13th June 2025

The shelter celebrates and reflects

On June 4th Merry and I went to the celebration evening held by the Bristol Churches Shelter. It is a lovely annual event when many people who are involved in the work of the shelter get together; it is the only time when we all meet. So we were able to catch up with some of the guests and find out how they have settled into their new homes. We were able to acknowledge the work of the people who refer the guests to the shelter, those who help them to find work and those who help them towards permanent accommodation. The spirit of the evening was of celebration and of gratitude; it was as inspiring an event as ever.

A somber note was struck by Jonathan Lee, the CEO of inHope, the charity that provides the backing for the shelter, when he reminded us all that what we were doing should not be necessary. Working people should be able to afford places to live and at a time of full employment, homelessness should not be an issue for us.

Despite those words, we are all preparing for another winter when the shelter will be needed. Thank you for all your support, it really is an essential piece of work (there is nothing else in Bristol quite like the Churches Shelter), it is effective and it shows the love of God to the city.

Nick Parsons