Ross's Story

Ross's Story

"My time as a volunteer at the Cardinal Hume Centre was within the context of my seminary formation at Allen Hall, London. As part of our formation program for priesthood we could choose a weekly pastoral placement, to give us exposure to the pastoral needs we may experience later in our priestly ministry. I opted to go to the Cardinal Hume Centre because I had heard so many good things about it and because I have a passion and desire to work with those on the fringes of society in the area of justice and human dignity.

I was made to feel very welcome by the staff at the Cardinal Hume Centre and they quickly worked out where my skill set and previous experiences would be most useful. Having come from a background in Education, we decided I would help two young men in their desire to improve their English skills.

The first client was a young man from the Sudan, whose spoken English was very good, but his written English and understanding of English vocabulary needed some attention. He was a student at a local college who needed some extra help with his studies but was unable to afford a private tutor or access help elsewhere. He came to the Centre for help because other members of his family had been supported by the Centre in the past and he rightly thought the Centre would help him with his studies and share his hope of achieving some good GCSE grades to help him find employment in the future.

His request for assistance from the Centre came shortly before I arrived, so we had a full academic year to work on his English. The Centre matched us up and we met once a week, working together on his college studies and improving his written and spoken English. By the end of the year his life had been changed for the better because his confidence had improved in talking to others. His marks at the college had also got better, as had his chances to access employment.

My second client was again a young man from a former French speaking colony. His spoken English was good, but he was unable to read English. He had been employed for many years as a bouncer but the company he worked for had closed. As a result he became unemployed and his access to other work was highly limited because of his inability to read. He approached the Centre because of its reputation in helping people with English as a second language and the Centre matched me with him, so I started teaching him how to read English from scratch.

Thanks to the kind generosity of the Centre's donors there were excellent resources available to help me with this task. The ESOL Department has all the latest resources in this area and I was able to put together a suitable plan for my client with the help of the ESOL staff.

By the end of my time with the Centre, my client had learnt to read very basic English books and was able to recognise words on forms and signs. As I left the Centre at the end of the academic year the ESOL Department were working on finding a suitable person to replace the work I had been doing with these two clients.

The Cardinal Hume Centre was a wonderful place to be and the staff are very motivated in their commitment to help those who are on the fringes of society. With the help of kind, generous donors, the Cardinal Hume Centre really is a force for good in central London, which can be hostile to new arrivals and those on the very fringes of society and most in need."

1,163
clients were welcomed and supported
47
young people were given a home in our hostel
37
vulnerable children attended our School Holiday or Family Saturday's projects