The Winchester Beacon

18/06/2026

Next week sees the start of ******er food festival which is running from 22nd June-5th July 2026.

Restaurants, bars and cafés across the city and beyond will be celebrating the festival with special menus, discounts, events and more.

Here at The Wi******er Beacon we are marking the foodie fortnight by sharing recipes for three of our much-loved dishes. We invite you to download our recipes for Pineapple Upside Down Pudding, Corn Fritters and Jambalaya from our website.

Using donated ingredients and careful budgeting we serve over 3,500 evening meals each year to our residents. Our evening meals are mostly cooked and served by our amazing volunteers.

Hils, our Catering Co-ordinator, shared the significance of a home-cooked meal:

“Many of our residents arrive having not eaten a proper meal in a long time. Whether they have been sofa surfing, sleeping in their car or rough sleeping eating has often become about grabbing what they can when they can.

During their stay with us, food becomes something to sit and savour again. Our home-cooked food can be a huge source of comfort and hope. It sends a message that they are now safe and that things are going to get better.”

Head to our website to download the free recipes: https://buff.ly/KaHZDTO

Follow ******er or head over to buff.ly/u0lSbas to see the line up of events and information about how to book and tuck in to all that the festival has to offer!

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11/06/2026

Ready for a challenge with a great causes behind it? 🚴‍♂️🏃‍♀️🚣‍♂️

The Wi******er Pedal Paddle Pace, organised by the ******erroundtable family, is taking place on Sunday 12th July. This fun and family-friendly event combines a 20K cycle, a 5K run and a 2K row! Take on all three disciplines yourself or enter as a team and share the challenge!

Participants are encouraged to raise funds for a charity of their choice and profits raised by the event will be donated to local charities.

Want to get involved? Head over to wi******erppp.co.uk and enter as a team or an individual. Choose the charity you'd like to raise funds for (we can recommend one!😉 ) and get fundraising and training!

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Wi******er Pedal Paddle Pace is the triathlon with a difference! Cycle 20k, run 5k and kayak 2k. Individuals or teams welcome.

05/06/2026

Behind the life-changing support that we provide at The Wi******er Beacon is a remarkable group of people who help to make it all possible – our volunteers.

This Volunteers’ Week (1st-7th June 2026), we want to say a heartfelt thank you to every volunteer who gives their time, energy, skills and compassion to support those experiencing homelessness and hardship across Wi******er and the surrounding area.

The generosity of our volunteers strengthens our organisation and helps us to continue providing essential support to those who need it most. The difference our volunteers make cannot be measured simply in hours volunteered; it is reflected in the lives touched, the confidence restored and the hope renewed.

If you are interested in making a positive difference to the lives of people experiencing homelessness in Hampshire then please get in touch via our website.



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02/06/2026

We are very lucky to have the loyal support of over 150 volunteers here at The Wi******er Beacon. Our volunteers help day and night to support our staff and keep our services for people experiencing homelessness running 24 hours a day.

Our volunteers cook, sort, garden, clean and so much more. Not only do they help in practical ways but they also bring a unique and precious sense of community to The Wi******er Beacon. Their presence and kindness reminds our residents that there are people who believe in them and care about them.

This we would like to say thank you to each one of our volunteers who chooses to give their time to support our vision to transform lives and enable people to rebuild their lives. You are shining beacons of hope.

We would love to hear from you if you would like to find out more about volunteering with us please visit our website for more details.

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29/05/2026

"If I won the lottery this is the flat I would choose to move to"

These are the powerful words of one of our residents who recently moved out after staying with us for several months.

During his stay we have provided him with life-changing one-to-one personalised support. It has addressed not only the issues surrounding his homelessness but also deeper-rooted circumstances that have impacted him his entire life.

Now ready to move to his dream flat, he leaves us stronger, more self-aware and less isolated. Our support will continue over the coming months as he adjusts to independent living.

Thank you to every one of our supporters who has made this possible. Together, we are helping people to rebuild and begin again.

26/05/2026

A chore or a privilege?

Getting the washing done is often another item on the list of jobs that need doing. But when you don't have somewhere to live doing your own washing can be impossible.

All our residents have access to a washing machine during their stay. This can feel like a luxury if you haven't been able to do your laundry for a while.

Thank you to all our supporters who make it possible for us to offer this facility to our residents.

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23/05/2026

Every week our residents are treated to some delicious home-baked goodies made by pupils . As well as being tasty these cakes are a reminder that people across our local community are thinking of our residents and care about them, this means a lot to so many of our residents.

Would you like to help to feed people experiencing homelessness in Wi******er?

Here are a few ways that you can do it:

- donate items from our most-needed items list on our website
- volunteer your time to cook our evening meals
- donate what you can to help us to buy ingredients

Find out more on our website.

Thank you for your support.

21/05/2026

We are looking for proactive and compassionate people to join our dedicated and friendly team of staff.

If you are looking for a job that brings the chance to help change lives and make a positive difference then head to our website to find out more about our vacancies of Facilities Manager and Project Worker.

We are also looking for trustees to join our committed board of volunteer directors. This is an opportunity to help shape the future of our organisation and support our mission. We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences. You don’t need previous trustee experience - just a commitment to our values, good judgement and a willingness to contribute your skills.

More details: https://buff.ly/OzLpx1u

18/05/2026

The Wi******er Beacon is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day because homelessness doesn't stop for evenings, weekends or holidays.

We accommodate and support 22 people experiencing homelessness every day and night of the year. We also provide sleeping bags, hot drinks and conversation during the night to people who are sleeping rough.

We are only able to provide this vital and life-changing support because of the kindness and generosity of our supporters and local community.

Thank you to everyone who supports our work, together we are lighting a way out of homelessness.

If you would like to be part of our positive change please head to our website to find out how you can make a difference with us.

Please share.

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14/05/2026

Mental health and homelessness are so often intertwined. Many of our residents are facing one of the toughest times in their life whilst also battling the challenges that mental health can bring.

During their stay with us, residents are encouraged to take action to support and improve their mental health.

All our residents have access to:
- Free counselling and psychotherapy
- Free gym pass
- Free bike rides, boxing and other local fitness clubs
- One-to-one personalised support to identify their goals and the help they need
- Free community-led projects such as music, art and poetry
- Support to go along to community groups for connection and conversation

Having a personal toolbox of activities and resources that work to support your mental health can be invaluable. Our hope is that all our residents move on from us feeling better able to cope with the ups and downs of life.

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is taking action. This is can be action for yourself, for someone else or for all of us. What action will you take?




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