With your HELP

Some of the residents at Shape could have been your neighbour or work colleague. Others come from backgrounds that make it difficult for them to cope with day-to-day living.

What they all have in common is that they need your help.

John, whose story is opposite, is one of 400 young people and families currently supported by Shape. This is what they have to say about the transformation we have helped bring into their lives:

'Thanks to the staff at the Dartmouth project in Bath, we can move to accommodation of our own, and for the first time live independently as a family.'

'Bath Foyer has helped me to realise that I can get through my disabilities and the setbacks which may happen in my life.'

A donation of £5 will help pay for materials for a multi-media course for hard-to-reach young people at Pathways to help them back into education.

£10 could help us pay for bedding for young people at our Bath Foyer project who arrive without the basics.

£50 will buy a kettle, crockery, cutlery, pots and pans to help turn an empty flat into a home for a homeless family in our temporary accommodation.

£100 could help fund a life skills workshop, to help vulnerable young people prepare for independent living and find employment.

John (name changed) is a tenant at the Foyer. He came from a difficult family background where misuse of alcohol by a parent caused so much difficulty that he left home.

With no fixed abode, John finished up sofa surfing and would wake up not knowing where he would be able to sleep the next night.

This caused a sense of panic and anxiety. Now he has a place of his own at the Foyer and he feels able to make a new start.

Supported by the Foyer team John is living more healthily and taking on new college courses. He’s not panicking anymore and is looking forward to his future at the Foyer with stable housing and growing independence.

For more information, contact Nicky Thomas, Fundraising Manager, on 01225 366027 or email nicky_thomas@somer.org.uk.