Gloucester charity marks 30th birthday with £30K appeal

Beth Boxall was one of the charity's founding members and still volunteers with it two days a week

A homelessness charity is marking its 30th anniversary with a £30,000 fundraising appeal.

Emmaus Gloucestershire provides people without a home with a stable place to live, a job and funded training.

Since its launch in 1993, the charity has helped hundreds of people rebuild their lives.

Joe Feeley, chief executive, said the money raised "will go a long way towards helping us support others to move forward with their lives".

"We are delighted to have reached such an important milestone at Emmaus Gloucestershire and I would like to thank the people we support, donors, customers, partners, trustees, volunteers and our staff team for their contributions over the years," he added.

The charity funds its work partially through selling donated items in its shops

The charity was started by a team of volunteers who funded their work by selling donated clothing and bric-a-brac at a shop in Nailsworth.

They eventually raised enough to set up a community house and a furniture store in Gloucester.

Over the years, the charity has continued to grow and it can now accommodate up to 26 people at its community house.

It also has four shops selling furniture, clothing and homewares to people in Gloucestershire, as well as further afield through eBay.

The charity has a community house in Gloucester and has helped hundreds of homeless people rebuild their lives

Beth Boxall was one of the founding members and still volunteers two days a week.

She said that the charity "has been a big part of my life for a long time".

"We started in a very tiny shop in Nailsworth to begin with and grew from there," she explained.

"I had a wonderful time helping to get the community house ready and it was a really exciting time seeing people move in after being homeless."

Martin is rebuilding his life thanks to help from Emmaus

Martin, 26, is among those to have benefitted from the charity's support. He turned to alcohol after having a traumatic upbringing and lived rough for several months before being helped by Emmaus.

"While homeless, a typical day on the streets became waking up and getting drunk," he said.

"I spent most days worrying about whether I was going to be beaten up or not - something I saw happen to a lot of other people."

After spending a few months on the streets, Martin went to rehab and then joined Emmaus Gloucestershire in 2019.

"I'm so happy to have a bed at night and somewhere to call my own. Since joining Emmaus, I've helped in the eBay office and in the shops.

"I've learnt new skills like handling money and banking, which has really helped raise my confidence. Emmaus has also funded driving lessons for me," he added.

Sense of purpose

The charity aims to offer more than a bed for the night, with meals, basic clothing, toiletries, and support to help the people staying with them rebuild their lives after homelessness.

In return, Emmaus asks for them to work in the community such as in their charity shops in Gloucester, Nailsworth and Stroud, or driving to collect and deliver items of furniture.

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There is no time limit on how long someone can stay, with most living in the community house for a few months, but others using the facility for years.

Emmaus Gloucestershire will be celebrating the milestone with a range of events and activities throughout the year.

It is appealing for people to support the anniversary campaign through individual donations or fundraising activities at places like schools, workplaces and churches.

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