High Sheriff Awards 2023
On Thursday 2nd March, we were delighted to host the current High Sheriff of Worcester, Mr Andrew Manning-Cox at the hostel. As a representative of His Majesty King Charles III, the High Sheriff bestowed the prestigious awards to the hostel, 5 residents, former residents, and volunteers and ‘Bailey the dog’.
St Paul’s Hostel – Frances Martin, Vice Chair of St Paul’s received the High Sheriff Award on behalf of the charity. This award recognised the exceptional work of St Paul’s Hostel Worcester during the Covid-19 pandemic.
People experiencing homelessness are amongst the most vulnerable people in the county. St Paul’s was one outstanding charity which, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, continued to provide shelter, meals, and other vital services to the community.
The hostel remained open from the start of the pandemic and in doing so reduced the burden on local authorities who were struggling to meet the demands placed on them by government’s ‘Everyone In’ campaign. In addition, St Paul’s also implemented protocols to protect staff and hostel residents from the virus and many residents helped by volunteering for endless cleaning duties. There were no cases of the virus until a small outbreak in December 2021 and, perhaps more importantly, no residents have been hospitalised as a result of the virus.
Remarkably when many services were struggling to operate or even close, St Paul’s started delivering support to a new county-wide Housing First service planned the previous autumn. This service had to work round the clock to rehome people when many other services were not fully functioning due to staff working from home. It was up and running by the late summer and while not at full capacity had re-homed over a dozen people.
The work of St Paul’s has been nothing short of an exceptional team effort. All staff have demonstrated a deep commitment and strength of character to serve the most vulnerable in the county in the most difficult of circumstances.
Read more about our award here: St Paul’s Hostel heroes receive awards from High Sheriff | Worcester News
Carl – Carl volunteered to be the handyman at St Paul’s hostel last summer and his dedication has made a significant difference to the residents of St Paul’s Hostel.
With the hostel being almost 40 years’ old and there are several maintenance challenges. Carl’s duties include a wide array of tasks, for example, fixing pictures to walls, repairing television aerials, changing light bulbs and frequent trips to the recycling centre.
He does this all while building relationships with residents and allowing them the time to talk to him. Through his role, Carl has ensured that St Paul’s is a safe and comfortable place to stay, and this has had an incredibly positive impact on the lives of people St Paul’s helps. It is a pleasure that Carl is recognised with this award. Carl also supports and attends the Big Worcester Sleep Out, helping to raise vital funds for the charity.
Jamie & Bailey, the dog! – This award recognises the unique contribution of our volunteer gardener, Jamie, and his faithful companion Bailey the dog. Jamie has been instrumental in maintaining the gardens to an extremely high standard. His collection of new plants have improved the gardens and he has created his own mark.
Jamie has spent countless hours planting, sweeping, weeding, and caring for the gardens and this has been noticed by residents and visitors alike. While doing this, Bailey has spent many hours being friendly to hostel residents and visitors and, of course, supervising his master while relaxing in the sunshine.
The impact on our environment and the wellbeing of residents cannot be underestimated by Jamie’s efforts. This award shows their efforts have not gone unnoticed and St Paul’s are deeply grateful to have Jamie and Bailey in the community.
Nick – This award recognises Nick for his remarkable journey of resilience through adversity. He overcame significant challenges in his life, but he never gave up and always wanted to have a positive impact on the community.
Having left St Paul’s nearly two years’ ago, Nick quickly volunteered on the Housing Ready “Rough Sleeper Accommodation Programme” and the Housing First services. He has openly shared his lived experience, providing participants with hope and motivation for change.
Nick also gained employment as an ambulatory driver, supporting the local NHS patient transport service and he is making a significant impact on the lives of others.
Nick is a well-respected man and his story is an example of his spirit and determination to overcome life’s challenges. This award is well-deserved and serves as an inspiration to all.
Sam – Sam is a dedicated and very hard-working Kitchen Assistant who goes the extra mile in everything he does. Starting out in the unglamorous dish washing role, Sam applied for and was successful in securing one of the two paid Kitchen Assistant roles.
He constantly goes above and beyond what that role entails making sure every last detail is sorted. Sam is always the first to lend a hand wherever it is needed and is often someone who will forgo his days off and stand in for a colleague.
St Paul’s Hostel are deeply grateful for Sam’s contributions, and we are proud he has been recognised with this award.
Ryan – Ryan’s journey from recovery from addiction to employment on the Housing First service is an outstanding achievement and worthy of recognition by this award.
His determination, courage and perseverance to change his life is an inspiration to others and is testament to the power of hope. Since starting the role, in September 2021, he has made considerable progress and become an asset to the Housing First service.
As a Peer Support Worker he provides a unique perspective to the team and his lived experience is essential to engage and encourage Housing First Participants in their own journey. Ryan’s endless enthusiasm, excellent teamwork and his contribution to delivering high-quality support makes such a difference.
Ryan is an inspiration to us all and is congratulated for this well-deserved award.
You can read more about Ryan’s journey in a powerful interview with Ryan and Worcester News journalist, James Connell How ex-addict climbed ladder out of drugs hell to help others | Worcester News