Ron Eager House – Winner, Small Day Centre of the Year Award

Ron Eager House is part of the Tyneside Cyrenians organisation in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

This centre was nominated for three projects in particular which made a contribution to the local community: the Trading Places project, where service users trade places with staff to become experienced in service delivery, and eventually deliver services themselves; the Adults facing Chronic Exclusion project, which provides assertive outreach to make contact and support rough sleepers and those facing chronic exclusion; and the Girls Are Proud project which supports those involved with sex work in Newcastle.

In particular, the judges felt that the Trading Places programme was an excellent example of how service users could be involved in service delivery in such a way as to make it more responsive to the needs of the community, and also as meaningful occupation and a route to employment. 22 people have gained employment through the programme so far, and out of the 16 permanent staff at Ron Eager House, 12 are ex-service users.

St Clare’s Day Centre – Runner-up, Small Day Centre of the Year Award

St Clare's Day Centre is part of the Worthing Churches Homeless Projects organisation in Worthing.

This centre was nominated for its volunteering project, which encourages and supports service users to volunteer with other organisations in the local community such as Shelter, Cats Protection, the local Emmaus Community, and Link Romania, which helps poor people in Romania and other Eastern European countries. This project benefits volunteers, who gain experience and confidence, and the community, which profits from the skills and enthusiasm of the volunteers.

NOAH staff with Michael Hamilton of John Laing Charitable Trust (left) and Kelvin Hopkins MP for Luton North (right)

Photo: Anthony Lydekker

NOAH Enterprise – Winner, Large Day Centre of the Year Award

NOAH Enterprise is a day centre based in Luton. It was nominated for its role as a broad contributor to the social benefit of the community as well as its services to homeless people. In particular, their furniture and white goods social enterprise provides opportunities for service users and other individuals from the local community to gain work experience in a genuine business environment – as well as being a good source of second-hand and new furniture and white goods for the general public, landlords and businesses.

Exeter Meaningful Occupation Project (MOP) – Runner-up, Large Day Centre of the Year Award

Staff of Exeter MOP receive their certificate from Mick Hamilton of the John Laing Charitable Foundation (left)

Photo: Anthony Lydekker

Exeter MOP is a day centre in Exeter that provides a variety of activities, courses and support for service users to engage with according to their interests and priorities. They were nominated for their hospital radio project, where service users wrote and recorded comedy sketches, poetry and interviews for the local hospital radio. The group has now gone on to develop a project recording original stories for children with little or no sight. Two members of the project gained employment to continue the work, and the community continues to benefit from creative initiatives of the group.