Quick Links to our projects
Projects - Bradford Street Centre
Number 51 Bradford Street houses the church office and is the base for several projects targeting specific needs in the community. The three-story building was bought by WCC in 1998 and is now filled to capacity with project workers.
Walsall Money Advice Project
The Walsall Money Advice Project operates an advice and advocacy service for anyone living or working in the borough of Walsall. A unique service taking money advice into the homes of those who may be vulnerable and in need. Advice is offered on a wide range of matters including welfare, benefits, debt counseling and energy advice.
WMAP has helped to gain thousands of pounds of unclaimed benefits for clients and is assisting scores of people to take steps to get out of debt. The project grew out of a simple offer to help people who were having difficulty with form filling.
WMAP helpline: 01922 623292
Dial-a-Friend
When the church started in Walsall we looked for ways to make meaningful contact with people. We re-phrased Jesus' term 'fishers of men' (Matt 4:19) to 'people contacters' but then we had to find ways for it to happen. One of the ways we came up with was a telephone service offering all kinds of help to people free of charge. These would be unskilled tasks so that anyone in the church could get involved.
The range of tasks that we have undertaken has been enormous - gardening, decorating, putting together furniture, giving lifts to hospital, fencing, shopping trips, listening, cleaning, building a shed, giving away low energy bulbs, food parcels, prison visits and much more.
We soon discovered that a van would be a very useful tool to help us serve people. We now help many people by moving bits of furniture and regularly help to move women from the local refuge when they are re-housed. We are also called upon by the NHS occupational therapists to move beds downstairs for disabled patients coming out of hospital.
We don't accept payment or donations but we do offer to pray for people.
Celebrate Recovery
Celebrate Recovery offers the opportunity of new hope and a fresh start for anyone who struggles with 'hurts, hang-ups and habits'. It is not just about recovery from addictions - such as alcohol, drugs or relationships - but, more importantly, recovery INTO the man or woman God always intended someone to be. We have seen people who suffer from low self-worth and lack of confidence change significantly for the better.
Celebrate Recovery is thoroughly based on the Bible but you do not have to be a Christian to benefit from it. Although it is a journey of 12 steps, it is, in fact, as short or long as someone needs it to be to stop going round in circles and see their life moving in a straight line. We meet each week on Thursday evenings and each evening consists of a larger forum followed by separate men and women's groups.
Contact Dave davebate50@talktalk.net
Walsall Street Teams
WST originated as a youth project of WCC and registered as a separate charity in 1999. WST began as a local response, offering support to women involved in prostitution, and quickly grew to include prevention work around drugs, alcohol and sexual exploitation in local schools. Its founders were members of the community, who were impacted by abuse they witnessed women on the streets suffering, as well as by the damage caused by substance misuse.
It was with the intent to make a difference for future generations of vulnerable children growing up in Walsall, in particular to protect those vulnerable to exclusion and exploitation that the charity evolved to meet the changing challenges in this work.
As well as local statutory and trust funding, support for WST is through WCC and Aldridge Parish Church. Monthly prayer meetings are held by a small team of intercessors and regular donations both financially and in kind are received by the wider church.
Current projects include:
Jigsaw Project:
Works with girls under 18 at risk of, or involved in, sexual exploitation
Solomon Prevention Project:
Multi-media programme raising awareness around healthy and unhealthy relationships, including grooming and Internet safety
Young Men at Risk of Sexual Exploitation:
Research and scoping project
Nehemiah Project:
Works with lads aged 14 -18 at risk of anti-social behaviour, exclusion or offending.
Befriending Project:
Befriending to women previously involved in prostitution, who are rebuilding their lives whilst receiving treatment for their drug addiction. This project is an initiative of WCC, but is administered by WST.
Feeding the Homeless
CHRISTMAS REPORT
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all those who donated food, funds for food and helped with feeding the homeless over the last three days. It has been an incredible time where we have seen many lives touched. Where they are normally looked down on they have recieved value and worth. Ian asked a few of them for feedback before they left and two of them said they had heroin on them both on Boxing day and Sunday but they didn't use it either afternoon as they didn't feel the need. Heroin is said to give people a cuddle and these two people felt what they recived from us as a church had a far greater affect than heroin. I found that amazing!
Thank you for your generosity,
Becky Costello
