Transform Lives; Cultivate Talent; Release Potential Friends First offers a “hand-up” by encouraging people to take positive steps forward with their lives; enabling progression from desperation: homelessness, isolation and unemployment to aspiration: a home, belonging to a community and employment. During 2014 Friends First have helped support 27 people gain work-related skills. In addition we have secured 5 educational placements, 5 have achieved employment and 7 have moved onto further independence!

Desperation-Aspiration in 48 hours Through our amazing connections with CCK, a local church, we managed to take Antony from crisis to housing then through to employment within 48 hours = wow!! Antony had been living on the street when he came to Friends First. Clearly wanting to move forward with his life a wonderful family from the church offered him a room to stay and a local business man, also from the church, offered him a temporary job over Christmas. Antony has worked so hard that he has now been offered a permanent position. Antony is thrilled! We are delighted to work in

partnership with Brighton and Hove Buses who granted Friends First £2,000 towards travel expenses for our beneficiaries. This will enable beneficiaries to get to and from work and training bases at either the Clarendon Villas, the Clarendon Centre or various work/training placements across the city!

Rotaract (part of The Rotary) raised £75 for Friends First through selling beautiful hand-made crafts from Rwanda at a local Christmas Fayre. They also kindly donated

some of the crafts to Friends First . This included purses, earrings, key rings, necklaces and decorations! We have items for sale at the Clarendon Centre so please do pop in if you would like to purchase an item: all proceeds gifted to FF.

A Volunteer Story: Restored Hope and Confidence “As I have been out of work for many years due to illness, I feel Friends First has given me a fantastic opportunity to gain work-related skills in an office environment. Since volunteering here I have regained my self-confidence and it has given me hope that this is a first step into paid employment. My main duty is to welcome guests and to see that they sign in and issue them with visitor badges. All the staff here are very friendly and I feel like I am part of the team even though I am on reception. I also enjoy learning new skills such as how to use the photocopier and franking machine, but my favourite task is typing up the staff handwritten notes! I started off doing 8 hours per week over 2 days but was encouraged to do 16 hours instead. This was the right step to take as it has given me a taste of what a full day feels like. This gets me out of my comfort zone and helps me to overcome new challenges in life. My goal is to gain as much experience as possible in reception/admin and I have even enrolled on an ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) course to start in January to gain an IT qualification. I feel privileged to volunteer for Friends First as I can say that I am part of helping vulnerable people and I can relate to the beneficiaries as I have previously been on the side lines myself. Now I have been given a second chance in life and I will continue to volunteer here as long as possible to continue gaining valuable work and social skills. Thank you Friends First.” If you are interested in volunteering with us either to brush up your skills or mentor our beneficiaries to become work-ready please contact serena.crisp@friendsfirst.org.uk

Avenue Restaurant based in Hove has kindly signed up to Streetsmart this year via Friends First. Any proceeds raised, through an optional donation of a £1

added to the bill, will be given directly to Friends First! Thank you Ben Ranger, manager of Avenue, for your fantastic support! Please do check them out this Christmas.

Summer 2013

TRANSFORMING LIVES TOGETHER

Please Note: Names of beneficiaries featured in this newsletter are changed to protect their identity.

Contact Us: For more information on Friends First or anything featured in this newsletter please contact Serena Crisp (Communications Manager) on serena.crisp@friendsfirst.org.uk or 01273 840880.

Winter 2014

some £…. From their gift day to-

this awesome video produced by

depicting the work of Friends rk

week event in which our benefi-

A Beneficiary's Amazing Story: Desperation to Aspiration

Living on the Streets “It’s a cruel world out there when you hear of people setting sleeping bags alight, picking on you when you are asleep, and pinching your belongings. You always sleep with one eye open and one ear open so you can never get a decent night kip. So you feel safer in a group as you know there is always one of you who has their ear open!”

Night Shelter “Seven night’s hosted by seven churches around the city. If it wasn’t for the night-shelter I don’t think I’d be here; the weather was horrendous. You are offered a meal and a bed for the night and when you get up the next day you feel refreshed. The weight it takes off your shoulders knowing that the next night you have a bed, so you don’t have to worry about: Where am I going to sleep tonight? Is it going to be raining? Is it going to be cold?”

Friends First “I got an interview with Friends First for the work-readiness initiative. I came in to see Rob Liddiard and he just made me feel so welcome; they all made me feel so welcome every one of them! Rob said we’d like to offer you a spot for three days and if it goes well, you fit in, you gel well we’ll offer you a room …. And when he gave me a key I was like “oh man I’m in!” I don’t need to worry: the house is unbelievable, wicked rooms; your own room! And a shower every night, its heaven, what more could I want? And it just got better: I’ve been here now for 5 months and a house in Boundary Road has come up and Jake, me and Matt have been offered the house! I’ve got paint on my hands: paint from painting our own room, our own house.

When you are out on the street the last thing you are thinking about is work. Although we are looking to earn a few bob the first thing you are looking for is somewhere to live. No one is going to take you on if you have got nowhere to live. When you come to Friends First you are offered work experience to get back into work…so I got into making furniture: which is new to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed it: you are busy, the day goes quick, you get fed. Pats rolls = wicked!”

Giving Back “Jake and me have decided because we were helped by the Night Shelter last year, that we have been given this opportunity for a room and now our own house, we want to welcome people in from the street. We can say “that bed’s got my name on it, I was in that last year, if you want it Friends First will do their utmost to get you off the street….””

An amazing team of students from

Sussex University were busy baking mince pies, cupcakes, and ginger bread which they sold to students and staff at the university. All proceeds were donated to Friends First. Thank you guys for your fundraising efforts every £1 really does make an awesome difference to Friends First.

Life-Transformational Shopping Probably a little late for this year’s Christmas shopping however don’t delay to sign up to www.giveasyoulive.com and give to Friends First whilst you shop including Amazon, Ebay and M&S to name but a few; with no additional cost to you! All you need to do is select Friends First as the charity you wish to support.

Life-Transforming Christmas Tree’s! We raised £500 through the sale of Christmas Tree’s this year! A massive thank you to all who purchased their tree through Friends First: your support really does mean a lot. A special thanks to Charmaine Crisp who successfully managed the whole project: from initiation of the website, to selection of trees, to safe delivery! We are hoping to set this up as an annual event so please do think of us before you purchase your Christmas Tree next year! Here are some of the comments by those who bought their tree through FF: “We love it. It's a glossy, symmetrical, beautiful tree. Perfect size too.” “Delighted with the tree - nice & bushy! Service at pick-up was first class: To have it labelled by name and cheerful people on hand who knew who to expect made it a pleasurable exercise.” “The tree was a perfect shape and looks fantastic. To know that it has helped a good cause is the star on top of the tree!”

As you can see from this picture we had a great time promoting our Christmas Tree fundraiser at the Festive Fayre , held at the Clarendon Centre,, alongside some of our amazing beneficiaries #santashelpers

A massive “thank you” to all who supported Friends First in 2014: you have made an incredible difference! Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and fabulous New Year...

Make a Donation Any donation, however large or small, is really appreciated. It's great to know we've got such wonderful individuals supporting FF to transform many more lives. Please visit www.friendsfirst.org.uk to donate. Alternatively you can contact Serena Crisp on 01273 840880.