News
Here you will find all the latest news from around the Centre, keeping you up to date with all that is happening.
- Election 2010
- Bargins Galore!
- Kitty and Lillie make a mint
- Sister Doctor Mary Hickey awarded MBE
- Investing In Volunteers Award
- Fundraising Standards Board
- CHC Clients produce own film
- Save money and help the homeless
- Confirmation Group raises Ł1,088
- New building opened
Election 2010
Parliamentary Outreach team speak to ESOL students about Parliamentary processes
The Parliamentary Outreach team came to the Cardinal Hume Centre today to explain about the workings of Parliament to 35 ESOL students.
Alasdair McKenzie, the Parliamentary Outreach officer, went into much detail as to what would happen if there is a hung Parliament following the general election on Thursday. This would mean no one party having a majority with the likelihood of some type of coalition government resulting involving two of the parties.
Alasdair thought that if there were a hung Parliament then another election would be likely within the year. The last time such a situation came about was under Labour leader Harold Wilson in 1974. He won without a majority in February, then attained a small working majority at a later poll in October of the same year.
There will be a rise in number of MPs this time around from the present 646 to 650. Any party looking to have a working majority would have to win at least 326 seats.
On the question of eligibility to vote, the team declared that as long as an individual is a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen they are allowed to vote. This includes, in the Commonwealth case, people granted indefinite leave to remain. EU citizens are not permitted to vote in general elections but can in council elections which also take place in London on Thursday.
Some of the ESOL class thought the Conservative Party had been in power, while others were concerned that they may be in power after Thursday. Alasdair illustrated the importance of voting with the example of a Conservative MP who before the 1997 election went to a restaurant and was rude to the staff. The staff all pledged not to vote for that MP and he lost by eight votes.
The ESOL students found the Outreach teamâs presentation interesting; one thought âthere was a lot of useful information for me, I enjoyed the sessionâ, while another said, âI learnt a lot about the parliamentary system, it was really useful for me.â
Bargins Galore!
February 13th saw the 22nd anniversary of the Centreâs Charity Shop,
which specialises in clothes, crockery, books, and music, and has provided the community of Westminster and beyond with bargains galore since the Centre first started operating.
Ted Neville (84), the volunteer manager for over 15 years along with Christine Keily (80), who started working the day the shop opened, have seen many treasures come through the doors. They take particular delight in watching people find a bargain as well of course as making sure those people with little spare cash, get the things they need.
If you are planning a spring clear out, please keep the shop in mind for those books, knick- knacks, clothes and just about anything else. All monies go directly to supporting the Centreâs work and last year the shop raised a magnificent ÂŁ25,000. For more information please contact Jennifer Mosley on 0207 222 1602 or email jennifermosley@cardinalhumecentre.org.uk
- Ted and Christine
Kitty and Lillie make a mint
- Dates:
- 5 March 2009 - 5 June 2009
- Kitty and Lillie Toon
Kitty (9) and Lillie (11) Toon raised over ÂŁ500 for the Centre by asking their friends and family to make a donation rather than give them a gift at their recent joint birthday party. The girls first heard of the Centre from their father Nick who regularly runs in the London 10K on our behalf. âWe were inviting a lot of people to our disco and it seemed silly to ask for presents.â âOur school has raised funds for the Centre previously and Mum and Dad suggested we gave the money to a charity we knew so the natural choice was the Cardinal Hume Centreâ. The party was in the school hall where we had a DJ, hotdogs, crisps and a chocolate fountain. We invited our classmates and also our friends from Donhead Lodge School. The invitation told guests that âpresents were welcome but weâd love it if you could donate to our charity the Cardinal Hume Centre.â To the shock of the Toon family they received more money than expected. âOur friends were amazed that we had given up our presents to raise money for a charity but it made us feel proud and gave us a warm sensation that we had helped.â The girls both attend Ursuline Prep School, Wimbledon. Lillie says âweâd love to more fundraising and hope that weâve encouraged a lot more people in our classes to do the same for the Centreâ Kitty agrees and says âwe were both very happy that we had a great time and could help others in the process.â Well done to the Toon family.
Sister Doctor Mary Hickey awarded MBE
- Date:
- 28 January 2008
We are delighted to announce that Sister Doctor Mary Hickey has been awarded an MBE in the New Yearâs Honours List.
This award continues the celebration of 2007, which was a special year for Dr Hickey, marking 40 years as a practising doctor, 25 years as a sister in the congregation of the Daughters of Mary and Joseph, and 20 years serving homeless people through the medical surgery Dr Hickey set up at the Centre.
The MBE comes as recognition of Dr Hickeyâs tireless efforts helping the homeless people of Westminster. The surgery at the Centre works solely with homeless people, who often find it difficult to register with other GPs. Patients can receive a range of services: treatment for substance misuse; mental health; and general counselling - as well as the normal GP services.
When asked how it felt to be given this award, Dr Hickey was quick to point out that it would not have been possible without those around her.
âIt is a great honour to receive the MBE, but I do so with the help of many dedicated staff who have worked and supported the surgery for the past 20 years.â
Congratulations to Dr Hickey from all the staff, volunteers and clients at the Centre.
Investing In Volunteers Award
- Date:
- 1 July 2007
The Cardinal Hume Centre has recently achieved the Investing in Volunteers Quality Standard, recognising the quality of our volunteering programme. Investing in Volunteers is unique in that it is the only standard that focuses on volunteers. It is based on four areas of volunteer management; planning for volunteer involvement, recruiting volunteers, selecting and matching volunteers and supporting and retaining volunteers.
Investing in Volunteers aims to improve the quality of the volunteering experience for all volunteers and for organisations to acknowledge the enormous contribution made by volunteers. Investing in Volunteers is managed by the UK Volunteering Forum and delivered by Volunteering England, Volunteer Development Scotland, Volunteer Development Agency in Northern Ireland and Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
Cathy Corcoran, Director says âThis is a fantastic testament to the hard work and professionalism of the Volunteering Team here at the Centre - itâs also a wonderful advert for recruiting new volunteers! Please do contact us if you are interested and you can now be doubly assured that we will respect and value your contributionâ
Further information about the Standard can be found on www.investinginvolunteers.org.uk.
Fundraising Standards Board
- Date:
- 12 February 2007
The Cardinal Hume Centre is pleased to be one of the first members of the new self-regulatory body for fundraising, the Fundraising Standards Board (FSB). Nearly 250 charities have already joined the scheme, membership of which is voluntary.
Launched on Monday 12th February 2007, the FSB is the body for self-regulation of fundraising in the UK. The FSB scheme is open to all fundraising organisations and members agree to adhere to the highest standards of good practice with their fundraising and a Fundraising Promise. The Centre will demonstrate membership of the scheme by using the scheme logo (pcitured) on fundraising materials. By participating in the scheme we are both advertising our commitment to best fundraising practices and giving the public the comfort of a 'safety net' provided by a robust complaints system.
Cathy Corcoran, Director, says âWe are proud to be one of the first charities to use this kite mark in keeping with our continued aim of being transperant in all we do.â
For more information visit the Fundraising Standards Board website at www.fsboard.org.uk
CHC Clients produce own film
- Date:
- 1 June 2007
Eight young people from the Centre were offered the chance to create a documentary film on the theme of âindoorâ homelessness. The project is in conjunction with First Light Movies, an organisation that funds and works with budding young filmmakers across the UK, and Vital Regeneration, a creative charity that works in the most deprived areas of London offering a range of ICT and digital media courses.
Working alongside professional filmmakers as part Vital Regenerationâs FreqOut programme, a wireless art and education initiative that offers young people in Westminster an opportunity to experience emergent technology, our clients have been able to create their film, entitled âHidden Homelessâ.
The purpose of the film is to show the reality of hidden homelessness and to ask various questions such as âwhy does society need temporary accommodation?â and âin what ways - and for whom - does the system work or fail?â
The project began in January of this year and the completed film is being screened at the ICA on June 6th. It is hoped that the film will be promoted in festivals across the UK, enabling our clientsâ message of homelessness to be broadcast to a wider audience.
Save money and help the homeless
- Date:
- 17 July 2006
The Catholic Building Society (CBS), in association with the Cardinal Hume Centre, launched a new Cardinal Hume Centre Savings Account on Monday 17th July 2006.
Founded in the early 1960s, the Catholic Building Society is a mutual company with over 4,000 members and Ł39 million of assets. Historically it has supported charities involved in tackling homelessness and has savings accounts with a number of organisations, including Emmaus & the Railway Children.
Chief Executive James Gilbourne says, The Catholic Building Society was founded with the express intention of helping those left aside by society, so we are delighted that we can support the Cardinal Hume Centre. We would urge anyone with an interest in social justice and ethical banking to consider setting up a savings account.
The new account will offer a competitive rate of interest that increases as the balance of the account increases. In addition, the Catholic Building Society will donate 1.00% of the accounts average balance to the Cardinal Hume Centre.
Cathy Corcoran, Director, says, Today, charities need to be both innovative and business-smart when it comes to fundraising. Schemes like this new affinity account benefit savers because, as well as an enjoying an excellent rate of interest, they can rest confident that their money is being invested ethically.
For more information and an account application pack email fundraising@cardinalhumecentre.org.uk or phone 020 7222 1602.
Confirmation Group raises Ł1,088
- Date:
- 12 June 2006
The Most Precious Blood & St Edmund, Edmonton confirmation group raised over one thousand pounds by preparing and serving a luncheon for the parishioners of the church. The group, who had previously visited the Centre to see and hear more about the work that we do, sold tickets to the event and were sponsored for each part of the luncheon they undertook. Thank you to everyone who contributed in raising such a fantastic amount.
New building opened
- Date:
- 10 March 2006
We celebrated the offical opening of our new building with Bishop Bernard Longley and John Kennedy CBE in attendance on 8th March 2006.
The Centre was due to be opened by the Duke of Westminster who had to pull out at the last minute due to illness. John Kennedy saved the day by stepping in and making a speech on behalf of the Duke. Dressed in full Papal Knight uniform and en route to a state dinner with Her Majesty the Queen and the President of Brazil; John Kennedy impressed the audience with his supportive words about the Centre.
Other speakers on the night were Cathy Corcoran OBE, the Centres Director; Sr. Sheila Sumner, Chair of Trustees and Bishop Bernard Longley who blessed the Centre before performing the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The day marked the end of the building work that has been taking place at that Centre for more than two years, and allowed us to show off our new facilities to not only Bishop Bernard and John Kennedy but also the Lord Mayor of Westminster and many other key figures within the local community.
The new facilities see an extra floor added to the building resulting in fourteen new bedrooms in our Hostel along with fully refurbished kitchens and bathrooms. Each service has benefited from new and bright space, especially the Family Centre that has had an extension built along with a newly landscaped playground. The Church garden and terrace has also been newly landscaped and the building now has disabled access and facilities.