Our Autumn 2022 Nehemiah News is out now! Have a look to see what we have been up to and to get a sneak peek of what's coming up.

Would you like to be a part of our peer mentoring programme? Peer mentors can either be former Residents or Residents in Stage 2 who have been abstinent for at least 18 months. If this might be you, read over the role description and then get in touch with Alex Hanratty at alexandra.hanratty@tnp.org.uk. 

On 7th October we welcomed Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Streatham and Poetess Jess to 47 Tooting Bec Gardens where Residents and staff gathered to celebrate Black History Month. Bell told the crowd about her life growing up in Brixton and Poetess Jess performed. We even had a fashion show with t-shirt designs made by Residents and a special Black History Monty quiz!

A fabulous feast was cooked by Residents and staff which included rice and beans, jerk chicken, plantains and much more. Thanks to Croydon Supplementary Education Project for providing decorations for the event and books for the quiz winners, Afrodesigns for gifting us beautiful fabric and Pasimm Printers And Embroiders for the t-shirts our men designed.

On World Mental Health Day we are thinking about men's mental health. According to the Mental Health Foundation:

• Three times as many men as women die by suicide
• Men aged 40 to 49 have the highest suicide rates in the UK
• Men report lower levels of life satisfaction than women, according to the Government’s national well-being survey
• Men are less likely to access psychological therapies than women: only 36% of referrals to NHS talking therapies are for men

There are many resources available to men who might need help. Check out:

• Advice from ManHealth
• The variety of tools from Movember

Of course Samaritans are always there for anyone who needs to talk and Mind has resources for everyone.

The Nehemiah Project is a proud sponsor of Prisons Week.

For nearly 50 years, Prisons Week has encouraged Christians to pray for all those affected by crime and imprisonment. Follow along with us on Instagram as we share each day's prayer.

Check out this year's campaign video "What are you thankful for?" by Spread Creative.

The London Marathon is the largest annual one-day fundraising event on the planet – participants have raised more than £1 billion for good causes since the first event in 1981.

In just 10 days, nine spectacular fundraisers will be running the 26.2 miles from London’s Blackheath to The Mall in support of The Nehemiah Project. Check out their fundraising pages and lend them your support, too. Thank you so much Daniel, Michelle, Marisa, Taylor and Brad, Ollie, Eoghan, Teddie and Michael!

Daniel
Michelle
Marisa
Taylor and Brad
Ollie
Eoghan
Teddie
Michael

The Nehemiah Project is so grateful to all those wonderful volunteers who have helped us thus far and
would like to offer new and current volunteers further opportunities to help us!

Whether you want to help teach our Residents to cook, are a keen gardener and want to pitch in, or can help us created and run an art workshop, we want to hear from you.

Please check out our Menu of Volunteering Opportunities with Nehemiah - there's something for everyone, and we would love to welcome you.

The Nehemiah Project's CEO John Patience has been awarded the Cross pro Merito Melitensi, an order of merit from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Founded in 1920 the Knightly Order pro Merito Melitensi is awarded in recognition of those who have brought honour and prestige to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

The Nehemiah Project is proud to work in partnership with the British Association of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

Congratulations, John!
 

The 1st June marks Volunteers' Week in the UK. You may know that the origin of the word ‘volunteer’ is from the Latin word ‘voluntarius’ which means ‘willing’ or ‘of one's own choice’. The choice that volunteers make to give up their time and skills, willingly, is humbling. Nehemiah volunteers come from a diverse community which includes a range of backgrounds and profiles, thus adding to the vibrant Nehemiah community and enabling us all to learn from each other.

Nehemiah volunteers have helped us to beautify our gardens, alongside our Residents, to refurbish our homes and to serve as translators for our Residents for whom English is a second language. And this is just the start as we plan to expand and develop our volunteering programme this year.

We are so hugely grateful to all of our volunteers who have helped us, particularly when we needed their support the most. Last September we hosted a Graduation Ceremony for some of our Residents who were moving on to semi-independent living, and we needed extra support in pruning, weeding and tidying our Streatham house garden, before the Ceremony. We wouldn’t have met the tight deadline without our wonderful volunteers, particularly those from The Order of Malta.

A big thank you to all of our past, present and future volunteers, and happy Volunteers' Week to you all!

Written by Alexandra Hanratty, Project Co-Ordinator at The Nehemiah Project