Homelessness charity Emmaus near Bedford gets £30k funding to help with major refurbishment project

Homeless charity Emmaus Village Carlton has received a £30k funding boost from The Harpur Trust.

The grant will support the building and garden redevelopment of the charity’s Dom Gregory building, named after the founder of Emmaus Village Carlton.

The charity supports people with a home, individual support and work experience for as long as they need it. Residents, known as companions, gain skills and confidence with work opportunities in the community’s three charity shops, warehouse, bistro and within the maintenance team.

Donna-Louise Cobban, Emmaus Village Carlton’s chief executive officer, said: “I’m thrilled and extremely grateful to The Harpur Trust for their generous grant which will help us with this vital project.

“The Dom Gregory building has been the administrative centre at the heart of our community which houses our main offices, meeting, therapy and training rooms, as well as our eBay operations.

“It requires modernisation and refurbishment to bring it up to date and ensure it can continue serving our community for many years to come as our new companion support and wellbeing hub. This grant will also help us to landscape the surrounding gardens to make the environment pleasant and inviting for our companions and enhance their wellbeing. Thank you to The Harpur Trust for helping to make this possible.”

Lucy Bardner, community programmes director at The Harpur Trust, said: “We’re really proud to support the work of Emmaus in helping people who have experienced homelessness, by providing them with a home and meaningful work in a community setting.

“Our grant will fund the refurbishment of an existing building at Emmaus to create a venue that is fit for purpose and can be used for the companions’ wellbeing, recreation, training and also to improve existing admin facilities.

“Supporting the local community through our grants programme is a core part of what we do at The Harpur Trust. We also fund a number of other projects in the borough tackling homelessness.”

For over 450 years The Harpur Trust has been inspiring and supporting the people of Bedford to help them improve their lives by funding vital local projects, schools and vulnerable community groups. Find out more here.

Click here to find out more about Emmaus Village Carlton.