Doorway is seeking 200 new supporters to help fund the increasing number of guests throughout the coming winter months.

Doorway needs in the region of £90,000 a year to keep the drop-in centre open. The Salvation Army contributes staff time, premises and facilities free of all charge, equivalent to approximately 25% of Doorway’s running costs.

Doorway receives financial donations and contributions in kind from local churches, schools and individuals, including canned food, used clothing and items to recycle; and has also been funded very generously by grants by organizations including Chippenham Borough Lands Charity and Westlea Housing Association.

Margaret Cleverley, Doorway Manager said “One of our main aims, this year, was to raise the profile of Doorway locally and to increase community involvement at all levels. The results far exceeded our expectations and we have attracted new sources of funding and other support which is all very encouraging.

However, we continue to live from hand to mouth financially and we must always be on the look out for new opportunities for sustainable funding which will enable us to plan for the future”

Doorway currently needs £5,500 a month to ensure that it can remain open and continue to provide the supportive environment that the guests have come to rely on.

The number of guests attending sessions is slowly increasing and the drop-in will prove to be even more popular once the weather starts getting colder. Guest numbers for a Thursday lunch session reached 50 last week and 11 rough sleepers were recorded.

We are grateful for any financial contributions, but we are particularly keen to find 200 new ‘Friends of Doorway’ who will make a donation by monthly standing order which will give us a regular income that we can depend on.

Here are some ideas of what we could do with such income:

• £2 will buy bread for one breakfast session
• £10 will provide 1 hour of one to one support for a guest
• £45 will provide a supervised IT training session for 5 or more guests
• £110 will provide a music workshop for guests to become more confident and learn new skills
• £750 will sponsor the printing and distribution of one edition of our twice yearly newsletter to raise awareness of our guests’ needs and the difference we can make

article added 27th September 2007