A walk around the streets of the parish of All Saints’ Church will provoke an awareness of large Victorian and Georgian buildings of a bygone age. There is little evidence of the typical small family unit - yet behind each door is a place called ‘home’.

At All Saints’, prayer is regularly offered for those who live in the parish and for opportunities to love and serve the local people, also that the Community Centre, with its excellent facilities, would be used to the benefit of those who live near.

It did not therefore come as a surprise when two ladies, one a specialist Health Visitor for the Homeless Health team employed by the NHS and the other from the Eastbourne Children’s Centre in Seaside, rang the bell of the Church Office and asked if they could use the Centre facilities for one morning each week.

Their remit was the care of families who had no permanent home and were living in temporary accommodation just round the corner from the church. Their need was for a safe venue for a drop-in centre near enough to encourage these families to come and receive advice and guidance and for the children to have the space and freedom to play in a safe environment, to make friendships and start learning social skills.

As a church, here was an opportunity – an answer to prayer. The facilities were ideal for their purpose and they have been warmly welcomed into the All Saints’ centre every Thursday morning and a hot lunch is served to them before they leave.

Many of the families come from complex situations. The purpose of the group meeting is to encourage access to the help, that is available from the Children’s Centre, in a relaxed atmosphere and to show them that there are always people to help towards security and a future for their children. The families could stay in temporary accommodation for anything from six weeks to six months so the turnover is steady and the numbers vary from week to week.

Getting to know the families and the children is very rewarding and the meal prepared for them has been met with genuine appreciation. Where they and their parents have shown an interest the children have been welcomed into the life of the church and have experienced the All Saints annual summer Holiday Club, enjoyed the pantomime and attended the Crib service at Christmas.

Our prayer is that the care and the love they have experienced while in our company will stay with them to strengthen their lives in the future.

Doreen Nightingale
All Saints Catering team & PCC Secretary