Following the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 20th May, Routes to Roots is delighted to announce the appointment of Reverend Canon Lucy Holt as the new Chair of Trustees.
Lucy has served as a dedicated trustee for the past eight years, contributing significantly to the charity’s development and direction. Rector of St James’ Church in Poole since 2013, Lucy is a well-respected community leader, RNLI chaplain, and tireless advocate for local causes. Her commitment to service was recently recognised with the Mayor’s Award for Local Community Service.
“I have loved serving Routes to Roots as trustee and am so proud of what has been achieved with moving into the Genesis Centre and offering such an amazing hub for the most vulnerable members of our society.
“I look forward to working as Chair more closely with Ben, staff and volunteers as well as trustees to help us grow and develop as a Charity to ensure the Genesis Centre continues to thrive and fulfil its amazing objectives.”
– Reverend Canon Lucy Holt
Joining her in leadership is newly elected Deputy Chair, Sara Turner. Sara brings a wealth of experience and will play a vital role in supporting Lucy as the charity continues to grow and evolve in response to the needs of the local community.
Routes to Roots would also like to extend sincere thanks to outgoing Chair, Kate Mellor, who has served in the role for the past three years. Under Kate’s guidance, the charity completed the move into its permanent home at the Genesis Centre and laid strong foundations for its future work. We are deeply grateful for her dedication and the lasting impact of her leadership.
As Routes to Roots looks ahead with renewed energy and purpose, we remain committed to supporting the most vulnerable in our local area and building a future rooted in hope, compassion, and community.
We warmly welcome supporters, partners and members of the public to attend the Routes to Roots Annual General Meeting on Monday 20th May at 5:45pm, taking place at the Genesis Centre, Poole.
The AGM is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, review our financial standing, and share future plans as we continue our mission to support the homeless and vulnerably housed in Poole.
This is a public meeting, and all are welcome.
To request the agenda, the minutes from last year’s meeting, or our financial report, please email: office@routestoroots.org
Your support makes a real difference — we hope to see you there.
Please Help Us Provide More Support to Those in Need This Winter
As the winter months approach, the challenges faced by those sleeping rough become even more severe.
At Routes to Roots, we are committed to expanding our support services to ensure no one is left without a warm meal or a helping hand during these colder days.
To meet the increasing demand, we are excited to announce our plan to expand our breakfast service from two mornings a week to five.
This initiative will allow us to reach more individuals in need, offering them a nutritious start to their day. To make this possible, we are seeking dedicated volunteers to assist with preparing and serving breakfasts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings between 09:45 AM and 12:00 PM. No cooking experience is required – just a willingness to make a difference in someone’s life.
Additionally, we are also in need of volunteers to help during our busier lunch periods, which run from 11:00 AM to 2:30 PM on all days.
Your time and effort can provide crucial support to those who rely on our services, especially during these challenging times.
At Routes to Roots, the summer season is as busy as ever. We continue to see a large number of individuals at risk of or facing homelessness.
The number of people sleeping on the streets across BCP is at its highest in many years.
With growing challenges in accessing accommodation, the need for hot meals, laundry facilities, and showers is more crucial than ever.
Our Summer Appeal for financial and material donations will allow us to keep the Genesis Centre running as a vital space where individuals can meet their essential needs.
This centre also serves as a hub for accessing critical wellbeing support services.
Routes to Roots relies on the ongoing help of the local community to provide these essential services. No donation is too small, and all contributions directly support the charity’s work.
So many of you have already given and had a positive impact on numerous lives.
Six months on from completing the Routes to Roots Pillar Programme, Andrew who helped with communications, has some news for you all…
Hello everybody.
It’s been a while since I wrote a piece for the newsletter and I thought I could do an update for you all.
First. What a winter so far and very challenging for a rough sleeper. Lots of rain and very strong winds, also two very cold spells leading to S W E P protocol being called and up to twelve people staying at the Genesis Centre at night. I stayed one night the first time and three nights the second, and it was a warm and dry place to be. So huge thanks to Routes to Roots, Ben and the volunteers that made it all possible.
What have I been doing lately. Well a year has gone by since I first came here and that feels a bit odd. A whole year gone. I think my well being and life have been given a positive boost by helping out here sometimes and also volunteering at the soup run five nights a week. Structure, meaning and positivity all good for well being..
The future. Planning for the future has been in progress and with help from Ben and Tracy at Routes to Roots and very proactive encouragement, I now have a job.
Yes a job.
Being homeless is not a barrier to getting a job, but it definitely does not make it easy. My own fear of rejection and my age being against me made me unsure I wanted to put myself through the rejection. Well a couple of upsets to start but good support from everyone and some prayers helped me stay on track and just be me. And that is why I have a job by just being me. I was noticed at the train station and how I behaved and interacted with people travelling through on their journeys. It led to a job offer of two days a week which I have now started. Just what I wanted. The start of a plan that might take a couple of years to show and the result I want, A place to call home.
Everyone involved at Routes to Roots has in some way helped me on this new venture and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Andrew.
What an amazing afternoon we had with Ojo’s Woodfired Pizza. Thank you so much to Ollie and Joe for coming down to the Genesis Centre and supplying delicious pizza to the homeless and vulnerably housed of Poole.
A huge thank you to all of those who contributed to Ojo’s ‘Slice of Support’ campaign – it gave joy to so many. A Slice Of Support supports local charities in the amazing work that they do. Ojo’s goal is to take donations from their customers and website visitors either online or at their events. These donated funds then enable them to cook at locations to serve those who either find it difficult to afford food or to those who deserve it the most in the community and they charge them nothing.
Brilliant work guys – making a positive impact, one slice at a time!
If your business or organisation would like to make a difference to the lives of those experiencing homelesness, please get in touch.
With recent freezing temperatures both before and after Christmas, SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) has been called over certain periods. SWEP aims to help vulnerable people who are rough sleeping when severe weather threatens their safety.
Due to an incredible amount of hard work by our volunteers and the Genesis Centre Manager Ben, with support from workers from St Mungos, we were able to offer 12 rough sleepers beds during these periods.
This has meant so much to our charity.
When Routes to Roots started over 20 years ago, it was a dream to have their own building to provide more services to those in desperate need.
Through the incredible support of the local community that dream came true with the opening of the Genesis Centre in 2021.
After securing our own building, one objective was to be able to offer shelter to the homeless during the most challenging weather conditions. During these particularly difficult times this has now became a reality.
We would not be able to do this without your support. Because of you, 12 people have had a warm bed on these freezing nights. Because of you, we can continue to show care and compassion to those that feel there is none left.
Thank you for making our dreams and goals happen. Thank you for thinking of others.
Wow! It’s been an incredibly busy time at the Genesis Centre over the Christmas period and we wanted to take a moment to say thank you!
Once again we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the local community.
Thank you to everyone who has donated, volunteered and supported us, not just over the festive period but throughout 2023 – without you we wouldn’t be able to do what we do, so we cannot say it loud enough… THANK YOU!!
What a wonderful evening we had – celebrating the amazing work of all our incredible volunteers in 2023 and thanking all of our supporters.
The evening was also a chance to say goodbye and thank you to our administrator for the last 7 years, Elaine and welcome our new administrator Tracy.
Thank you so much to Rick Stein, Sandbanks for once again supplying the delicious canapés – your generosity is truly appreciated.
Thank you also to Parkstone Yacht Club for donating another wonderful Christmas Tree – it looks fantastic and has made the Genesis Centre feel very festive!🎄
Our local community is simply the best and we’re glad we can have nights like this to celebrate the kindness of others and say a HUGE thank you. 💛
