FREE face painting in Belfast City centre  love Belfast team

reason … for fun

I think this is one of the craziest and most fun community outreach ideas I have ever seen!

Purple frog products is run by an incredible family with a vision to see families moving from overseas to Bradford to engage in local community life and call it their home.

Cathy and Geoff Ward pioneers of this charity/project have  4 of their own children and know how difficult it can be to keep a busy growing family together, and how even more difficult that is if you don’t speak the local language and have had to leave family members or even children behind to flee or move to a safe country.

BRADFORD PEOPLE exists to find, befriend and help families from all over the world.

running a weekly family group which is always full of adventure, but not content with that the Wards are always turning their hand to something creative to help people.

So this is where the Pink Ice cream van comes in,

We all remember the sound of the van tooting thru the streets, parked up by school and who always comes running? parents (and kids following close behind of course)

But this ice cream van is a little different set up as a social enterprise and armed with a qualified community worker going into the most desperate areas in Bradford, bringing practical help and ice cream too.

Anyone can book it our for functions and parties too so take a look at purple Frog (ice cream van with a purpose)

who knows maybe it will inspire you to be creative in your community,

It has definitely inspired us!

Clare x

Hey

I hope you are enjoying 2011 as much as I am,

somethings coming PT1 was about the lovely families who have moved from all over Europe (and world) to call Bradford their home, we are enjoying seeing them settle into Bradford life, many are coming to church, learning English and getting jobs!

Sayer family moved from Iran to Switzerland then onto to us in Bradford

but when something’s coming, sometimes the something tumbles into lots more…

We have  a children’s story book  called ‘something’s coming’ (it’s the kind you like reading a much as the kids like hearing). It’s about a little toy elephant that can feel something coming but just doesn’t know what it is and the other toys join him in looking in the moonlit quiet rooms of the house to find the something, eventually the elephant sneezes and that was the something..

I think that the community work we do we do often is like that (not  sneeze of course), but a feeling that compels us to start something, go visit someone, make a call, change something around, add something in, take something away .

We  have found that it’s the something that feeling, the little thought, the idea that we have to go after, its instinctive, its natural, it is nearly always God inspired.

When I started my job in 2008 the first thing I did was look at our local stats for everything, people, housing, poverty, elderly, families and especially children where its estimated in Bradford West 75% live below the UK poverty line.

Bradford West

(this figure is a total of children in low income families. This comprises about four in ten children. While not all these children are classified as being in poverty, they represent a wider group of “have-nots” among children in the UK)

I find these statistics inspiring because at least we know what we are working with, at least we know what our target is, where we can help (I seriously recommend you do it for your city or town), that way you can focus your energies on the gaps.

Off the back of that research we are concentrating our time building strong, positive partnership with local support groups but also within our local authority, probation, social services, adult services education providers be able to signpost indivuals to places they can get real help that we cannot provide, also we have begun to build strong links with other areas of our local goverment and media, it helps to keep a pulse on whats going on around our city and usually just means meeting someone for a coffee and catching up. Its surprising who will come for a coffee if you just ask!!

and so whats the something coming for 2011?

a… Charity

we have waited and waited , talked, debated, thought about it and prayed, and it just seems the next step for us to is to solidify what we do in Bradford by setting up our own charity.

Its going to be a fantastic tool to add into what we accomplish as a church reaching out into a broken community, strengthening our partnerships, bringing clarity, continuing our momentum to bring the simplicity of the gospel to help people into our city.

Easter Circus for all the kids

we are Inspired by other charities around the UK bring hope and love like redeeming our communities, action for children and tearfund

We hope you feel inspired to follow your instincts and find that something that will impact your local community.

Clare x

Well 2011 is already well and truely getting going, with the winter shelter homeless provision up and running, setting up a charity and all the dates in the diary for events to love on the cities of Bradford, Leeds and Belfast. but will have to fill you in as we go or this post will last forever.

but heres a brief overview for you to enjoy of last years achievements.

2010 saw…

-1,130 bus runs, that works out 10,000 people we have bussed in!!

- 17 helped to read and write, some of those who have gone onto to get jobs

-Over 7,970 hot meals given out

-16 people get into rehab

-Helped find accommodation and shelter for 112 homeless people

-Over 1,100 hot chocolates and chocolate bars into the redlight area

-370 hours of litter picking and gardening

- 40 prison visits this year to Armley, Newhall and Wetherby prison

-76 commitments seen in our prison ministry.

-helped families, children, homeless people in Bradford from over 30 different countries including:

latvia Russia Poland Slovakia Czech Republic South America Australia Kenya Nigeria Canada Germany Nepal UK Rwanda Malawi Romania Zimbabwe Holland South Africa Ethiopia Eritrea Estonia Jamaica Congo Gulu Ireland Pakistan Iran Afghanista India

Thats just to name a few things

…and  of   course there is christmas oh how we love christmas here is where I let the photos do the talking

The wrapping has begun for 2000 gifts

The Kids are ready too

a very happy recipient

A GIFT OPENS THE WAY FOR THE GIVER prov 18v16

and so then we didn’t stop at gifts for the children but we transformed our building for the kids in the church and community to enjoy

One room from our Alice in winter wonderland theme the 'Mad Hatter's' tea party

Look who came to tea

little Alice

and the Little White Mouse

Christmas was fun and we had 1000s of visitors at the church, and many found a new home in the church, and found Jesus for the very first time * priceless*

I could go on but will leave you with one last picture from our Splendour christmas party as one our maturer ladies looks on as the children sing christmas carols

Generations linked in Love

There is always time to love, be kind, be helpful

so 2011 here we come

Clare

I am always delighted when we find a great local organisation that are doing a whole lot of good in helping the local community so heres a few we love to be able to link with in Bradford and a few you may find useful too

In kind Direct

Mercy Ministries UK

community repaint

Green Pastures housing

Hope Housing

Hope For Justice

Purple Frog (ice cream van with a purpose)