Ben Sargent joined us at the beginning of this month in the new role of Genesis Centre Manager. Ben says: “I am delighted to have been appointed as the Day Centre Manager for Routes to Roots. Having worked for many years in housing and addiction services across Bournemouth and Poole, I have always been impressed by the fantastic work that R2R do and the care shown to those in need. With the upcoming move to Genesis Centre, I am truly excited by the opportunities it will enable us to provide to those people who access our service. I look forward to creating a community where people will feel supported, feel heard and have access to the support services they require.” Among other duties, Ben will be managing our volunteer network and is very interested to hear from anyone who might have some hours to help us. In addition to the usual drop-in food preparation work, we have many new opportunities arising from our move, in such areas as office and administrative, writing and fundraising, website and social media. He can be contacted at: Ben.Sargent@routestoroots.org
We have set a date for the formal opening of Genesis Centre – 20 March 2022. This is also the 20th anniversary of the formation of the charity and so will be a double celebration. Delays with plumbing work and the knock-on effect on plastering delayed our move. We are, however, definitely on the final lap with all work to be done on the first phase financially covered. This is very much thanks to Talbot Village Trust who have agreed a further grant of £40,000. We are now seeking funding for phase 2 of the work, which will be on a second hall, which we intend as the hub for healthcare activities, possibly a winter shelter and also other activities to help our clients’ wellbeing and employment prospects.
Have you ever considered volunteering for us? We need kitchen staff in our current location on Skinner Street and would also love off-site support on various aspects of publicity and fundraising, such as the website, social media, design and grant applications. We will also need many more volunteers for different types of on-site support when we open Genesis Centre. If you would like to leave your contact details with us now, with an idea of how you could help, then we can contact you later in the year when we start to plan our opening and the activities we will offer. Please email our office on: office@routestoroots.org
