Brandon SNT Commended In The High Sherrif's Award For Work With The Homeless

Published: Thursday 25th March 2010 18:00

 

Brandon Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and the Brandon Gospel Church have come third in the new Suffolk Community Partnership of the Year award, announced at the Safer Suffolk Foundation's High Sheriff Awards Ceremony, which is to be held at Wattisham Air Field on Wednesday 24th March.

 

The awards recognise the life-changing work individuals and organisations carry out across the county. The nomination for Brandon SNT comes after the hard work carried out in partnership with Brandon Gospel Church to change the lives of several homeless people in the area.

 

The Brandon SNT was made aware of a number of homeless people in the area in the regular public community tasking meetings towards the end of last year. Together with the Brandon Gospel Church, several projects were implemented to improve the lives of the people concerned, such as a weekly soup kitchen, fresh clothes and bedding, English lessons to help them better integrate into the community and the provision of shelter during the winter.

 

Sgt Christian Chisnall of the Brandon SNT says, "The SNT are indebted to the huge effort, resources and money that the church and the volunteers have put in to change the lives of these individuals for the better, this is a good example of people working together in partnership to positively change the community for the better."

 

Tony Racine from the Brandon Gospel Church says, "We became involved after speaking to PC Leah Driver at last year's Remembrance Day service and the church helped in any way that it could. We were concerned for the welfare of the individuals as well as any potential ill feeling in the community towards them. People have been tremendously generous however, providing waterproof clothes and one lady even opened up her house for the winter, which we provided some rent for. This was particularly important as last winter was so cold."