Our Mission Statement
GMS want to give something back to those areas where we derive an income. Our focus is on charities and projects that support local people with particular emphasis on those suffering from social disadvantage; the homeless and refugees; and people experiencing mental health problems. GMS supports charities that provide direct assistance to people of all ages, predominantly in the communities where our properties are located.
We currently support the 7 charities detailed below:
C4WS offers short term emergency shelter with strategic, long-term rehabilitation designed to secure housing for vulnerable people and support in rebuilding their lives. Between Novemeber and March, the charity operates night shelters in 13 participating churches and church halls within the Borough of Camden and adjacent areas. C4WS co-ordinates this operation nightly, involving more than 600 volunteers (who provide hands on help at each shelter; making beds, cooking meals etc).
c4wshomelessproject.org
Mind in Camden provides high quality support and capacity building services to benefit people who are struggling with mental distress, including: hearing voices, extremes of mood, anxiety, unusual beliefs and post-traumatic reactions. The charity’s aims include enabling people to find ways of achieving their own life goals on the basis that ‘recovery’ is self-defined and to promote wellbeing by providing services that support individual responsibility, self-help, peer support, co-production, and inclusion in the wider community
www.mindincamden.org.uk
Fitzrovia Youth in Action is Camden’s leading youth action charity, empowering Camden’s young people to create positive change in their community and in their lives. The charity supports local disadvantaged young people in developing projects which address the issues they care about, such as community cohesion, healthy living, conflict, drugs, and alcohol. FYA also works in partnership with a wide range of local businesses to provide young people with mentoring and work experience opportunities.
www.fya.org.uk
40 years ago, Clean Break was founded by two women in prison who believed in the power of theatre to transform lives. Clean Break uses theatre to keep the subject of women in prison on the cultural radar, and through their unique work, they raise difficult questions, inspire debate, and help to effect profound and positive change in the lives of women with experience of the criminal justice system. Since 1979, Clean Break has been the only women’s theatre company of its kind and continues to inspire playwrights and captivate audiences with ground-breaking plays on the complex theme of women and crime. Through theatre workshops and projects in prisons and in the community, which build confidence, resilience and wellbeing, they help to transform the lives of women who have experienced the criminal justice system or who are at risk of entering it.
www.cleanbreak.org.uk
Salusbury World is the only school-based refugee charity in the UK and is uniquely placed to work with whole families, offering services that are joined up to provide integrated educational, social and practical support. Their mission is to support and empower refugee and migrant children, young people and families to overcome obstacles, realise their rights and potential and participate fully in society.
salusburyworld.org.uk
Resurgo, through its Spear Programme specialises in coaching young people, aged 16 to 24-years-old, who are not in education, employment or training. They help their young people to overcome whatever barriers they face, whether that might be struggling with low confidence or mental health challenges; having a criminal record or no qualifications. They have helped thousands of young people overcome these challenges to get into meaningful work. Drawing on the expertise they have developed through the Spear Programme in coaching, impact management, leveraging local expertise and scaling up – they bring individuals, businesses, charities and churches together to cultivate change.
resurgo.org.uk/spear-programm
The Sick Children's Trust believes keeping families together significantly improves the recovery of seriously ill children. They are the longest-serving charity providing ‘Home from Home’ accommodation in the UK and currently have ten houses offering clean, comfortable accommodation where the whole family can stay close to their sick child’s bedside. SCT work with the hospitals, supporting them in their role and providing complementary support to families. They also help to relieve some of the emotional and financial strains at a very stressful time, providing an essential service free of charge for up to 146 families every night, 365 days a year. Whilst staying at one of the ‘Homes from Home’ is free of charge, it costs us £30 to support a family for one night.
sickchildrenstrust.org