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March 08
We ended last year by once again working with the “Basket Brigade” We spent a very enjoyable morning with a team of great people putting together the Christmas Hampers, for people in and around Salisbury, who would benefit greatly by being given a little help over Christmas. The Basket Brigade also raised enough money to put together 10 rucksacks for people who were homeless over Christmas. The finished bags were amazing as well as being filled with useful toiletries, they also had socks, hats, gloves, hats, windup radios, windup torches and small items of food.
 In fact it was quite a work of art finding enough space in the rucksacks for all the items. The lads on the street were thrilled to bits with the rucksacks and especially the contents . After a quick lunch, all the members of the team set off in vehicles travelling all over Salisbury and surrounding villages delivering the hampers to the unsuspecting recipients. What a fantastic way to start Christmas.
Hope for the Future
Hi my name is Glen and I would like to share a bit about my life. I have been on drugs from the age of 14 years old. I started by smoking cigarettes at school with the lads, then we started to drink and smoke cannabis, one thing led to another, especially when my mum and dad split up again, this time the split was for good and my mum had just had her fifth child at the age of 40. I was just 16 at the time when things were going from bad to worse. I started taking LSD, magic mushrooms and Ecstacy, while still smoking Cannabis and drinking. Then this new stuff came into town, that you could smoke, it was Heroin, we didn’t really know what it was and what it did. I got hooked on it and it has destroyed 16 years of my life in a big way. During that time I got involved in drug dealing, taking crack Cocaine and getting involved in guns and violence. I called out to god to help me, I had people trying to kill me and very nearly did at that time.
After I prayed I truly believe God took me out of it all and I ended up in a Christian Farm in Devon, while I was there I found a faith in God and became a Christian. I asked Jesus into my heart I had nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Wow they were the best two years of my life. Then thinking that I could make it on my own, I decided to leave, without asking for help or advice. It wasn’t long before I ended up slipping back into the old ways, smoking and drinking, taking Crack Cocaine which led back to me taking Heroin, selling drugs and violence. I felt that God wasn’t there for me, but even so I just kept hold of Him in my heart and I would call out to Him and pray when I was desperate.
Thank God I had kept in contact with a couple who I had met on the farm in Devon, they had moved to Salisbury and knew Dave and Bev Kidley who run “Morning Star Salisbury” . My friends told me that the charity worked with people who are homeless on the streets of Salisbury, the Charity really brings hope to those who feel like they have nothing to live for.
For those people who really want to change their lives around there is a residential program, where people can live as part of a close knit family, receive support, help and encouragement to deal with the issues in their lives. I thank God that they work with people with drug and alcohol issues, people like myself.
My friends spoke to Dave and Bev and explained my situation and asked if they would be willing to help me. Within a month I found myself arriving at “The New Life Centre” Since living at the Centre, Dave and Bev have helped and supported me through detox which can be tough time especially if you haven’t anyone to help you through it, and as I start to work through the program, my life is starting to stabilise, I am able to look at some of the issues that have caused me problems in the past and this time with the help of the staff at the New Life Centre I am dealing with those issues and moving forward in my life. Even little things like getting into good routines, getting up in the mornings, and going out and undertaking some therapeutic work in the gardens. I have never done much gardening before, but I love it, there is such a variety of things to do, Dave has been teaching me how to prepare beds and plant potatoes , broad beans, peas. I have also been involved in sowing flower seeds etc . We sometimes go for walks in the local woods, or across the fields and just chat through things. I think there are some long bike rides planned too.
Living as part of a secure, caring family unit, has really begun to build up my confidence again, I am starting to accept that people really do love me for who I am, I don’t have do try and work at winning peoples approval, it’ s unconditional love. It’s that same unconditional love of God flowing through the staff at the centre that cause them to work with people as they do, and since I have been here I am beginning to believe that there is a future for me and I am looking forward to it. I have also realised that God was with me all the time, He never really left me, no matter what situation I was in, so if you call out to God from your heart, He will answer your prayer, He did mine.
Crisis Beds – here are a couple of short accounts from Steve (left)and John who have been staying in the crisis beds recently.
Steve- Last July I was just an ordinary guy, I had everything going for me, I lived in a home that I rented, I had a job, a bank account, good credit rating, sky tv, cable and my cat.
A sudden change in the bank overdraft policy- which coincided with a prolonged spate of ill health and very quickly normal bills became overwhelming debts. To cut a long story short, six months later I found myself being evicted from my home. I suddenly found myself completely homeless, I never thought it would happen to me. I contacted a Christian organisation that helps people sort out debt problems, they were great and they set up things to help me start to sort my debt problem out, they also contacted Morning Star (Salisbury) to see if they could help me for a few nights. Dave and Bev said I could stay in one of the crisis beds for a few nights until other arrangements could be made. That evening Dave and Bev picked me up from town, they took me to their home, gave me a cooked meal and a warm bed for the night. In the morning we had breakfast and then I was dropped off in town. In all I stayed at the New Life Centre for three nights. At the end of the third day after having walked around town, trying to sort out a place for my cat, and trying to sort out some of the other issues that go with homelessness I was absolutely exhausted. I was so pleased just to have a warm bed in a friendly environment, there is no way I could of slept out rough especially in such cold weather. I am so grateful to the people at Morning Star for helping me out. This period of homelessness has taught me so much, I had no idea, what it was like to be homeless and how it can happen to anyone.
John-
For the last 12-18 months I had been just moving around Europe, trying to stay alive, I got off a boat at Portsmouth, I tried to settle in Portsmouth, but they said I wasn’t entitled to any help from the housing deposit scheme and so I made my way to Salisbury via Winchester. I have been in Salisbury for a couple of months. I heard about the Banquet Run which is run by Morning Star (Salisbury) and have been going there regularly for food, the food is excellent there is always a good variety of hot and cold food, and the soup is famous around Salisbury among people who are homeless and those visiting the Banquet Run, as well as the food, there is a good atmosphere and Dave and Bev always chat with everyone. Without the food I probably wouldn’t of survived the bad weather. You don’t really appreciate food until you have had to scrounge around in rubbish bins for it. Just after I arrived in Salisbury Dave asked me if I would like to come and stay in the crisis beds, but at that time I turned the offer down, as I didn’t think I would be staying that long in Salisbury, I was just passing through. After being in Salisbury a little while a local vicar, said I could stay in the Church Porch at night, which did provide a bit of shelter. More recently I have began to think about the future and felt I would like to try and settle down. I like Salisbury ( I think Dave’s great home made soups, may have something to do with it). I asked Dave if I could come and stay in the crisis beds for a few nights and he agreed. It has been really nice to have a hot cooked meal in the evening, when we arrive at the New Life Centre and to be able to sleep in a warm bed instead of a cold floor with the cold creeping in around you. Its surprising how a good nights sleep makes all the difference to the next day. Thank goodness for the crisis beds at Morning Star (Salisbury)
Please note Glen, Steve and John have all given their full and informed consent to the use of their names, stories and photographs for the purposes of this newsletter
One by One
 About 2 years ago whilst talking to someone, he told this story : - There was two men who were walking along a beach, as they walked they came to a stretch of the beach that was covered with thousands of starfish, they had been washed up on the beach and had been left stranded. The men stood and looked amazed at the sight. One man started to pick the star fish up and began putting them back into the water. The other man said “what are you doing, you can’t save all these starfish, there are too many to make any difference,” the man carried on picking up the starfish and putting them into the sea, as he bent down to pick up another one he stopped and looked out to see, and said “no I can’t save all of them, but I can make a big difference to the ones I put back in the sea.
The New Life centre, is a unique and specialised project. There is nothing like it in this part of the country. We are not a hostel providing accommodation for lots of people, until they are offered something more permanent or decide to move on, but a family unit providing a home and a unique opportunity for two or three people (on the residential program) to totally change their lives around from homelessness, life controlling addictions, crisis, trauma’s and other related issues. Often the people who come to us, have tried to get help from other places, but they either haven’t stuck with the place, or people have given up on them, often they have given up on themselves.
We will only ever deal with a few people at any one time, because the New Life Centre is a specialised project set up to provide high quality support and care and helping people to totally change their lives . Often this process takes time, patience and hard work, from both the person receiving the help and the staff who are supporting them. It isn’t a quick fix, but the results can be amazing producing a new start, changes in every part of the persons life, It is a life changed forever. As with the man and the starfish, we arn’t set to help big numbers of people at any one time, but the work that takes place at The New Life Centre makes a real and lasting difference to the people who do come to us, they are the people that find life and hope for the future.
Moving Forward
We have never been a charity to continually ask for finance, but this year we felt it would be good to update you, our friends and supporters, on the financial position of the charity. We were talking to someone who has been following the progress of the charity for a couple of years and they made a comment “oh we didn't know you needed finance” which was quite thought provoking; hence this letter.
God has been so faithful especially over the last couple of years and has never let us down, but we also know that He uses people to fulfil His purposes. Costs rose last year, but we managed to absorb them into the finance raised through fund raising events.
This year we are aware that the project costs have risen, and as fuel costs rise and everything else follow, we will need to raise an extra £6000.00 to cover our running costs throughout the year.
For those of you who already support us faithfully each month, or have supported us financially with one off donations, we don’t in any way want you to feel under any pressure at all to give more. We appreciate your friendship, love and support. But if you feel stirred to increase your giving, or if you would like to give a one off donation, we would be able to move forward this year knowing that basic costs are covered and we can continue to support and help as many if not more clients than we did last year.
Regular donations are vital to the work of the charity, We are asking individuals or groups to prayerfully consider whether they feel they could sponsor the work of Morning Star (Salisbury) on a regular monthly basis, for example -:
Banquet Run
- £10.00 a month would enable us to serve 5 hot meals a month to those who are homeless on the streets of Salisbury.
- Crisis Beds
- £20.00 a month would enable us to offer a person a crisis bed for two nights plus hot evening meals, breakfast and food for during the day.
- Residential Program
- £50.00 a month would enable us to provide a person, a week on the residential program. This would enable people to come straight onto the residential program quickly rather than having to find a sponsor to help pay their rent, when benefits are not available. Often people need to come on the residential program quickly due to crisis in their lives; they often have no money, change of clothes, toiletries and no paperwork. It can take up to a couple of weeks to help them get benefits in place.
Perhaps you are passionate about seeing people set free and finding new life and are part of a group of like-minded individuals who would like to raise money as a group? It may be that your department, office at work, church, or other social group would like to support the work of Morning Star (Salisbury)
- £1000 one off donation. Would enable us to :
- a)keep our vehicle on the road for five months of the year. As the project is located out in the country a vehicle is essential of transporting people back and forth, to the project.
- b) Purchase the much needed materials for theraputic work related projects which are central to the work of The New Life centre programs.
- The above are illustrations only, whilst we are happy for donors to specify which project they would like their donation to go to, please be aware that the charity reserve the right to use the money for one of the other projects if one particular one has been oversubscribed
Many people who come to us for any of the above provisions are desperate and often at a crucial point in their lives. We are often the last hope in a long run of unfortunate circumstances. Each provision offers an opportunity of a completely new start for a person.
Can you help give people an opportunity to find a brand new life?
If you would like to make a donation on a regular monthly basis or as a one off lump sum please go to the “support” page and print off the relevant form (standing order, Gift Aid) and send to the address below. All cheques should be made payable to “Morning Star Salisbury.
Morning Star (Salisbury)
PO Box 1965
Salisbury
SP2 8ZN
Thank you for your continued support
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