The Background to SCCA and its Projects
The Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association is a Registered Charity (No 501881) and was established by a group of volunteers in 1972 to provide a focal point for the work of all Christian groups in Shrewsbury and to offer aid to those in need.
At first, the Centre was opened by volunteers on the site of Old St Chad’s Church every evening from 7 – 9 pm and (for a short while until lack of volunteers forced a change) on Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons. Old St Chad’s was hardly ideal, having inadequate lighting, no heating, no water supply, no lavatory and no privacy for those seeking help, but in 1973 the Association was offered the use of a small flat in the Town which allowed its work to expand. Briefly, in 1975, the Association was able to use the basement of a private house to give overnight accommodation to two or three homeless men.
In the 90s and until 2006 the Charity ran a Night Shelter for homeless men close to the centre of the Town – first in the Old School House beside the Welsh Bridge, and later at 70 Castle Foregate where there was space for up to 12 residents and vacancies were filled almost immediately.
Unfortunately our funding from Government, through the ”Supporting People” programme, was withdrawn in 2006 and the cost of providing overnight supervision on the premises every night of the year became prohibitive; we had no option but to close the Shelter.
After the Shelter closed, we decided that our efforts should now be focussed on providing a Dropin Day Centre for homeless and vulnerable people, a project that would in some respects return the Charity to its roots in the 1970s. We have had great support from Shrewsbury & Atcham Borough Council in this venture, and we look forward to a continuing and fruitful relationship in the future, both with the Borough Council and with the Shropshire Council.
The Charity is run by a small group of volunteer Trustees on Christian principles, and some of the visionaries who inaugurated it in 1972 are still in touch with us. They have warmly encouraged us in our efforts to create a drop-in centre for the needy in which advice and help can be offered to anyone who is homeless, vulnerable or friendless. We continue to receive wonderfully generous donations from a wide range of individuals, from many local churches and occasionally from Trust Funds, but our success in the future will depend on how well we can expand this support base to generate the income we shall need to keep the project open into the distant future.
The Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association
Registered Charity No 501881
Chairman: Rev Chris Walker
Hon Secretary: Tony Sharpe
120 Hereford Road
Shrewsbury SY3 7RA
Tel: 01743 236975
Hon Treasurer: Ian Somervaille CBE
12 Old Coppice, Lyth Hill
Shrewsbury SY3 0BP
Tel: 01743 874975
Comments