Latest news

Cambridge

22/07/2010 17:07:17

On 17th July Emmaus Cambridge hosted a sale to raise funds to support the work of Emmaus International who combat poverty across the world.

10 Emmaus Communities came from across the UK with van loads of furniture and bric-a-brac and set up their stalls in the courtyard outside the Community in Landbeach. At 8.30 the public started to arrive and the sale opened at 9am.

All the goods on offer both on the stalls and in the Emmaus Cambridge shops were half the marked price so merchandise was flying off the shelves.

The sale raised over £9,000 for Emmaus Communities in 36 countries and provided the opportunity for the members of the Emmaus Movement in the UK to get together and catch up on developments in other Communities.

The event was judged to be such a success that it's hoped that it will become an annual event.

On 17th July Emmaus Cambridge hosted a sale to raise funds to support the work of Emmaus International who combat poverty across the world.

Emmaus Brighton & Hove are really please to announce the appointment of our new Catering Manager .

20/07/2010 16:36:05

Ian our new catering Manager introduces himself:-

"I was a professional chef in hotels and restaurants all over the country for 20 years and for the last few years worked as an agency chef. Then I got a bit disheartened, retrained as a book keeper and worked for two and a half years at Southlands Hospital, cooking as a weekend job at the YMCA in Portslade.

Working in an office was good experience and I’m glad to have the knowledge but it wasn’t really for me. When my fiancee and I saw the job at Emmaus advertised we thought it was just what I wanted . After five and a half years working at the YMCA I have experience of people in vulnerable situations and I wanted to get back into catering and may -be do some good.

My first week at Emmaus has certainly been interesting! But fortunately with more highs than lows. It was a bit of a shock on my first morning to find a big hole where the stove should be and the fryer out of action because the extractor fan has to be replaced and re-positioned. Poor Joel (our business manager) was really apologetic and not surprisingly we aren’t doing a great deal of hot food. However, thanks to the team in the cafe, we put together a menu and we are adding to it daily so that there is a reasonable selection of food for the customers.

It is a bit of a cliché to say so, but almost everyone has been really friendly and helpful and there is a genuine sense of Community. I’m impressed by the way everyone is always trying to improve things.

Based on my first week, I’m very happy to be here. I’ve enjoyed my work enormously and look forward to making changes in the menus for the cafe and the Companions’ dining room. Hopefully I’ll be able to get on with a project of my own- a beginners’ cookery class for Companions in the evenings. And anything else I can think up! "

Emmaus Hastings & Rother

01/07/2010 15:49:03

The vision of an Emmaus Community in Hastings & Rother has moved a step closer with the award of £436,000 from the Social Enterprise Investment Fund.

Emmaus Hastings & Rother acquired their site from Southern Water in August 2009 with the help of £280,000 of solidarity funding from the Emmaus Movement. In October 2009 the group began trading, using volunteers supported by Companions from Emmaus Brighton & Hove, selling donated furniture and household goods to raise funds for the project. Turnover in their shop now approaches £1,000 per week.

The SEIF grant will fund construction of the first phase of the accommodation block on the site together with alterations to the existing building. This will house 9 Companions and a Community Leader and provide for the gradual growth of the Community over its first couple of years. During that time the group will target the funds to add the 14 rooms required to bring the Community up to its design size of 23.

Acting Chair of Trustees David Cooper said: "We were stunned to win the SEIF grant and are now working flat-out to get everything in place to allow all of the funds to be released before the funding deadline. This includes a minor variation to our existing planning consent. Over the past year we have been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received from the rest of the Movement - only last Saturday Emmaus Cambridge held a solidarity sale to help fund a new van for us".