Friends of the Connection at St Martin's

30/06/2023

We are pleased to announce the 2023 Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend (25-28 August 2023) and raise funds to support the work of The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields with homeless and vulnerable people in central London. The Friends of the Connection at St Martin’s urgently needs funds to help more people make a fresh start away from the streets. In 2022, the Ride raised almost £20,000.

As in the pandemic, there’s a choice of options designed to reflect your cycling ability and also, if needs be, reflect the COVID guidelines that may be in place at the time.

THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE
The Connection is based a few yards from the site of one of the original Queen Eleanor crosses. 200 miles cycling from Harby near Lincoln, where Queen Eleanor died in 1290, and from there following the route of the Queen Eleanor Crosses to Charing Cross in London. The ride starts on Friday morning and ends at Westminster Abbey on Monday, followed by a celebration. Overnight stops are in Grantham, Geddington and Dunstable. Day cyclists are also welcome.

All meals and lots of cake are provided, plus transport for luggage and back up, with accommodation in church and village halls. 40 places are available. Regular cyclists aged 18 or over are welcome; 16 and 17-year old cyclists can take part if accompanied by a responsible adult. You will cycle in small groups chosen according to speed, led by a cyclist who is familiar with the route. These arrangements may be reviewed in the light of the latest COVID situation.

CYCLE 200 MILES CLOSE TO HOME
The challenges of the past couple of years have meant that some cyclists stayed at home but still committed to cycling 200 miles in aid of those on the street. We are offering this option again in 2023. Even if you can’t join the Group Ride, you can still take part and help support the Connection’s work.

At home you can set your own cycling goal. One fundraiser did 200 miles in a day, whilst two young boys, aged 6 and 8, completed 200 miles in their summer holidays.

FUNDRAISING
We do not set a minimum sponsorship target, but almost £20,000 was raised last year with an average of about £1,000 per cyclist.

REGISTRATION FEE
The entry fee for the full ride is £95, but is £80 for those who sign up before 30 June 2023. If you would like to join the Traditional route for a day, or a day and overnight, the fees are £10, or £20, respectively. The fee for taking part locally is £20.

To register, follow the link below. For more information, visit www.queeneleanorcycleride.org or find us on Facebook, or if you have any queries, please contact us at [email protected]

Are you a regular cyclist, who’s looking for a bit of a challenge, a fun Bank Holiday weekend, a touch of history, and an opportunity to raise money for a very worthy cause, all rolled into one? If so, look no further - the Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride 2023 (QECR) is the place for you!

03/01/2023

Happy New Year 2023! We hope this year brings you joy, happiness, and health. We are looking forward to welcoming the new year with our exciting events and continued support of The Connection.

11/12/2022

Meet Ian

My name is Ian, I am an ex rough sleeper. I have experienced homelessness more than once, this might horrify you but if you read the statistics people who have been homeless are more liable to experience it again. I am sure if you met me you would ask yourself why this person became a rough sleeper?

Let me share something I have said to volunteers for another organisation. How do you recognise an ex rough sleeper? Well I have a head, two arms, two legs, in fact I possess everything that the majority of people have!

At the end of 2006 I had a breakdown, I had a good job and got myself into debt. I walked out of my flat, left my job and found myself on the street. For a few months I just wandered around, I went to handouts, I used to wash in Covent Garden. I will admit I was lost. I found a doorstep to sleep on. This place became a sort of home the few times I found myself on the streets.

Then one night a street worker came up to me. He said I should go to The Connections at St Martin’s. I had never heard of day centres before, how they can be an oasis for people like myself.

The following day I went along and had an interview and even though a helping hand was offered I refused it. This, I will admit, is one of my weaknesses. I have always been the one people have turned to, yet I found it difficult to ask for help.

I did get a place, it was a studio but my troubles were not over. In the end I lost the place and was on the street again. Who did I turn to? Of course it was The Connection, a worker there called Brian. He was very sympathetic and after a short while I found myself in a hostel and as I have low support needs in a first stage studio, and finally my own home. I have had several bouts of homelessness but each time the staff at The Connection has come to my aid.

The Connection was a haven for me, you could get for a small amount a good warm meal, there were courses there, I took the Dreamweaver one, this is a programme which aids web design. As somebody with an IT qualification I found this was a valuable tool which I would then go onto help others learn later. I also made some good friends there.

You may ask what I do now. I have just reached my 63rd birthday and I suppose some of my age group would be looking towards retirement.

That could never apply to me. I cannot just sit around doing nothing. I must be doing something that I not only feel is worthwhile for my well -being but can also benefit people.

I have for the last 3 years been a Step Up volunteer at The Connection helping the clients in gaining a familiarity with computers and mobile phones. I have put my IT skills to good use and help others learn more which makes me feel good.

I am also a member’s rep coordinator for a theatre company who work with people who have experienced homelessness. Finally I am journalist for the Pavement, a magazine for the homeless.

I have never forgotten my times on the streets, or the people that helped me. It is now part of my make- up but even if you have not had the experience that I had, I feel we must remember that everyone needs a helping hand at some time in their life.

My name is Ian, I am an ex rough sleeper. I have experienced homelessness more than once, this might horrify you but if you read the statistics people who have been homeless are more liable to experience it again. I am sure if you met me you would ask yourself why this person became a rough sleeper?...

11/12/2022

Meet Richard

Richard found himself homeless when his marriage broke down. He’d been a stay-at-home dad caring for his children, whilst his wife pursued her career. When things started to unravel, he didn’t know where to go. For a while he tried to keep it from his children, sleeping rough opposite the flat he used to share with them. But this quickly become unmanageable, and he found himself needing our support.

“I was living in a nice apartment, in a nice complex in a very nice part of town. When I slept rough I slept over the road from where I’d been staying. The principle reason that I was still going back during the day was strangely, to look after my children and take them to school. And then pick them up from school and do the washing and the cleaning. Which is a very bizarre arrangement and when things started breaking down I ended up in the Night Centre here”

Thanks to your support we were able to help Richard access our Emergency Night Centre while we helped him find permanent accommodation. He’s now moved in to his own place – and his children can come and visit him again.

“What I don’t think a lot of people realise is that once you get to know the people using The Connection it’s an exact mirror of society, you’ve got people from all sections of society. People who’ve had families, people who’ve had good jobs. At the other end you have people who’ve been in prison and who’ve had abused childhoods so… Don’t think it can’t happen to you because it can and very easily. But here it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, where you’ve come from, you’ll be treated well and equally.”

Richard has been retraining so he has the skills to be financially independent and stand on his own two feet. He attended The Connection’s Build a Bike course and completed the European Computer Driving Licence, before accessing a trainee scheme, which has given him the skills needed for his new job working as a support worker in a women’s hostel which he is really enjoying.

Without your donations, Richard wouldn’t have been able to receive this support – and to now be in a position to support others.

Richard found himself homeless when his marriage broke down. He’d been a stay-at-home dad caring for his children, whilst his wife pursued her career. When things started to unravel, he didn’t know where to go. For a while he tried to keep it from his children, sleeping rough opposite the flat h...

11/12/2022

Meet Lorenzo

Lorenzo grew up in orphanages in Romania and, like many others, then lived on the streets before coming to the UK. He suffered extensive trauma throughout his life and, as a consequence, struggled with his mental health.

“When I first came to The Connection I was in limbo and I didn’t know what to do. I first went to get a shower and a hot meal and some clothes. After a few months I did build some relationships with the staff and formed friendships.” From this point, Lorenzo says “everything changed.” “I accepted help for my mental health, and medical help which I needed. It was difficult for me to engage with the staff in the beginning, I just wanted to isolate and to be on my own. What I found at The Connection was actual genuine nice people. They really cared about me and my situation. They worked hard to show me that life was not only food and a shower, it was much more than that.”

Lorenzo accepts that it wasn’t always easy for him to accept help and The Connection staff worked hard to keep him on track – an experience which isn’t uncommon when people first seek help. “It must have been hard for the staff to get along with me, I always tried to sort out my stuff on my own at first. Until I realised that by myself I couldn’t do much. With their help I ended up changing my whole life. Through coming to The Connection, I realised the opportunity to enjoy a real life. Before coming I didn’t have a good lifestyle, I didn’t have anywhere to live.”

The next steps for Lorenzo will be the biggest ones. He is moving into his own place and looks forward to Christmas in his home, but also giving back to others. He has recently applied to work as a volunteer for a charity to gain some further work experience. Through working with The Connection, he learned that life “is not only about taking, it is also about giving back. I have been helped so much and now it is my opportunity to give back to society’. ‘Even if had to work at Christmas I would do it just to give back, to help someone else.”

This winter we are asking for your support to continue to help people like Lorenzo to change their life and celebrate this Christmas, and many more to come, in the comfort and safety of their own home.

Lorenzo grew up in orphanages in Romania and, like many others, then lived on the streets before coming to the UK. He suffered extensive trauma throughout his life and, as a consequence, struggled with his mental health. “When I first came to The Connection I was in limbo and I didn’t know what ...

11/12/2022

Brandenburg Concerts 28 December 2022

The Friends of the Connection are delighted to invite you to an evening of concerts, “Fauré Requiem by Candlelight” and a “Ceremony of Carols by Candlelight”, a talk by CEO of The Connection, Pam Orchard and light refreshments, from 6pm on Wednesday 28 December at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

At 6pm, a performance by the Brandenburg Festival Chorus and Sinfonia of the exquisite Requiem setting by Gabriel Fauré.

In the first half, the strings of the Brandenburg Sinfonia will perform two popular pieces by Mozart – Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and his Divertimento in F K.138. Nestling between those two will be Samuel Barber’s iconic Adagio.

Then following the interval, their very own Bob Porter will conduct Fauré’s iconic Requiem.

During the interval, refreshments will be available and Pam Orchard will talk on “Homelessness and Christmas – exploring the themes and links”.

From 9pm, the music continues with a performance of Benjamin Britten’s “A Ceremony of Carols” along with a selection of festive bon-bons including Catemos a Maria, Maria Wiegenlied, I sing of a maiden and Stille Nacht.

Performers are Excalibur Voices directed by Duncan Aspden.

What a wonderful way to perk up the follow holiday period between Christmas and New Year!

Friends can purchase tickets for one, either or both performances below or please contact [email protected] for more information.Brandenburg Concerts 28 December 2022

The Friends of the Connection are delighted to invite you to an evening of concerts, “Fauré Requiem by Candlelight” and a “Ceremony of Carols by Candlelight”, a talk by CEO of The Connection, Pam Orchard and light refreshments, from 6pm on Wednesday 28 December at St Martin-in-the-Fields. A...

11/12/2022

THE CONNECTION AT ST MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS COMMUNITY GARDEN

The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields Community Garden welcomes clients to a space where they can connect with plants and observe nature. Situated in the courtyard of St. Martin-in-the-Fields church, the garden is open for visitors to relax away from the loud (often too loud) streets of central London. The Connection hopes this acts as a safe space for all and can bring a sense of community to Westminster.

Thanks to their clients, including Tim and Adam, the garden has developed into a space to relax, reflect and learn amongst the plants. Many have shown great passion and knowledge of plants, and many have developed skills they didn’t know they had.

11/12/2022

A collection of images to see what we have been getting up to at Friends of the Connection at St Martin’s!

11/12/2022

Welcome to Friends of the Connection at St Martin's

The Friends of The Connection is a country-wide network of people dedicated to promoting and supporting the vital, innovative work of The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields to prevent street homelessness and reintegrate homeless people into society. The Friends is an independent charity run largely by volunteers, and its income, apart from a small percentage spent on administration, is donated to The Connection.

The majority of the Friends’ income comes from members’ subscriptions, donations and also legacies. However, there are a number of other ways that individual Friends get involved to further support the charity’s fundraising activities, as well as promoting a greater understanding of the causes of homelessness, and how The Connection responds:

• Organising fundraising activities in their own locality, such as coffee mornings, musical evenings, jam, card or cake sales, pub quizzes etc;
• Taking part in sponsored events, including The Connection’s annual Pilgrimage to Canterbury and the 200-mile Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride;
• Speaking about The Connection and the Friends to local societies such as U3A, Rotary, WI, church groups;
• Helping to organise fundraising concerts and promotional events in London;
• Contributing to occasional special appeals for towels, socks or other specific items;
• Carol singing at Christmas in Charing Cross Station, or in their own locality.

You can support the work of The Connection at St Martin’s by becoming a Friend. The Friends of the Connection is a separate charity which exists to provide support for The Connection’s vital work. We do this through fundraising events, legacies and donations including much needed items like new towels, underwear and bedding for Connection clients.

You will become part of a community of over 1,250 members from all over the UK who want to help homeless people rebuild their lives.

As a Friend you will receive regular newsletters, invitations to events, support to organise your own fundraising events locally and the chance to learn more about the work of The Connection. Friends also volunteer to provide help in the office and support events organised by the Connection, such as carol singing.