News

From Russia with Love our annual a night under the stars concert held on Thursday 10 November 2011 at the Royal Festival Hall has raised just over £100,000 to support our work with homeless people. We are very grateful to Barclays our headline sponsor and all other sponsors and advertisers who made this possible. The concert was presented by Simon Amstell and Sean Rafferty.  The music was provided by the Orion Orchestra conducted by Toby Purser with soloists Joanna MacGregor, Charlie Siem and Richard Harwood.  Stretwise Opera sang The Cheryomushki Anthem by Shostakovich.  The concert was attended by over 2,500 people.

Every £1 worth £2:- Can you give an extra Christmas present this Christmas?

When you donate online to The Passage from 10.00 a.m. Monday 5 December to Friday 9 December, your donation will be doubled by the Big Give campaign! So, for every £1 you donate, The Passage will get £2.

As Christmas approaches and the cold weather begins to set in, your donation will help The Passage help homeless people off the streets and into a home; not just for Christmas, but a home for good. 

For donations that are Gift Aided, a further 25p can be claimed by The Passage for every £1 given. 

Please help us give a very special gift to those on the streets and most in need this Christmas by giving on line at: http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/projects/view/11788

 Passage Garden Party weathers storm to raise £20,000 for the homeless

 Rain did not dampen the atmosphere at the annual Garden Party held to raise funds for The Passage, as supporters once again turned out in force to enjoy this popular sell out event.

 This annual event was held on 20th July in the beautiful College Garden at Westminster Abbey, by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. 500 guests attended the event and they enjoyed an evening of food, drink and musical entertainment in the unique surroundings of the Garden.

 As the evening progressed and the weather closed in, the crowd entered into the spirit of the event, donning their umbrellas as they enjoyed strawberries and cream.

 The prize raffle raised £2500 towards the fantastic total of nearly £20,000 raised by the event. These valuable funds will support the ongoing work of The Passage with homeless people at a time where official statistics show an 8% rise in those sleeping on the streets of London.

The main sponsors for the event were Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, NBCUniversal and Tuckerman Chartered Surveyors, as well as many other smaller contributions from various companies.

 Mick Clarke, Chief Executive of The Passage said “The Garden Party is a wonderful event, which offers people the opportunity to spend an evening in the most quintessential of English garden settings, whilst at the same time supporting the work of The Passage. My thanks to all who supported this event; enabling The Passage to raise a fantastic amount of money for our much needed work.”

Rough sleepers are learning to read and write under an innovative programme introduced by Westminster City Council and piloted by the homeless charity The Passage.

In the UK’s first such literacy scheme, the charity is bringing together clients and mentors to assess the needs and develop personalised programmes to improve reading and writing skills. The scheme has been so successful that Westminster Council has announced that it will roll out the project to all of its hostels to help former rough sleepers.

Robert Frier, Education, Training and Employment Worker at The Passage, said:  “We are delighted to have been involved in this literacy scheme from the outset. The scheme allows learners to engage with literacy improvement at their own pace and in their own environment.

 “The main learning resource ‘Yes We Can Read’ offers a flexible approach to learning and can be passed easily from coach to coach which suits a mobile client group. Confidence in learners has grown along with skills in reading and writing and we look forward to achieving our ultimate goal of learners becoming coaches.”

Former rough sleeper Dave, 49, who spent around three months on the street, said: "I’m really enjoying my lessons. It makes me feel more confident and one day I would like to teach someone else how to read. This was something that I wanted to do for a long time and it is wonderful to have this opportunity.”

 Volunteer Literacy coach, Aidan Dwan, 51, said: "It is great to see the progress and the sense of achievement that Dave has shown over the last few months."

 Cllr Daniel Astaire, Westminster Council’s cabinet member for adult services and health, said: "Many rough sleepers are hampered by a lack of skills when trying to rebuild their lives and the impact of poor literacy cannot be under estimated.

 "This is an innovative project – the first of its kind in the UK - that will support rough sleepers people in the long-term and help stop the destructive cycle that can lead to a lifetime spent on the streets.

 "Anybody who has some time to spare should get involved and make a real difference to the lives of those less fortunate than themselves."

Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage said: “The Passage is all about giving homeless people the help, support and tools they need to help them transform their own lives. This project fits perfectly with that approach and I’m so proud that we have been able to play our part in such a great initiative.”

The council says literacy problems act a major barrier when former rough sleepers are trying to rebuild their lives. Its own research shows that around 40% of rough sleepers have literacy problems which make it difficult for them to access benefits, housing and employment and training services.

 Under the scheme – which is the first of its kind in the country -  when rough sleepers are admitted to hostels, outreach workers will offer them the opportunity to be linked with a 'coach' if they have reading problems. The scheme is voluntary and is run on a one-to-one basis.   The coach could be either another hostel resident who reads and writes fluently, a hostel worker or a volunteer.

Through the ‘Yes we can Read’ phonics programme, which will be rolled out across 15 hostels, anyone who can read fluently can teach a non or poor reader to read in less than six months.

The Counterfeit Stones rocked the audience at The Passage’s latest fundraising initiative on Thursday 3^rd February. Over 200 guests attended the event which was hosted by Hard Rock Cafe, Piccadilly as part of their ongoing commitment to The Passage. Guests were welcomed with cocktails and enjoyed an evening of pass food including the famous Hard Rock burgers and brownies, drinks and entertainment by the Counterfeit Stones who are widely recognised as one of the most popular Rolling Stones tribute bands in the UK.

All ticket proceeds went to The Passage.

Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage was delighted to invite an unexpected guest, Mark Hughes Manager of Fulham FC to draw the raffle

 The event raised £11,000 towards to work of The Passage with Homeless people.

 On Tuesday 18^th January, The Passage held a special exhibition of photographs to capture the life of The Passage over the last 30 years, as part of its anniversary celebrations.

The specially commissioned exhibition of portrait photographs featured Thirty key individuals who have been involved with The Passage, taken by Thirty photographers, including major names such as James Eckersley, Tom Hunter, Martin Brent and Alan Mahon. These award-winning photographers have donated their time and skill to take the photographs of 30 past and present clients, staff and supporters of The Passage, including famous names like Rory Bremner, Sir Stuart Rose and Cherie Blair.

The event was hosted by the Land Securities SW1 Gallery in Cardinal Place, Victoria, and was sponsored by Victoria BID and Hard Rock Cafe and supported by Laurent Perrier. The project was managed by 85Four.

 For a copy of the Thirty by Thirty annual report click here 

 Sir Stuart Rose, a long standing supporter of The Passage spoke of his interest in the work of The Passage from when he rejoined Marks & Spencer in 2004. He noted the support of Hard Rock Cafe for The Passage and said that Marks & Spencer as a big business and other big businesses thought it important to support The Passage’s work.  He admired the practical hands on work of the charity helping individual homeless people to find a way forward from homelessness.  He was particularly impressed by the support given to enable homeless people to return to work including those who had found work with Marks & Spencer.

Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage said “My thanks to everyone who has sponsored this wonderful annual report and exhibition, all at no cost to The Passage. Special thanks to the photographers and subjects and also to 85 FOUR who for so many years have been supporting us by producing our annual reports; they are truly exceptional and I don’t know what we would do without them. 30 years ago, Cardinal Basil Hume asked the Daughters of Charity if they would open the basement of St. Vincent’s Centre to provide care for those sleeping on the streets around Victoria; thus The Passage was born. 30 years on, we now provide the UK’s largest day centre for homeless people, giving diverse services to meet our clients’ complex needs, as well as accommodation projects. We have never lost our founding principles, of providing long term, not short term, solutions, addressing the root causes that led to someone becoming homeless so that they can end their cycle of homelessness for good, and most of all empowering our clients to transform their own lives.”

On Tuesday 11 January 2011 Grant Shapps MP the housing minister launched a Diverted Giving Scheme to encourage members of the public to donated cash to The Passage to help homeless people.

Grant Shapps said 'Rather than giving change to a homeless person Victoria charity, The Passage, has set up Diverted Giving boxes' For more details click here

On Wednesday 23 December Francis Maude Minister for the Cabinet Office visited The Passage.

Roger Clark said of the visit“Francis and his colleagues at the Cabinet Office were incredibly generous with the donation of gifts for our clients for Christmas as well as Francis getting stuck into helping with in our breakfast service and the associated mountain of washing up!

We believe here at The Passage that we reflect the ‘Big Society’ in its purest form with a ratio of 3:1 volunteers to staff supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society so it was appropriate that one of the government’s biggest advocates spent some time in the lead up to the festive period with us.”

For more detail click here

2010 is the 30th Anniversary of The Passage's work in supporting Rough Sleepers and homeless people. 
 

Our Patron Archbishop Vincent Nichols celebrated Mass at 5.30 pm on Friday 3 December 2010 to mark the anniversary followed by a reception in Westminster Cathedral Hall. At the beginning of Mass two homeless people carried The Passage banner in the entry procession.  After the sermon the three candles one for each decade of The Passage were lit.  One candle was lit by Mick Clarke Chief Executive of The Passage representing staff who work and have worked at The Passage, one candle was lit by a volunteer and one candle by a homeless person. In his sermon the Archbishop said

At this Mass this evening, we thank God for the work of The Passage and we seek our own renewal, in dedication and motivation, for its work.

There is a lovely account of that work, of all the good done by The Passage, in the inside cover of our Mass booklets. It tells the story of the Passage Day Centre, from the first opening of its doors in 1980 to its present day achievements. It explains how this initiative is deeply rooted in the tradition, the charism and the work of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent De Paul who first came to this part of London, to work among the poor, in the 1860’s.

So here is a first point of inspiration: the figure of St Vincent – my patron saint! He was a man who discovered, somewhat to his own surprise, that the essence of the vocation he had been given was not to be among rich benefactors, as he had assumed, but among the poor and the most vulnerable. He saw that in serving them he was serving Christ himself. It was an identification that shaped his life, his writings and the inspiration that he passed on to the Congregations that he founded. And that is the inspiration and motivation we seek to renew in ourselves, in The Passage, today.

At the present time there is much talk about the need to renew in our society a culture of social responsibility. It comes at the same time as a serious shortage of public funding for so many social outreach programmes as we know that the public finances are in dire straights. I believe we should not give way to cynicism and dismiss this talk of renewed social responsibility. Nor should we hesitate to put forward our own understanding of the kind of motivation needed to foster and nurture such a culture. Here the Christian faith has so much to offer. If social responsibility is indeed to become a hall-mark of our society then we have to be clear that motives of self-interest will not be sufficient, nor will market forces sustain that effort. We have to accept that something of the gratuity, of the self-gift, of the self-sacrifice that lies at the heart of the Christian life is essential.
So The Passage, with all its supporters and staff, are right to be here and to seek to draw this inspiration from the well-spring of Christ himself.

The work of the Spirit of God, offered to us in Christ Jesus, is well described in the first reading: the deaf will hear; the eyes of the blind will see; the lowly will rejoice; the poorest will exult ‘for tyrants shall be no more and scoffers vanish and all be destroyed who are disposed to do evil’ not least those who gossip to incriminate others and those who seek to cheat the arbitrator.

This is a strong programme and has to be read in the context of the work of faith and not simply social reform. For, in honesty, we recognise ourselves as being among those in need of conversion, of a change of heart and of life. So we welcome with relief the words of the Gospel when those two blind men speak up for us all, saying, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David.’

Here is the dynamic of the work of faith: we recognise our own needs; we turn to God and find there a compassionate forgiveness; we are then enabled to offer to others the same compassion and forgiveness that we have received, for now we see their need as a reflection of our own more hidden needs. This is the dynamic of true social responsibility. This is what rescues it from the dangers of paternalism. This is what roots it in the deepest motives of mutual respect and true care. This is the dynamic that fired the soul of St Vincent de Paul and it can do the same for us today.

We celebrate this Mass on the feast day of another well-known saint: St Francis Xavier. His calling was one of opening new ways of access to the Gospel. He did so in his great mission in India and Asia. We can seek to imitate him among those who in their material poverty know their need and who, at the same time, appreciate their friends and those who serve them.

May Francis Xavier and Vincent de Paul pray for us today, that our work may, like theirs, bring glory to God and good to our society. Amen

The Passage Recent Statistics

In the last quarter nineteen homeless people found long term employment through the services of The Passage Education, Training and Employment Team.

In the last month The Passage carried out assessment for 155 homeless people and a further 70 homeless people were reconnected to services in areas outside Central London.

Andrew

The theme of the tenth 'A Night Under the Stars' concert was 'A Night at the Opera'. Over 2,300 people attended this well-known event, held once again at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre. The programme, which was extremely well received, included a selection of popular classical pieces performed by the Orion Concert Ochestra and Choir, conducted by Toby Purser and a selection of world class soloists. The event was hosted by Griff Rhys Jones. A large number of attendees also took the opportunity to attend the prestigious pre- and post- concert receptions with their friends, families, or corporate guests.

The event raised an amazing £60,000, which will go towards the ongoing work of The Passage with homeless people. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support for this wonderful event.

Grant Shapps, Housing Minister; Daisy Greenwell, Big Issue Journalist; and Mick Clarke Passage CEO

Housing Minister Grant Shapps MP, visited The Passage recently to see at first hand the work The Passage does in helping homeless clients off the streets and back into society. The Minister toured the Passage's day centre to see the services on offer and to meet with homeless clients to hear their stories, and listen to the issues that most concern them.

Commenting on the visit, the Minister said:
 
 " I know the work of the Passage well and the services they provide to people who sleep rough in the Victoria area. During my recent visit I was very impressed by the dedication of the staff and volunteers and saw first-hand how rough sleepers were being helped to get their lives back on track. The Passage really makes a difference and is a vital part of the rough sleeping services in Westminster."
 
Mick Clarke, Passage CEO commented:
 
"It was good to welcome Grant back to The Passage after his visit here whilst Shadow Housing Minister. As a member of the Homelessness Foundation, (which David Cameron launched whilst in opposition), The Passage has worked very closely with Grant to look at initiatives to tackle homelessness. Our clients, staff and volunteers discussed a range of issues, including the Big Society, health services for homeless people, and housing benefit and welfare reform proposals. I look forward to continuing to work with Grant to ensure that those most marginalised in our society are always protected." 

The Passage held a very successful Garden Party on the evening of Wednesday 21 July 2010 in the College Garden, Westminster Abbey.  The pleasant sunny evening was enjoyed by a maximum capacity attendance of 500 and the raffle was at its most popular raising £2,800.

Mick Clarke Chief Executive finishes his speech pictured with Canon Nicholas Sagovsky of Westminster Abbey. The event raised the fantastic sum of £17,590.00 for The Passage.

Dame Suzi Leather, Chair of the Charity Commission, and Kensa Cooper (Charity Commission Press Officer) visited The Passage yesterday, to find out more about the diverse services The Passage provides for homeless and vulnerable people.

Pictured are Kensa, Roger Clark, Mick Clarke and Dame Suzi as the visit concluded.

After spending the morning at The Passage, and meeting Mick Clarke, (Passage CEO), Roger Clark, (Deputy CEO), as well as clients, staff and volunteers, Suzi commented:

"It was a very interesting and insightful visit and we learned a lot about The Passage and it's work in the short time that we were there. I was delighted to have the opportunity to be so well briefed on The Passage's approach to supporting people in transforming their lives, to talk to volunteers and to see the building. The Passage clearly has a huge and positive impact on people's lives. I was struck by the way that the charity expresses the Vincentian ethos day by day and by the enthusiasm and commitment of the staff and volunteers we met. Surely Vincent would see  reflected in the work of The Passage today the truth of his teaching four hundred years ago and say 'They are continuing as I hoped they would."

Mick Clarke commented:

"We were delighted to welcome Suzi and Kensa to The Passage. We have an excellent relationship with the Charity Commission, and always find them extremely helpful in any enquiries we may have; they are an excellent resource. Knowing how busy Suzi is, it was great that she could spend a whole morning with us and see the work we do and the difference we make in the lives of so many homeless and disadvantaged people. They showed a real interest in our work and it's great to know we have their support in our work to help homeless people transform their lives."

The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, has become the Patron of the homelessness charity, The Passage –  the post originally held by his predecessor, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor.

The Passage runs London’s largest day centre for homeless people, offering help to around 200 people every day. Its mission is to provide resources which encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to transform their lives.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols said: “I have been aware of the reputation and work of The Passage for many years. In recent months, following my visits to the charity, I have come to understand more fully the impact of the work of its staff and volunteers on some of the most vulnerable people in society.”
      
Mick Clarke, Chief Executive of The Passage, said: “The Passage is immensely grateful to Cardinal Cormac for the support he gave to The Passage during his time as Patron. We are equally delighted to welcome the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols to the role of Patron. On his first visit to The Passage as Archbishop, it was clear that he has a deep passion for working with the most disadvantaged in our society, and advocating on their behalf, to ensure they have the resources available to transform their lives. This approach completely matches the values and ethos of our work at The Passage."

Samantha Cameron donned an apron and helped out in the passage’s day centre kitchen this week as part of a visit to The Passage. Samantha helped prepare and serve lunch to our clients at The Passage day centre, and also met staff, volunteers, and chief executive Mick Clarke during her two-hour visit.

Mick Clarke CEO, Samantha Cameron and Roger Clark deputy CEO

Mick said: “We were delighted to welcome Samantha. She showed a genuine interest in our work and a genuine interest in our clients. “We like to think that a homeless person’s first step into The Passage is their first step out of homelessness. We are really about a hand up as opposed to a hand-out.”

Samantha Cameron helps our chef Nour

A Conservative Party spokeswoman said: “The Conservative Party has a strong relationship with The Passage. Members of staff from Conservative Campaign Headquarters regularly volunteer at the centre.”

On Tuesday 30 March 2010 Mick Clarke Chief Executive of The Passage joins leaders of other charities working with homeless people in a public debate of the motion ‘Homelessness can be a state of mind’.

Click here for more details and to see the Providence Row Debate Panel poster.

On the 2nd October 2009, our Chief Executive, Mick Clarke had the honour of addressing the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of homeless people in Vatican City, Rome.

Mick’s presentation focused on how our founding values still inspire the mission of The Passage, and are particularly relevant in the midst of the recession.
Commenting on the event, Mick said:
“It was a fantastic occasion and an honour to represent the clients of The Passage and speak on their behalf, and it was great to learn from others experiences of working with homeless people and share with people from all over Europe how The Passage works.”
“Our founding values ensure we work in partnership with our homeless clients to enable them to transform their lives, seek innovative solutions to complex issues, achieve practical and lasting solutions, but most of all treat each homeless person as an individual and with utter respect. “
“In a time of recession it is always the poor that get hit the hardest and this type of approach is needed more than ever.”

The Passage’s Education, Training and Employment (ETE) team, as part of a consortium of other homelessness charities, has won first place in the Charity Partnership category of the Third Sector Excellence Awards.for their Skills for Jobs for Homeless People work. The ETE team is part of a London wide consortium lead by Crisis - along with St Mungo's, Broadway, The Salvation Army, Connections at St Martins, Brent Homeless User Group, and Business Action on Homelessness - which, earlier this year, signed up to delivering increased job outcomes for homeless people.  

This entailed setting up a whole new recording system, new working practices and increased focus on sustainable job outcomes for our clients. The team have systematically achieved the outcomes agreed over the year - even more remarkable given the current economic situation.

Click here to visit my fundraising page

Click here to view my diary.

I have now returned home after a fantastic experience in the Himalayas. I was fortunate enough, with a lot of help from my team, to summit Mt Everest. It was an incredible mental and physical challenge and I believe that I have learnt a lot from my experience. I was unfortunately quite ill on summit day and our team also reached the summit during a storm so I am afraid and sorry that the photo is not the best. There was not a view from the summit but I can assure you that it is the top of Mt Everest and not Ben Nevis!!!!!
 
Many thanks to erveryone who sponsored me and in so doing supported the great work of The Passage.
 
Chris Macklin