Emmaus Sheffield welcomes Carl as new chair of Trustees

Carl Dray takes up his post following the retirement of former chair Bill Thomas.

And his appointment, after 15 years of support in a number of volunteer roles within Emmaus Sheffield , comes at a time when the charity is looking forward to an important period of expansion.

Emmaus Sheffield is the working community with quality, self-contained accommodation, training facilities and a workspace for previously homeless men and women aged 18 years and over.

It aims through its Social Enterprise programme to provide meaningful work and enable the people it supports – known as companions - to eventually become self-supporting once more.

“Under Bill's careful leadership we put ourselves on a secure financial footing, made several important investments in our building and the staff team and built on the board's experience and expertise through new trustee recruitment, as well as beginning the process of expanding the community to deliver on our charitable objectives,” said Carl.

“I am now fully committed to delivering on that expansion to include increased companion numbers to approximately 24 from our current 18.

“We also aim to provide separate move on facilities for those companions who are ready to make the move back into the wider world of independent living and employment.”

As part of that programme, he added, the charity was committed to ensuring staff were fully equipped to deal with that expansion and to grow its social enterprise, providing training and support to all companions as they move through their rehabilitation journey.

At the same time, Carl added, that was still a need to be aware of the cost of the proposals.

“These plans will inevitably be expensive and we are actively looking to fundraise to support that expansion and investment in turning around people’s lives,” he said,

“Any support anyone can provide to the valuable work we are doing will be gratefully received.”

One of Emmaus Sheffield’s best-known funding streams is its popular second hand superstore, based in the charity’s headquarters at Cadman Street close to Sheffield’s Canal Basin.

“The success of the store is always dependant upon the generous donations we receive from the public,” Carl said.

“The other arm of our social enterprise, however, is our workshop that makes a range of wooden items you can see in the shop, from bread boards to candle holder to plant stands to bird houses.

“And, of course, we continue to depend on donations and grants to support our companions and we hope the public can help us in meeting the everyday challenges we face.

He added that there was also a need to strengthen the board by inviting new faces to join the team.

“The board is in a good place but as ever we are actively seeking new trustees to ensure that we have the relevant skills and knowledge to provide good governance, direction and leadership to the senior staff team and in particular our co-CEOs Lee and Graham Bostock,” he said.

For further information about Emmaus Sheffield and how to get involved with the charity visit emmaus-sheffield.org.uk