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R2R Newsletter Spring 2017Many thanks to The Co-op, Blandford Road, Hamworthy and all your customers for raising £1826.22 for Routes to Roots. The Co-op adopted us as their chosen charity and raised the money through their membership and 5p bag sales from October last year to this March.
Every time members chose Co-op branded products and services and used their Co-op Membership card, 1% of what they spent went to their chosen cause. Members could change their choice at any time. If members didn’t pick a cause then their 1% was shared out equally between all the local causes in their community.
We would like to hear from anyone interested in volunteering for this position with Routes to Roots. This need not be a Trustee position, but The Hon Treasurer is responsible for providing financial updates and guidance to the Board of Trustees, which meets four to six times a year in the evening on dates to suit Trustees, and for preparing end of year accounts.
Please contact for further information: Pat Southgate at patsouthgate@btinternet.com or at Routes to Roots’ office on 07901 387643 / 01202 667880.
On a March Monday the Toothbus parked up in Skinner Street, Poole to provide free dental check ups at the Routes to Roots homeless drop-in. This gave homeless and vulnerably housed people in Poole the opportunity to see a dentist for a check-up. It can be difficult to look after your dental health if you’re homeless. Karen, “I was really nervous about seeing a dentist because I know I need some work done, but the Toothbus dentist was very friendly and put me at ease. They also gave me some great advice”
There are a lot of health problems that are exacerbated by poor dental health eg. heart conditions, diabetes and pneumonia. Poor dental health can also affect how someone feels about themselves, so it’s important that everyone has easy access to NHS dental treatment.
R2R Chairman Rev Pat Southgate explained: “We support a number of homeless people who have been refused urgent dental care in the past because they weren’t registered with a dentist. We’re very grateful to Healthwatch Dorset for organising this Toothbus visit; it’s provided a safe place for the people we work with to get a dental check.”
The Toothbus Manager, Angie Naughton told us: “We’d like to thank Healthwatch Dorset & Routes to Roots for a great afternoon. The dentist saw 10 patients at the event and everyone received details of how to register with a local dentist for ongoing treatment.
The Toothbus is available to everyone. It usually parks up in Poole High Street on Mondays and in Boscombe High Street on Fridays. So, if you haven’t seen a dentist in 2 years or more – pop down and see them.
Thanks to you, and you, and you…
Donations and Fundraising
* Asda, Poole customers: £549.79 from carol singing on two days
* Baden Powell and St Peter’s Middle School: £595.09 from Christmas Jumper Day
* Borough of Poole for a donation
* Broadstone Methodist: £400
* Broadstone URC: £195.92
* Christ Church Creekmoor: £100
* Dorset Wheelchairs: £129.13
* Everyone Active at the Dolphin Leisure Centre: £26.94 from staff and customers
* Foundry Arms, Lagland Street, Poole: £150
* Highworth Insurance: £175 from dress down days
* Holy Angels Church Mothers’ Union: £99.30
* Integrity OMD, Wareham management consultancy: £3055.57
* Little Red Roaster for a donation raised from selling crackers
* Morden PCC: £153.33
* Poole Bay Rotary Business Networking Group:£1667.91 from various fundraising events
* Poole Missional Communities: £200
* Skinner Strret URC: £127.50
* Society of Friends: £100
* St James PCC, Poole: £500
* St John’s PCC, Broadstone: £800
* St Joseph’s Catholic Church: £482.72
* St Mary’s Longfleet Road: £2323.64
* St Michael’s & St Gabriel’s, Hamworthy: £80
* St Paul’s Oakdale: £314.17
* St Peter’s PCC, Parkstone: £97.10
* Ultra Electronics, Wimborne: £107
* URC Skinner Street, Poole: £127.50
* Waitrose, Parkstone Green Token appeal: £354
* Waitrose, Parkstone customers: £173.64 from carol singing
* Starbucks, Poole: £43.53
* Laura & Nicki, Canford Heath: £370.45 from Christmas Reverse Advent Calendar Project
Individuals
* £2867
* Homeless Sunday congregation: £267
* Volunteer Ewa for £340 raised for St James’ sponsored sleep-out
Donations in Kind
* Big Yellow, Poole: storage space valued at £2000
* PK Francis Clark: £50 vouchers for sleeping bags
* Poole Bay Rotary Business Networking Group: 6 sleeping bags
Grants
* Dorset Community Foundation: £5000 for Afternoon Drop-Ins and Projects
* The Alice Cooper Dean Charitable Foundation: £3000 towards the ‘homeless and vulnerably housed in Poole’
* The Bridging Fund Charitable Trust: £1500
* WH Smith Trust Community Grants Fund: £100
Ongoing Support
* The Co-op, Blandford Road, Hamworthy BH15 4BH has adopted Routes to Roots as their chosen charity and are raising money for us through their membership and 5p bag sales until March.
* Baden Powell and St Peter’s Middle School has adopted R2R as its charity for the year.
We were delighted to welcome nearly 80 people to our service at which Bishop Karen Gorman spoke movingly on the increasing problem of homelessness. She recalled how back in the 70s the vision was to eradicate homelessness but with changes in Government policy from the 80s this was still a dream. Bishop Karen spoke of the wonderful work being done in Poole through projects such as Routes to Roots and thanked all the volunteers for the work that they do as if we all did not do the work of Christ who would. The Bishop also spoke of the importance of speaking out and drawing the attention of decision makers to what things are like on the streets of Poole.
During the service Kate, one of our Trustees, updated everyone on what is happening at Amos House, our supported accommodation for three former rough sleepers. It is just about a year since they moved in and things are going well.
You can download her report with comments from two of the guys here:
Amos House Update 2017
What a marvellous day Saturday 17 December was for the guys and girls who rely on Routes to Roots as individuals and groups throughout Poole came together to show their support by fundraising and giving.
* We are particularly grateful to Poole Bay Rotary Business Networking Group who set up and ran ‘Fighting homelessness with music’, a live music event around four pubs in Poole. Many thanks to the Brewhouse & Kitchen, Jolly Sailor, Lord Nelson and Drift, plus the many musicians, who all gave their premises/time for free. Those enjoying the music donated £214.79 to R2R.
This is in addition to £524.12 donated to their Christmas Santa train on Monday 12 December from the residents of Oakdale. And £919 from a raffle. A grand total of £1667.91.
* With the vocal support of our Patron, The Right Reverend Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne, our carol singers raised £350 from generous customers at Asda in Poole.
* With the support of members of the congregation of St John’s Heatherlands, Parkstone, we raised £168.64 from equally generous customers at Waitrose in Parkstone.
* And overnight there was an sleep-out at St James Church in the Old Town also supporting R2R. Organiser Rev Chris Harwood says: “We had people from St James’, Reconnect, Routes to Roots, formerly homeless and currently homeless friends join us throughout the evening. We have raised about £1600 once everyone’s money is in. It was such a relief to return to a warm home the following morning and very sobering to think of those without a home to return to.”
Rev Chris Harwood from St James, Poole, has organised a Sleep-Out to raise funds for R2R. It will take place on Saturday 17th December outside St James Church in Poole, officially starting at 9.00pm though the organisers will be there earlier to set up. You can join in or support them.
Some people will sleep under the stars/tarpaulin; others will bring tents. Those sleeping under the stars will need to bring cardboard to protect themselves from the cold ground. There will be hot drinks and food provided.
Chris is hoping to raise £400 to keep our homeless friends safe and warm this winter. Please help them achieve this or, even better, exceed the target.
Forecast for that evening is 5 degrees, very windy with rain, so those sleeping out will be earning your support!
A Just Giving page has been set up to encourage people to give on FaceBook and spread the message further:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/R2Rsleepout/
R2R has successfully created our profile and entered the GALAXY Hot Chocolate Fund! The Galaxy Hot Chocolate Fund runs from 7th November until 26th February 2017. Awards of £300 are provided for community projects. Five awards of £300 will be provided each week – four chosen by a panel of judges and one chosen through a voting system.
This year also sees the addition of the Outstanding Volunteer Award giving you chance to nominate someone to win a hot chocolate hamper.
The first awards of £300 are on 14th November.
Please visit the site and vote for R2R. Our drop-in guys and girls are already enjoying free jars and sachets of hot chocolate sent to us just for joining in.
http://www.galaxyhotchocolate.com/fund/profiles/routes-to-roots-poole-cio
Calling all lovers of the Great British Breakfast, or croissants and pastries if you prefer.
Make a date with your friends this winter! Invite them round for breakfast in December, January or February. Ask them for a small contribution and donate the money you raise, no matter how large or small, to Routes to Roots’ annual Big Breakfast appeal.
For the seventh year, we are again joining forces with the Fisherman’s Café on Poole Quay to provide rough sleepers with a hot breakfast. Last year we offered this meal for 18 weeks, sustaining 52 individual homeless people, an increase of 11% over 2014-15. Each breakfast costs £4.50 to provide so this provision alone cost the charity £4054.50 (901 breakfasts eaten).
It costs £4.50 to provide a hot breakfast for a rough sleeper. Could you buy just one guy a breakfast for one day, or a whole week?
