Why not get into the Christmas spirit and help support our work with a fun-filled evening of music with fantastic local opera singers (and Streetwise Opera Workshop leaders) Elise Dye, Gavin Bailey and David Owen-Lewis. Let them entertain you with classic opera and musical numbers and join in with a festive singalong with Streetwise performers from the Booth Centre.

When: 17th December, 19:30 - 21:30
Where: St. James and Emmanuel Church, 6 Barlow Moor Road, Didsbury, Manchester.

Tickets are £8.00 for adults and £6.00 for concessions. You can buy them from the Streetwise Opera website or on the door.

On Friday 25th November 35 people decided to brave the cold weather and sleep outside Manchester Cathedral to raise money for the Booth Centre.

The event raised over £5,000, which will make an immediate difference to the work the centre can do. Amanda Croome, manager of the Booth Centre said "The number of homeless people in Manchester has increased recently and the Booth Centre is doing everything it can to ensure that as few people as possible end up rough sleeping, and those that do are able to get off the streets as quickly as possible.  This boost to our funds will make a real difference to our work."

Although the event only gave a glimpse of what life on the streets is like, we wanted to make sure that those participating understood the reality of sleeping rough. "We asked two people who have slept rough in the past to give everyone taking part a true picture of what it is really like to sleep out, how dangerous and demoralising it is and also to explain how they have rebuilt their lives with help from the Booth Centre."  

Among those taking part in the event was Jill Southern, who works at St Thomas Primary School in Leigh. "It was a great experience. I did get a couple of hours sleep, but I'm lucky enough to be able to come home to a warm house and a cosy bed afterwards. The evening really made me appreciate what I've got."

A huge thank you to everyone that took part and made this event such a success! For photos of the event please see our facebook page. 

The staff at GVA Grimley's Manchester office adopted us as their charity of the year - and so far they've raised a whopping £3,000 for us by running a series of events, including cake sales that were very popular with everyone!

They dropped by the Centre on Wednesday to present us with a cheque for all the money they've raised, which we can use right away to make a real difference to the lives of homeless people in Manchester. 

We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone from GVA Grimley that has been involved in this fundraising. 

If you'd like to find out more about how you can help raise funds for the Booth Centre through your organisation, please take a look at our corporate giving page or get in touch.

Since we relaunched our website in 2010 we've been thrilled by the amount of support you've shown - whether it be through taking up the volunteering opportunities we advertised, participating in our campaigns, or by fundraising for the centre. You have also given us a huge amount of feedback, which gives us a fantastic opportunity to improve what we do and how we do it.

One of the things you've said you would like to see improve is the ways in which you can make donations online. We are delighted to announce that as of today you can give money to the Booth Centre online through our JustGiving page.

By using JustGiving to manage donations we hope to make it easier and faster for you to give to the Booth Centre, and it also opens up opportunities for more flexible ways of giving that we couldn't accommodate before, such as donating through PayPal or by donating a regular sum each month.

It also makes it much easier for us to claim Gift Aid on donations, meaning we will spend less time processing payments and more time where it's really needed - providing advice and activities for homeless people.

You can find out more about JustGiving at their website.

If you have any questions, feedback or ideas on these changes please post them in the comments section.

For homeless people, finding food and place to stay for the night is their daily priority. Survival is taken one day at a time, making it difficult to plan ahead and improve their circumstances. 

Erica Mulkey, who performs as Unwoman, believes that "whether in my home of San Francisco or in Manchester, everyone deserves a chance to get back on their feet and make a better life.”

American recording artist TyLean experienced first hand how difficult re-establishing yourself in society can be when you are homeless. In 2009, TyLean found herself homeless after a sudden relation break-up. She spent six weeks in and out of various hostels, and at her lowest point, spent the night sleeping under a lorry in 4°C weather.

“The truth of the matter was, I had friends I could call and people in my life who would have helped me if I had just reached out to them. I was too embarrassed to share my situation with anyone, and in too much emotional distress to sort myself out,” said the recording artist known for her honest lyrical style. “My homeless situation was brief, comparatively tolerable, and to a degree, self-inflicted, but it was enough to understand that the homeless become so because of reasons that go far beyond the need of a job.”

On the 12th of February, TyLean and Unwoman will be performing at Unpretention, a monthly charity event held in The Function Room of Sevenoaks on Nicholas Street in Manchester. The doors open at 9:00 PM, admission is £4, and all proceeds go to The Booth Centre to aid in the fight against homelessness. Visit www.unpretention.info or the Facebook event page for more information.


About the Artists
TyLean stands alone on stage with nothing but her voice and her piano, playing songs that are melodic and pretty, while her voice draws attention to the cruelty humans are capable of and a need for mass self-reflection. She has released 3 albums and toured the US, Canada, the UK and Europe. www.tylean.com

San Francisco's Unwoman, also known as Erica Mulkey, creates darkly beautiful music, a powerful collage of vocals, cello, and electronics. She has released 4 albums and has toured with many bands. This is her debut tour in the United Kingdom.  www.unwoman.com

One of our supporters, Anikó Tóth, is organising a Christmas carol concert and sing-along in aid of the Booth Centre.

The concert will feature singing by sopranos Anikó Tóth, Rachel Gee and Esperanza Rodriguez.  Jonathan Ellis is accompanying on the piano. There will be melodic solos and three part harmony singing of classic Christmas songs.  You'll also hear festive poetry recited by actress Lisa Brookes.

There will be an opportunity to sing along with some of your favourite carols, so bring your voices and your generosity to this concert of festive cheer!

The concert is taking place between 1pm and 2pm on Friday 17th December at the Cross Street Unitarian Church.

Tickets are available for £5 on the door, or for £4 in advance from Forsyth Music Shop (Deangate), with all profits going to the Booth Centre. In addition you can make a donation in support of the event via the JustGiving page.

Our 2011 calendar is now available, which features art work and photos by our art group. It would make the perfect Christmas gift!

It is a beautifully printed, full colour A4 calendar that has been designed by a volunteer from Marks & Spencer.
 
It costs just £6 (includes postage and packaging within the UK) and all profits will go directly to our art group, allowing them to purchase vital supplies for the coming year.
 
To place an order please visit our 2011 calendar page.

Pupils taking GCSE Religious Studies at Hesketh Fletcher C of E High School, Atherton were recently invited to attend a Government funded programme in and around Manchester City Centre. This involved students meeting with representatives of the Anglican, Jewish and Muslim faiths as well as meeting some of the homeless people who attend the award winning Booth Centre adjacent to Manchester Cathedral.

Ashley Taylor, Rebecca Wallace and Lucy Barton, said: “We were all so moved by what we saw and heard in the Booth Centre that we immediately wrote to our Head Teacher, Mrs Rowlands, and our Humanities College manager, Ms Mather, to see if they would agree to a non-uniform fundraiser for the homeless. We were delighted when we collected the grand total of £307.90”

Through the post this week the students received a thank you letter from Amanda Croome, the Centre Co-ordinator, who told the pupils the following:

“£10 makes a hot dinner for 20 people; £7 buys someone a birth certificate which provides them with the identification they need to start a benefit claim and get into a hostel; £22 pays for someone to gain a food hygiene certificate enabling them to get a job in the catering industry. With the significant amount of money raised by Hesketh Fletcher pupils we will be able to do so much more in the coming year.”