UPDATE (22nd November 2018): We have been overwhelmed by the response to the sad news last week that we have had to cancel the Guest House Project. Literally, overwhelmed. Please accept our apologies that we are unable to respond individually to all the offers of help, but the calls and emails have been coming in quicker than we can ever hope to respond. We have indeed been overwhelmed.

The current situation is that we have contractors looking at the roof. There is general agreement that it needs replacing, rather than repairing, and we understand that this will be very expensive. For now, there is a temporary cover in place to prevent further damage, but the inside of the hall is still unsafe.

Sadly, there is still no way we can be all fixed and ready-to-go by 18th December, as planned. But especially in the light of all the offers of support, we are keeping our hopes up and our options open.

UPDATE (16th November): We are deeply saddened to have had to cancel this winter’s Guest House Project. The church has had to close its hall due to significant problems with the roof and ceiling, and repairs will not be possible in the time-scale left to us.

We would like to thank everyone for their support of the GHP this winter. Any donations will, wherever possible, be returned as soon as we can make the necessary arrangements.

Each night, dozens of people in Colchester are sleeping rough. They have no home to go to, no roof to sleep under, and very little to protect them from the cold and the wet of the winter.  St Peter’s Church make their Church Hall available during the winter months to help. Ideally situated in the Town Centre, with space for up to a dozen rough-sleepers, the Hall is the venue for St Peter’s Guest House Project. The idea is to welcome those in need, to serve them a hot meal, to spend time getting to know them, to seek to help them in ways appropriate to their needs, to offer them a comfortable and safe bed for the night, and then to offer them a warm breakfast in the morning. In other words, the idea is to treat them like guests. Run in conjunction with Beacon House Ministries, The Guest House plans to open again when our hall has been repaired.

If you would like to know more about what it would mean to volunteer, please download the GHP18 Volunteer Introduction.

For further information, or to publicise the Guest House Project, please download the GHP18 Leaflet.