Spotlight On... The Beacon Project Mansfield
The Beacon project has been running for 17 years, starting in St John’s Church, and soon after moving into the old church hall, which is where it still remains now
The Beacon project was originally set up by members of St John’s church in order to provide support to the homeless, excluded and marginalised in Mansfield, 17 years later, the need is still here and so the good work continues.
Some things have changed over the years, the building has had some alterations, including building a new separate shower room and store room, and we now have a dedicated team of over 20 volunteers and a paid manager to make sure the Project is run safely and efficiently.
Making sure that we can continue to help those in need and keeping our volunteers and staff safe during the Covid epidemic has been our biggest challenge yet. But God has provided a way through and we have been able to continue to provide much needed support in the community over the last year, something we could not have done without the support of our local community, the dedication of our volunteers, and a helping hand from the local council.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us over this difficult and challenging year.
Below are just a few ways in which we have been able to help those have been struggling in our community during Covid. We know that we are not out of the woods yet, many people will continue to struggle and some are only just starting to feel the financial and emotional effects of the Covid pandemic. The Beacon Project will continue, hopefully, for many more years to be welcoming and safe place where people will feel loved and supported.
The Beacon Project has been working closely with the Framework outreach team and Mansfield District council to provide food, clothing and emergency supplies to those who are homeless or in temporary accommodation.
The Beacon Project were able to give out Covid packs, containing masks and sanitisers, along with brand new sleeping bags to all who needed them. The Covid packs and sleeping bags were donated by ‘One Love Worldwide’.
Working in Partnership
The Beacon Project worked in partnership with other organisations to organise a Covid bus to offer rough sleepers an easy way to get vaccinated. This was a huge success; many rough sleepers struggle to access healthcare, due to having no phones or access to the internet and often leading chaotic lives.
The other organisations who worked together in partnership to deliver this were: The 3 Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Partnerships (ICPs), including Mid-Nottinghamshire ICP, Nottinghamshire County Council Public Health, Mansfield District Council, Homelessness service providers and Mansfield CVS
If you would like to know more about the Beacon project and how you can help or donate, please see our Facebook page for the most up to date information or visit our website page.
