Over a hundred staff, volunteers and supporters gathered at Winchester College and online on Wednesday, September 28 for The Winchester Beacon’s annual Supporters’ Evening.
Guests included the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire Nigel Atkinson, the Mayor of Winchester and the charity’s patron, the Very Revd Catherine Ogle, Dean of Winchester.
For over 30 years, The Winchester Beacon (formerly Winchester Churches Nightshelter) has been supporting people in Hampshire who are faced with homelessness. Providing more than just a safe and welcoming place to stay, the charity helps each individual to rebuild their life.
The evening was an opportunity for the charity’s chief executive, Michèle Price and members of the volunteer board of directors to update supporters on the achievements and challenges of the last twelve months and plans for the future.
Guest speaker, Sam Chamberlain, professor of psychiatry at the faculty of medicine, University of Southampton was welcomed to the stage to talk about the impact of gambling disorder on people’s lives and plans in Hampshire to focus on treating those dealing with the illness.
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Michèle Price, chief executive of The Winchester Beacon, said: “Stopping once a year with our supporters to look back at the journey travelled and prepare for the route forward is incredibly useful and enlightening. This year alone we have accommodated 63 people across our four sites, we have provided tailored support which included 230 hours of counselling and psychotherapy to 31 people. As the pressure on households only increases we will be continuing to work hard to find ways to meet the growing demand for our invaluable service.”
The evening included films featuring residents talking about their experiences of homelessness. One resident said: “They give you so much help to get the first leg up. They do a bespoke service for every single person, they all have different needs and The Beacon does cater for them all, it can sort any problem out.”
The Winchester Beacon is fundraising so that they can update the old communal showers into individual washing bathrooms for each resident to give them privacy and dignity. You can find out more and donate via www.winchesterbeacon.org.uk.
People are also invited to join The Winchester Beacon at Winchester Cathedral on Monday, October 10 at 5.30pm when Evensong will be held to mark World Homeless Day.
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