re a medium sized SME that has struggled to get through Covid. You’re a large corporate whose shareholders scrutinize every digit in the management accounts.
How on earth can you justify supporting a charity?
Yet, most of your peers and competitors are..
Why might that be?
On a superficial level, you want to support a good cause, one that might be close to your heart. Off The Fence has a couple of supporters who have been homeless themselves.
But supporting a charity can also be good for business.
The benefit most often fed back to me is the boost to staff morale. One hundred people took part in our Big Sleep-out last November. Amongst these were three companies with teams led by chief executives. The sese of achievement as a team was immense. One company alone doubled the £8,500 raised by employees via sponsorship. Fun, fulfilling, profile raising.
It’s also a great reason to get out of bed in the morning.
..and what better way to get buy-in than to allow staff to select the charity and then as a team engage – with photos, testimonials, certificates and engagement - with both the charity and its clients.
Creating dialogue with your customers by allowing them to take part by donating, actively helping is also a positive win for your business. Which business are they going to patronise? The socially responsible one or the one that averts its community face?
Ask them to leave reviews saying why they do business with your company. You’ll be surprised by how many cite your charity involvement. Use My Favourite Voucher Codes that funnels 20% of their profits to your chosen charity. Your customers save money, donate and love you more all in the same very satisfying package
Charities also have a great relationship the media. Getting regularly mentioned in their press releases, blogs, social media and websites will add to your reputation at little or no cost.
In networking environment your relationship with your chosen charity or charities will stand up in sharp relief, effortlessly shaping the friendly, caring image of your company.
Your bottom line will almost certainly be boosted. An improved public profile will accelerate profit margins. You can even donate a percentage of your profits and even better, it could be tax deductible.
So working with charities can be good for business as well as good for the soul.
#BreakTheBias – International Women’s Day 2022
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action to ensure gender equality. Marked annually on March 8th, it’s an important day to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about gender inequality issues, lobby for accelerated gender parity and fundraise for woman-focused charities, like Gateway Women’s Centre.
At Gateway Women’s Centre, we support women to access opportunities, we celebrate the achievements of women, we challenge gender stereotypes, and we celebrate diversity every day. We feel strongly about the impact of specialist woman-centred services like Gateway, which are ‘run by women, for women’. The unique sense of safety, support, empowerment and community that services like Gateway offer is invaluable to women, many of whom have experienced trauma or abuse.
The team are standing together with the women who use Gateway to #BreakTheBias. We join with the International Women’s Day movement to say “we imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.” What will you do to break the bias?
Daniel runs the Brighton Half Marathon!
On Sunday 27th February, Daniel from the Schools team ran the Brighton Half Marathon – here’s how he found it:
It was my first ever official half-marathon event, but I did run a couple during lockdowns. After those lockdown attempts I had the goal of running an official half-marathon event, so I signed up to take part in the Brighton one. Training over winter months when it’s wet, windy, dark and cold felt pretty tough. However, when I signed up to raise money for Off The Fence, it gave me the motivation I needed to get out there.
My time was 1:58:28 and I managed to raise £295 for Off The Fence. It was a great experience running with thousands of others, it really inspires you and creates a great atmosphere to run in. Dame Kelly Holmes was there to help us warm up and she was also running it herself. The last few miles from Hove Lagoon to the finish line were pretty gruelling as the wind was just blowing right in my face! It was an amazing feeling to finish it, get the medal and know that people had generously sponsored money to go towards our work.
Sutton Winson put us on the Swinning side..twice!
Susan Melvin (OTF) and David Thompson MD Sutton Winson
Not only did Burgess Hill-based Insurance Brokers Sutton Winson match the £8,500 raised by their staff on our Big Sleep Out last November, but also paved the way for an Aviva Brokers Community Fund grant as well!
Displaying advanced proposal-writing skills (as well as outdoors derring-do) the enthusiastic team at the company led by action man MD David Thompson, secured £2,500 for Off The Fence.
The all-action team are planning another fundraising event soon at - paddle boarding at Hove Lagoon and have promised to bring even more staff to our next Big Sleep Out in November as well as donning woolly hats for our Woolly Hat Day on the 25th February.
A perfect example of how a commercial but compassionate company can inspire staff, create opportunities for team-building and make a real difference in the community.
What do we do at Gateway Women’s Centre?
Gateway is different to other services – they support quietly
We’re often asked what we do at Gateway, and if we’re open! The pandemic hasn’t stopped us from offering essential emotional, practical and spiritual support for women going through life challenges. Although we haven’t been able tomeet women at the centre itself (partly due to covid, partly due to building works), we are still offering vital one to one support, mainly over the phone, Zoom and email. Women tell us our one to one support is an invaluable lifeline – the skilled team provide a listening ear, a sounding board for ideas, or a source of information. As one woman said, “After talking to you, I don't feel so alone.”
We’ve also been offering a range of group activities in local venues and online via Zoom. Many of the women tell us that Gateway group activities are the only time they can relax and take time out from the stressors of home life - they give women a real boost of encouragement and confidence, as well as a sense of community.
Many women contact us because a friend has recommended Gateway to them, or a worker has heard about us. These recommendations could be because Gateway is flexible, trauma-informed, sensitive, professional and compassionate. One woman told us “Gateway is different to other services – they support quietly”.
Because of the demand for Gateway’s services, we unfortunately have a waiting list of several months to start using our services. However, we are accepting referrals, and women can join our waiting list (referral forms here: https://www.offthefence.org.uk/need-help-gateway ). Women and referrers can also contact us first to get more information about our services, to see if Gateway might be useful for them.
We recognise that demand for support delivered ‘by women, for women’ is going to continue. We often say we ‘fill the gaps’ in other service provision in the city, and we notice that the level of need related to mental health, relationships, domestic abuse, disabilities, poverty, debt, housing and isolation is huge. We’ll continue to walk alongside women for as long as they need us to, offering opportunities that support them to manage and move forward in their lives.
Please get in touch if you’d like more information: gateway@offthefence.org.uk.
Christmas Joy!!
On Christmas Day, Antifreeze Homeless Project, St Richards Hollingdean Church and Hollingdean Foodbank came together as a community to celebrate Christmas! Thanks to the kind generosity of so many individuals and businesses, we were able to feast until all bellies were full and even some extras to take home! There were smiles on every face. Food, crackers, gifts, good company and a few thoughts shared by Quin Delport on the real meaning of Christmas – love and rescue made possible because of Jesus. Precious memories were made, those who would have been lonely or isolated were able to be part of a family meal and every one of us had a very special time together.
Thank you doesn’t seem enough but thank you for every single person who gave time, money, donations, prayers and offered to help. No matter how big or little the gift, it made a HUGE difference to about 45 of us in total.
Special thanks to The Oaks Poultry Farm and Barfields for the generous amount of meat, A Share of the Crop for the amazing fresh veg and Goldstone Primary School for the use of their minibus so that people could get there!
