Another eventful month for WHP. (So much so that I thought we had an extra day... )
Left: a busy week. Right: the Saturday squad
November began with news of Lockdown 2.0. We wanted to keep our doors open this time, as we've seen the impact that the previous lockdown had on some of our clients - and we didn't want to lose any momentum or progress that we had made since the summer. To achieve this, we did need to reduce our numbers in the doors at any one time, to get in line with government advice, and that meant a few changes to the way we run. As ever, our team took this all completely in their stride. We want to say a big thank you to all of you, for being so flexible, and for allowing us to continue to be here for our guests, safely, during this time. You are all stars. We had about 15 guests visiting us each session over the month, which is slightly down from October, which was to be expected. But that didn't mean that we didn't have lots going on! Steve our counsellor is now back in full swing, running structured sessions every Monday and Friday with a number of clients. And we were pleased to see Emma from RBWM continuing to pop down to work with our guests, in making their next steps towards permanent accommodation. And finally, we've been training up one of our regulars as a volunteer - so if you come to visit soon, you might find him working the door!
WHP's new home...
You'll probably have seen our exciting news that we might be on the move quite soon. There's still a lot of work to do before we're ready to move in - but we'll keep you involved, every step of the way.
... and a new home for one of WHP's guests!
Last week, Nick and Liv loaded up the van again, to move one of our long-standing guests into their new (quite swanky!) accommodation. This is really a huge step forward for this guest, who has been homeless for many years. It hasn't been an easy journey - and Nick deserves a big (virtual) pat on the back for all his hard work and perseverance in getting mountains moved and red tape cut. It's all worth it in the end, when someone gets the keys to their new home. Nice one, Nick!
More exciting news!
For Sale?
We've partnered up with Windsor's brand new, award winning, fair fixed-fee estate agent this month. Elsewhere were just recognised as Slough's Best Estate Agent in 2020, and now they're coming to Windsor. To celebrate their opening in St Leonard's Road, Elsewhere will be donating 100% of the fees they make on all SL4 houses listed before January 15th to WHP. That's £4000 per home - which isn't a lot when it comes to selling homes, but will make a huge difference to us. So if you, or any of your friends and family, are selling up, do have a chat with Elsewhere and see if they are a good fit for you. If so, you'll be able to sell your home, and support WHP at the same time!
And another partnership!
Our fantastic volunteer Sarah applied on behalf of WHP to the COOK Kindness Fund this month. (For those of you who don't know COOK, they sell "homecooked" frozen meals - Sarah says she's quite partial to a slab of their millionaire shortbread!). Their Kindness Fund initiative was set up to try and help various local causes by supplying some of their meals. Sarah got in touch, and we were delighted to hear that WHP's hard work was exactly the sort of cause they were hoping to support. So last Monday we received 40 portions of Chicken Alexander, 8 portions of Beef Bourginon, and 4 portions of Lasagne - with two more deliveries to come! They went down an absolute storm with our guests - lots of clean plates. Thanks, Sarah & Cook!
Calling all our chefs
Well done to all our cooks so far who have completed their Food Hygiene and Safety course. Gold stars all round. And just a very gentle nudge for those of you who haven't quite got around to it...what better way to spend a winter's evening than cosying up next to the fire, with a glass of something delicious, and HSQE's Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering Level 2 online training course?! Thanks to everyone in advance - and thanks to Liz for coordinating!
A (very quiet) shout out for coats and clothes
Winter has arrived - and we're now running a bit low on some of our clothes supplies. We're somewhat nervous about doing a social media shout out (past experience tells us our newly tidied crypt will become absolutely swamped by people's generosity) - so we're whispering it to you instead. Can you have a little look and see if you'd got to spare:
Men's trainers and boots - all sizes
Men's t-shirts - all sizes
Men's jumpers and sweatshirts - all sizes
Men's jeans - all sizes
Women's trainers and boots (no heels please!) - sizes 6 & up
Women's coats - sizes 14 & up
We're asking for all of the above to be in good condition, which is always important - but especially at this time of year. If you have any of the above which you're willing to share, please get in touch. Thank you!
And finally...
Some of the Grinches out there might groan, but we're definitely ready for some festive cheer. Nick has got his Christmas tree up (slightly bigger than this one) and Liv is loving the Pret veggie Christmas sarnies (thanks again to Pret for our sandwiches every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday!)
We're currently having a think about our Christmas plans for the Project... whatever they are, expect Christmas jumpers, mince pies, and lots of Mariah Carey down at WHP this December! That's it for November. As always, a massive thank you for all of your support. We could not do any of this without you! Until next time, Nick & Liv