Berkeley Foundation Sunflower Competition

As we enter spring, it is now time to focus our minds on the highly anticipated Berkeley Foundation Sunflower Competition.

This is open to all staff or anyone related to The Berkeley Group who would like to take part.

About the charities SPEAR have been supporting people who are homeless and at risk of homelessness in London for 30 years. Their mission is to enable homeless people to find secure accommodation and work towards a positive future. Below is a story from just one of the people they have reached:

Mark’s Story

My journey to the streets started with mental health problems and a breakdown. Unable to maintain my rent payments, I was evicted and slept rough in the Ham area for about four months.

I found it overwhelmingly difficult to deal with my circumstances and just couldn’t see a way out of my situation. It was only when a SPEAR outreach worker met up with me that I began to see life didn’t have to be like that.

The head of the Skills Team spent time with me and explained SPEAR’s services and I slowly began to feel I could talk to others and join in activities. I started with the Book Club, then became one of the first members of the Client Involvement Group and even used my IT skills to help edit their bi-monthly newsletter. I’ve taken on other activities too, such as representing SPEAR as a Speaker and participating in fundraising events. This has really helped me to build my confidence and improve my quality of life day to day.

http://www.spearlondon.org/ Honeypot is a children's charity that works to enhance the lives of young carers (aged 5-12) and vulnerable children. It provides respite breaks and on-going outreach support to these youngsters who are providing care to family members who cannot look after themselves. They give carers a well-deserved break from the demanding and stressful responsibilities at home that they encounter at such a young age. They also provide them with a safe, nurturing environment where children at risk can develop their full potential.

They have a Play Bus that visits children in their communities and also two Honeypot houses, where these youngsters can stay for a respite break.

"Before I visited Honeypot, I felt really alone. None of my friends knew what it was like to look after someone at home, and I was too embarrassed to explain." Daniel, aged 9.

https://www.honeypot.org.uk/