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HomeArrow NewsArrow Funding gift means homeless charity won’t miss out this Christmas

Funding gift means homeless charity won’t miss out this Christmas

Norwich homelessness charity St Martins has received a funding boost of £36,000 from Hopestead, the new charity from Flagship Group which aims to end homelessness in the East of England through partnership working.

Coronavirus forced the cancellation of this year’s annual street collection that has been held in Norwich for over 30 years raising vital funds for St Martins. Dr Jan Sheldon CEO said, “We were reluctant to cancel the street collection, but we didn’t want to put anybody at risk. This means we do have a reduction in fundraising income at a time when our costs are higher.”

The Eastern Daily Press published the story in October and Dr Sheldon received a call the same day from Marie Claire Delbrouque from Hopestead who pledged to donate the full amount.

Managing Director Marie-Claire Delbrouque said: “We believe everyone deserves a place to call home and our vision at Hopestead is to end homelessness in the East of England.  We can only achieve this goal by working in partnership with amazing organisations such as St Martins, a charity which is doing such vital work in our area.

“We are delighted to be able to provide funding for the St Martins appeal. It is very clear – as the impact of the pandemic continues to be felt – just how crucial it is that we work together to support people who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, achieving our ambition to end homelessness in the east.”

Dr Jan Sheldon said, “We were surprised and delighted to receive such a substantial donation. It means that we won’t have the expected shortfall in donations from not being able to do the street collection.”

“The gift from Hopestead is important to us because we have a shared vision of ending homelessness and we know the solution comes from partnership working. We can achieve more by working together, and this involves prevention work, long-term housing and sustained support to help each person fulfil their potential.”

“We are continuing our fundraising efforts this winter, as the economic climate, unfortunately, means we are needed more than ever as finances, job security and housing are a concern for many people.”

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