Towels needed for The Whitechapel Centre!

Are you struggling to close your airing cupboard door?

Have you recently changed the colour scheme in your bathroom?

Do you regularly exchange your towels, and replace them with new ones?

If any of the above strike a chord with you, you might just have what we need!!

At our Enablement Centre on Langsdale Street we provide people who access our services with an opportunity to use our washing facilities, including showers.

Our centre is open for people to are homeless, or are at risk of being homeless within our city, and surrounding areas.

These facilities are extremely popular as many people who attend the centre do not have access to a shower anywhere else.

As a result we use a lot of towels, very regularly, and they are also washed after every use, meaning that they do not last very long!




Administrator Sandy showing an expample of how low we are on towels!


So if you have any spare towels, or you were thinking of replacing your existing towels, please don't throw away your old ones, give them to us!

Any donations can be taken directly to our Enablement Centre at:

The Whitechapel Centre, Langsdale Street, Everton, L3 8DU

Unfortunately we do not have the funding to collect any donations you have, at the moment, though with our new fundraising team we are always working on it.

For more information on the services that we provide at The Whitechapel Centre please take a look at our website at: http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk.

Alternatively, to speak with someone, to make a donation, or to report a person homeless, you can call us on 0151 207 8617.

Whitechapel's Gary runs a great race!

On Sunday 14th October Whitechapel resettlement worker, Gary English, took part in this years Liverpool Marathon.

This is the second year that the marathon has been revived, it started at 9.30am in the morning, going from Birkenhead Park.

Over 5000 people took part in the race, some of whom were taking part in the first 10k only as a part of the Wirral Run.

The conditions on Sunday were a little wet and cool, but perfect for those running a marathon!

Gary completed this year’s Liverpool marathon in an incredible 03hours 05mins 03secs, finishing 79^th overall and a fabulous 9^th in the veterans category!

When asked for a quote Gary said "Not bad for an old man, I was told!".

There is a rumor that to celebrate a speacial birthday next year, Gary might be running five marathons, so for future news watch this space!

For more information on the services that we provide, or if you are interested in raising funds for The Whitechapel Centre (you dont have to run a marathon!) please go to our website at: http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk.

An ecomony in crisis leads to a happy ending, with a little help from The Whitechapel

Lesley, one of The Whitechapel Centre's hard working support team, was supporting a tenant who had been forced to leave her private rented property due to her landlord becoming bankrupt.

The lady in question was sufferring from a rather severe mental health issue and Lesley and her CPN (community psychiatric nurse) were quite worried where she would end up living due to her vulnerable state. She was at serious risk of becoming homeless, a situation that had to be prevented.

Contact was made with Housing Options, and also the single homeless service in order to find somewhere suitable. 

The great news was that she had a successful bid for a new home, one that Lesley had made for her on property pool, and now has a tenancy with a social landlord, LMH (Liverpool Mutual Housing). 

Her new home has recently  been refurbished, and the flat itself is in a lot better condition than the place she was living to begin with, which was unsuitable and in a poor condition.

The lady in question is extremely happy with her new home, and says she "Loves it!", it is smaller and more manageable and therefore more suited to her specific needs.

For more information on the work that is carried out by The Whitechapel Centre, or to find out about the many services we provide, please go to: http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk or call us on 0151 207 8617.

Halloween Zumba Class Raising Socks for The Whitechapel Centre!

On Wednesday 31st October the Whitechapel's very own receptionist, administrator and fitness guru, Sandy Clarke, is running her weekly zumba class with a special purpose, socks!

She is asking that everyone who comes to the class brings with them at least one pair of  new, men's or ladies socks.

As the winter month's draw nearer we start to collect as many warm items of clothing as possible for those in need, particularly socks, hats, gloves and scarves.

When we sit in our warm homes during those cold winter months I am sure it is difficult to imagine how it must feel for those who are living on the streets, with no luxury of fires, central heating, or homes.

Sock-it-to-you Zumba

Halloween Theme Zumba class

7pm, Wednesday 31^st October, Peter Lloyd Lifestyles

I am collecting for The Whitechapel Centre. Please bring a pair of socks: Men’s or ladies’ (not children’s) and preferably new.  (For more info on the charity: www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk or go to my face book group page – Sandy Clarke Zumba/Group Training)

Don’t forget your Halloween fancy dress!

Two years ago we suffered from a particularly cold winter season, a life threatening time for those who live on the streets, and for those who struggle with maintaining the cost of heating.

With this in mind preparation is key in providing the right form of aid, and collecting socks so that those who need them might have warm, clean, dry feet is just the start.

Well done Sandy for thinking ahead, lets hope she has a full class on Halloween this year, I am sure there will be many photos to follow!

For more information on the services that we provide, or to report someone homeless, please go to: http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk or call us on 0151 207 8617.

Whitechapel FC in The Jacob Thomas Cup, and the road to the semi finals!

On 3rd October the Whitechapel Football Club took part in The Jacob Thomas cup at The Pitz'football pitches in Liverpool, running from 10am-4pm.

The event was organised by Genie in the Gutter and involved 12 different teams from various alcohol, drug and homeless organisations within the Liverpool area.

There were also people from film, theatre and music, performing various demonstrations throughout the day.

Also there through the day were various stalls, and people providing different complementary therapies for those who came to take advantage of.

The day was open for anyone to attend and be a part of, to look around or support their team.

The teams themselves were provided with refreshments throughout, and then were rewarded with a prize giving ceremony at the end.

The great news was that Whitechapel FC came in 3rd place, which is a brilliant result, particularly keeping in mind changing team members and new management!!

A massive well done to all the team for doing so well, and even more importantly all those who took part had a brilliant day.

The team have not just stopped there, they have just been put through to the semi finals of the Mental Health League Tournament  - GO WHITECHAPEL FC!!!

For more information about The Whitechapel Centre, and the services we provide, please go to: http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk.

The Whitechapel Centre road to self sufficiency, thanks to Barclays donations.

The very kind staff at Barclays in Wavertree Technology park are long term supporters of us here at The Whitechapel Centre.

Their latest donation is one that keeps on giving as they provided us with three planters,  four hanging baskets, bags of compost and the plants to put in them.

Suitable places were found for the hanging baskets, they were filled with compost and then various different bedding plants were put in them. They are a beautiful addition to the court yard that our Enablement Centre has, and really cheer the place up.

The planters were built by service users attending our Enablement Centre, who then filled them with compost and planted the various different types of vegetables, including brocolli, beetroot, spring onions and radishes.

The hope is that the vegetables will grow well, and then can be picked and eaten within the centre by the very people that put them there, some are in fact ready for picking and consuming very soon.

For some people that helped with the planting it is the first opportunity to become involved in gardening, and even more so in growing vegetables.

Seeds have also been provided for next year's crop, so watch this space, it could be the start of something big!

We would like to thank all those at Barclays in Wavertree for this great donation, something that can bring pleasure in watching and hopefully eating!

For more information on the services that we provide at The Whitechapel Centre, or to see how you can make a donation, please go to our website at http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk.

Activities at The Whitechapel Centre - what is available?

Here at the Whitechapel's Enablement Centre each day is filled with activities for those who use our services to attend.

These sessions are also available to anyone who is currently in a hostel, rough sleeping, or of no fixed abode.

These activities cover many different areas, for example indoor classes such as art and craft, or drama groups, which are currently held on a Wednesday morning.




Fridge magnets produced by the Arts and Crafts group


There are outdoor activities for those who want to improve their fitness, or simply just enjoy being outdoors (no matter the weather!). On a Thursday the cycling group get together, an activity that is not just available for the able bodied as we also have specially adapted bikes that may be suitable for individual use.





Volunteers Jim (right) and Dave leading a cycle for health session.


Gardening sessions have started up again, these are used not only to improve the appearance of the local community, but also as a way of keeping fit, and learning a new skill, that could one day even lead to work in that area.

There are also more educational classes avalaiable, such as the English Speaking for Other Languages (ESOL) aimed at the many people that come to us who do not have English as their first language.

There are adult literacy classes, helping people to improve their reading and writing skills, with the aim being that it will improve their every day life.

Along with these educational classes we also hold groups that are more specialised to a specific need, and they are the Alcohol Awareness Classes, set at two different levels depending on what stage an individual is at with their issues with alcohol.




Group sessions often take place in our on site portable cabin.

 Finally there are also classes that are just for FUN!! Bingo sessions, are available every Thursday (just before cycle for health) and there are prizes to be won!!

These are just a small sample of what is available each day at our Enablement Centre for those who access our services. Our aim, and hope is that we can aid people in taking that first step to help themselves, and improving their lives for the better.

For more information on when and what is available please call Ruby on 0151 207 8617.

Alternatively please go to our website by clicking on the following link to see the activities timetable:

http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/uploads/7/6/0/9/.../aug_sept_2012.pdf

There is something for everyone at The Whitechapel's Enablement Centre, dont miss out!! 

An oppportunity to raise funds for The Whitechapel Centre, thanks to the Liverpool Echo

From the 1st October the Liverpool Echo have started a new campaign called 'Wish' which we at The Whitechapel Centre have been given a opportunity to be a part of.

In every copy of the Liverpool Echo which is produced from between 1st October 2012 and 17th November 2012 there will be a 'wish' token.

All you have to do is cut the token out of your copy, and forward it to us here at The Whitechapel Centre for our co-coordinator to collect.

At the end of the collection period each group that has been collecting will forward their tokens through to be counted.

A pot of £25,000.00 will then be split amongst all those took part in Wish, according to how many tokens they collected, so the more tokens we get, the more money we will be eligible for.

This is a huge opportunity for us to be a part of, and is only open to schools, clubs, charities and not-for-profit organisations within the local area.

The Whitechapel Centre is the leading homeless charity in Liverpool and as so any funds raised would go directly to helping those who are vulnerable within our city.

We look to help not only those who are street homeless, but also those who are at risk of becoming homeless, an issue that is becoming increasing common with this continuing recession.

For more information on the services we provide please go to our website at http://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk or call us on 0151 207 8617.

If you would like to send any tokens to us via the post please forward them to:

Ruth Mc Caughley
The Whitechapel Centre
Langsdale Street
Liverpool
L3 8DU