14 August 2024
We have good news to share with you!
As of Monday 12th August, Genesis Life Projects is temporarily located behind Widcombe Baptist Church. We are calling the new space ‘Genesis by the Canal’ as the entrance is just above the Kennet and Avon Canal (see picture).
We can run almost all of our Life Projects activities from there including Lifeline crisis support, Life Skills courses, the Life Course and Life Thrive one-to-one meetings.
Life Connect, the name for our “community over a meal times”, will have to be a little different. The Thursday lunch at St John’s Church will continue as normal and we are so thankful to all the volunteers who make it happen. This meal has been so vital as a point of contact the last five weeks. Our Wednesday cooked breakfast will now be more of a continental breakfast and we’ve had to pause the Friday lunch for the time being.
Sue Fourie, Genesis Life Projects manager said,
“We want to thank Widcombe Baptist Church for their generosity. The space is amazing! We have a large comfortable yet cosy sitting area which is perfect for us to meet our guests, creating a wonderful social space and where we can run our courses. There is a café style kitchen, toilets, space for one-to-one meetings and storage for clothes and food. So important too is the shower facility that we are able to provide for those without permanent accommodation and who have been without such facilities over the past five weeks. The added bonus is having the canal frontage right outside our door.”
We also want to thank St Michael’s Without Church and Walcot Methodist Chapel (Nexus) for offering space at their churches during this time. We are so grateful for all the support we have been shown across the city and, as they have blessed us, we pray God’s blessing on them.
Important update about donations of clothes, toiletries and other things
We still require donations of clothes (particularly men’s clothing), toiletries, sleeping bags and other things. You can see a list of our most needed items HERE.
Please could you arrange a drop off appointment for all donations at our Church Farm Business Park offices? Email office@genesistrust.org.uk to arrange an appointment. Please do not drop off any donations at Genesis by the Canal.
Thank you very much for all your support!
6 August 2024
A few weeks ago, we shared the unfortunate news about the flooding at our Gateway Centre, resulting in its temporary closure. As difficult as it has been, there have been silver linings.
Continuing client support
Although the Gateway Centre has temporarily closed, Genesis Life Projects is very much open. Staff have been adapting quickly, connecting with our clients over the phone, face-to-face in cafes and at clients’ homes. Matt Prescott, Life Skills Facilitator, is a good example of this, showing up at local cafes with a rucksack full of art materials ready for planned creative one-to-ones.
Matt said, “Whatever the situation we will endeavour to keep supporting our clients.”
Our Life Connect meal each Thursday at St John The Evangelist Church has continued as normal and has been a vital point of contact and communication for our clients during this unsettled time.
A temporary home
We have been busy meeting with various churches and organisations to find temporary space for Genesis Life Projects. By considering the urgent needs of our clients first and foremost, we are close to reaching a final agreement within Bath and will share this with you as soon as we can.
We have been so blessed by the outpouring of support and want to thank all those with whom we have had conversations.
Sue said, “I have been truly overwhelmed by the generosity, kindness and genuine compassion of the church community in Bath. So quick to respond to my emails, offering help where they could and where they couldn’t we’ve had their empathy, support and prayer. It has meant the world to us. Thank you!”
The future of Gateway
The closure of our Gateway Centre has made it clear just how vital the space is as a place of security and community for homeless and vulnerable people in our city.
Over the last year, Genesis Life Projects has often been considered “home” to over 600 people. Its closure has left people extremely vulnerable with many expressing feelings of loss and isolation.
Gateway provides Lifeline, our day centre, where people come for vital support, whether they are sleeping rough, living on boats, housed but struggling financially or have no place to shower or do laundry. It’s also a place where most of our vital one-to-one meetings happen, many of which deal with distressing issues. And it’s where our Life Skills’ courses run, where clients engage with others and participate in activities that stretch them, improve their confidence and have a positive impact of their mental health.
Gateway is a place that is familiar, safe and many feel it’s where they can come to relax and eat meals, where they are known by name, loved, respected and cared for. It’s a place where they have community – they have made friends and chat easily with other clients, staff and volunteers.
Although we are close to having a temporary solution for Genesis Life Projects, our desire to make the Gateway Centre all it needs to be has deepened. We will continue to accelerate renovation plans and combine them with the repairs needed since the flood.
Reflecting resilience
Our Genesis Life Projects team have been able to talk through the challenges caused by the flood with our clients and use it as a lived example of resilience.
Our clients often face difficulties in their homes and lives and, many times, lack the resilience to tackle the problem. In many cases, their first reaction is to “run” and avoid dealing with it instead of asking for help and working through the problem together.
Through all the changes we are dealing with, our clients are witnessing resilience in finding a solution. It has been hard but with determination and the support of others we are close to finding a temporary solution for Genesis Life Projects and are making plans to future-proof the Gateway Centre.
It has also been very heart-warming to see many of our clients showing amazing amounts of kindness. They are very sad about the flooding at Gateway but have offered to help in the moving process to the temporary premises.
One client shared, ‘Genesis was my rock when I was homeless. The practical benefits were amazing, the food parcels, the laundry and the groups but the main thing was having somewhere I knew I could go 3 days a week and feel part of. I know I can be hard work and awkward, but [they] always greeted me with compassion and kindness. I treasure that and would be delighted to be a part of other guests feeling that. Also, I’m a good labourer please let me know if I can help with any work at Gateway, I don’t care whether it’s paid or not.’
Thank you
We will continue to keep you updated with any progress we make and want to thank all those across the community who have offered support, prayers and encouragement at this challenging time. We have been overwhelmed by your support and are hopeful for the future.
Kind regards,
Nick Mayo
CEO Genesis Trust
16 July 2024
I am writing to you with some unfortunate news. There has been a major flood at our Gateway Centre site on London Road and we have been forced to temporarily shut the Centre. This is where our Genesis Life Project activities are based and, of course, our main concern is for our clients who depend on the support we deliver.
We are presently providing essential support and are having positive and encouraging conversations to find a temporary place to continue of our work. Our immediate plan is to continue with Lifeline (crisis support), SMART Recovery (addiction support) and our vital Life Thrive one-to-one meetings, and we are contacting all our clients to tell them about the changes.
In terms of the damage caused by the flood, we are speaking with our insurance company and the indication is the impact of the flood will be covered.
Whilst this flood is unexpected and unwelcome, it has potentially given us the opportunity to accelerate some necessary refurbishment to the Gateway Centre. As the demand for our services has increased and, consequently, the pressure on our infrastructure has grown, we have been exploring plans to refurbish the Gateway Centre. One of the difficulties was working out how we could continue to run our services while the refurbishment takes place. A temporary location means we should be able to combine the refurbishment with the repairs.
As our loyal supporters and volunteers, we want to thank you for faithfully supporting Genesis Trust. We are so grateful for your support and ask if you can bear with us as we work out the best way forward and we, of course, welcome your prayers for this situation.
We will regularly update you through our newsletters and on our website.
Kind regards,
Nick Mayo
CEO Genesis Trust