Guildford Town Centre Chaplaincy, well known for its Street Angel and Community Angel projects, has won a £1,000 Movement for Good award thanks to nominations from the public.
The Guildford based charity was nominated to win a £1,000 boost as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical’s Movement for Good awards, which is giving £1million to charities this summer.
The Guildford Chaplaincy has been established for over ten years and is supported by churches, businesses and individuals from the Guildford area. Thanks to the energy of 130 volunteers, it runs the award-winning Street Angel project which has helped 50,000 people in its first decade of operation, providing a calming presence on the town’s streets, between 10.30pm and 4am, every Friday and Saturday night. Their newer project, Community Angels, tackles the growing problem of loneliness through befriending, empowerment and reconnection for the most isolated across the town during the day. Volunteer Chaplains provide an independent listening ear within the workplaces of the town centre.
Members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts, with 500 gifts of £1,000 available for donation. The Guildford chaplaincy was one of more than 7,000 charities which were nominated by an amazing 98,000 members of the public to be in for a chance to win a financial boost.
Rev Noelle Coe, Town Chaplain, said “We are so grateful for this donation, it will enable us to keep caring for the vulnerable in our town. We work in close collaboration with a wide range of voluntary organisations and statutory bodies, often bridging a gap in service provision. It costs over £80,000 a year to maintain our services and we are always on the look out for people who might be able to help – particularly through joining our fabulous team of volunteers or supporting our finances This generous £1000 gift is a most welcome bonus”
Mark Hews, group chief executive at Ecclesiastical, said “As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”
