Support from Bristol Methodist Centre

The staff from Bristol Methodist Centre provide assistance to the vulnerable. The drop in centre is open seven days per week and it offers support such as a free hot meal as well as many other services. The aim is to offer emergency assistance to deal with the crisis while advice and signposting will address the root cause of the hardship the family is facing.

The full time staff as well as volunteers maintain relationships with other agencies across Bristol. This allows them to signpost the client to the correct assistance programme for their need. While that referral service is always available, this is only done if the staff can’t meet the person’s request using the resources below.

Low cost goods are sold at the Charity Shop, or what the Bristol Methodist Centre refers to as the Alladin’s Cave. This sells a variety of items, such as clothing, furniture and much more. People who drop in can shop around and dig into the items for same to find just what they need.

While the items do need to be bought by clients and are not free, they will be affordable. Volunteers, which can be as many as 10 people, are key to keeping the charity shop running. They collect, sort, and clean donated items so they can be resold. Some of what is available may be clothing, shoes, furniture, kitchen utensils, cooking supplies, and more. All of the funds raised from the sale of goods is used to keep the Methodist Centre programmes running, so the money goes to assist people in poverty.

The Methodist Centre operates as an independent food bank in the city of Bristol. This means that they will try to provide a parcel of groceries when possible, however there are no guarantees to receiving assistance. The items provided will generally last for a few days only, and may have tinned meats, fresh fruits, baby nappies, and the like.

If the staff can’t provide a free parcel of food, they can refer the low income family to other soup kitchens or food banks in the region. They partner with the following charity organisations in the region, and they include the following.

Bristol Soup Run Trust is a key partner of the Methodist Centre, and this location will have hot soup, toiletries, tea, biscuits and more. Referrals can also be given to Sisters of the Church at 82 Ashley Road, St Pauls in Bristol. So even if the Methodist Centre can’t help, the team of four at the location can direct the client to other organisations in the area.

The Bristol Methodist Centre provides additional forms of practical support as well. They include the following.

• Personal hygiene needs such as free use of showers and laundry facilities.
• Job skills including an IT center as well as writing classes.
• Spiritual support.
• The homeless and vulnerable can learn about either emergency shelters or housing in the city.

The centre is also a one stop shop for advice. They have a number of community relationships with other organisations in Bristol. The lonely and people in poverty can drop in at the Methodist Centre to get advice on everything from housing matters to applying for benefits. All of the advice from the charity is provided for free, and hundreds of residents from the city use the programmes every year. The address is 31-33 Midland Road, St Phillips, Bristol, BS2 0JT, dial 0117 954 0708.