Thanks

April 24, 2017

Support comes in all sorts of ways as I have been reminded of on several occasions in the last few days.

This afternoon, I attended a school assembly at Stroud High School. At Christmas we received a wonderful selection of beautifully wrapped, prepared and marked shoe boxes of presents from the students. It was good to be able to thank them in person and to tell them a little about our work.

In the week before Easter, Gloucestershire Fire Service gave us a wonderful day at The Skillzone. Families and youngsters had a great time, were very well looked after and fed and it was organised incredibly well. It is fair to say that the “big toys” (fire engines etc) remain the favourite of young people whether young in fact or in mind!

Later that same week, Rachel Treweek, Bishop Of Gloucester, came and met with a number of people who wanted to mark the Easter events quietly. It was a special short service and a generous gift in a very busy week for her. (In addition she left us with a good number of Easter Eggs that were enjoyed by many people.)

In the last few days, we have become aware of the death of the previous Bishop of Gloucester, Michael Perham. As Bishop Rachel currently is, he was previously a Patron of GARAS and through his initiative we were able to start “Bishop’s Fund”, a fund that has been incredibly helpful and supportive to many GARAS clients facing destitution over the intervening years.

Adele