SOUTH WEST BUSINESSES SUPPORT THE GARAGE CAFÉ
FOR nearly two years the Garage Cafe in Plymouth’s Union Street has been offering FREE hot meals, drinks, clothing, sleeping bags, and toiletries to the homeless, armed forces veterans, and the city’s most needy.
Jason Parsons, Managing Director of New Wave Marine, said: “We are now setting up the Garage Cafe to become a designated charity organisation – that will make it easier for more companies and individuals to support and donate to the Garage Cafe.”
“During the height of three UK Covid-19 lockdowns, our team of 14 dedicated volunteers has been serving takeaway food from 7pm to 8:00pm, 7 days a week, to some of Plymouth’s most vulnerable people.”
“Applying for the Garage Cafe to become a charitable status will give us more opportunity to fund-raise and deliver more services for the homeless community,” he said.
A major campaign to raise £25,000 for the Garage Cafe was launched late last year to raise funds to renovate the upstairs of the cafe for a new meeting room, shower and toilet facilities, heating, new electrics, doors, fire doors, and where military veterans have already helped with painting and decorating, said Mr Parsons.
South West company Gilpin Demolition Group Limited, recently donated fire doors, and other equipment for the Garage Cafe together with the Rees Foundation where founder Jan Rees OBE, personally donated £1,000 towards the Garage Cafe campaign.
Nick Gambles, Director of Gilpin Demolition Group, said: “We are very proud to support the Garage Cafe in Plymouth and especially its work in helping the city’s most vulnerable homeless community.”
“We have donated doors, fire doors, and other equipment to help the Garage Cafe, and was very pleased to be given a guided tour of the project with my colleague Ryan Weir by coordinator Jason Parsons and some of the dedicated volunteers.”
Gilpin Demolition Group Ltd is a regional specialist business that offers demolition services, including rail, bridge, and commercial projects that also includes environmental services offering asbestos removal and waste treatment management.
Link: https://www.gilpindemolitiongroup.com/
Luke Chapman, National Service Development Manager, at the Rees Foundation, commented: “Jan Rees OBE our founder made a personal donation of £1,000 after seeing some of the local media coverage around the Garage Cafe campaign.”
“I was pleased to visit the Garage Cafe and see for myself some of the incredible works going on by the volunteers, and especially to hear more details of plans for the Garage Cafe becoming a charitable organisation.”
The Rees Foundation is a UK charity and founded by Jan Rees OBE in 2013, that runs projects across the country and offers professional help and advice for people leaving care, and those who have experienced being in care in the past. The foundation aims to ensure that care-experienced people have support networks in place, so individuals are not left alone to tackle modern life challenges.
Link: https://www.reesfoundation.org/
Anyone looking for more information about the Garage Cafe can email: jason@newwavemarine.co.uk or Tel 0713 848148