What We Do

A safe haven for those in need.

"Our team offers  a warm welcome to anyone, who feels they need our support.  We are here to help and always will be.  So pop in for hot drink and a chat."

Wendy Faulkner, Shrewsbury Ark Manager

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Just ring the doorbell or call us to access our services, which include:

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• Facilities - bathroom, laundry, computer, postal address, landline, recharging

• Activities - football, allotment, sculpting, art, bee keeping, spiritual wellbeing, life stories

• In-house Partner Services - GP/nurse/podiatrist check-ups, SRP, housing advice, hairdressing, counselling, mental health support

• Practical Support - hot meals, emergency food parcels, clothing, toilteries, sleeping bags,

• Additional Support - client consultations, my network meetings, referrals to partner agencies, form filling, work experience, support into accomodation, outreach

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Please bear in mind that due to current COVID conditions some of these services are currently on hold or by appointment only.

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Registered Charity Number 1163476

Our History

The Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association is a Registered Charity (No 1163476 ), established by 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. The services that SCCA provides are offered, regardless of religious beliefs, sexuality, race, gender or socio-economic status.

The first Day Centre was first 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. The facilities at Old St Chad’s were not ideal, with no heating, water, lavatory, or 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 became prohibitive; we had no option but to close the Shelter.

After the Shelter closed, we decided our efforts should be focussed on providing a Drop-in Day Centre for homeless and vulnerable people, a project that would in some respects return the Charity to its roots. 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 need to keep the project open into the distant future.

The Shrewsbury Christian Centre Association
Registered Charity No 1163476

Chair: Emily Bell

chair@shrewsburyark.co.uk

Hon Secretary: Tony Sharpe

Hon Treasurer: Ian Somervaille CBE