A message of good news from the Good Shepherd Centre in Keighley:
During the Covid-19 pandemic the Good Shepherd Centre in Keighley has been closed to the public. Our normal programme of conversation classes, British way of life classes, parent and toddler sessions (attended sometimes by up to 80 people of different nationalities), community greenhouse, garden, and chicken activities and face to face consultations have all been on hold.
During the pandemic we have been working closely with the local authority and numerous other local agencies receiving referrals (on one day there were 12 of them). Our focus has been mainly with the provision of food parcels and vouchers delivery and access to our clothing and furniture bank. During this time, we have continued our contact with the local schools. We recently received a communication from the Executive Head of our three Catholic primary schools. He had been visiting some families struggling to make ends meet. He felt that for some time to come it would be the most vulnerable who would feel the brunt and burden of pending redundancies and suggested that there is great need for support which the Good Shepherd Centre will be able to offer.
We have been able to continue helping families with the European Union Settlement Status applications and to date we have been able to support more than 600 people through this process. Some of our volunteer tutors have been delivering English classes remotely. Newsletters by email have been sent to 60 local people who registered to be ‘Friends of the Good Shepherd Centre’ and we have continued to receive donations of clothing and furniture which can be made available to families. We recently received a financial donation following the death of a lady in the parish who had been a great friend of the Centre.
Recently with the support of Bishop Marcus and our parish priest, Canon McCreadie, we made a successful bid to the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation. The funds will greatly help to support our work during the Covid and post-Covid crisis.
Find out more about the Good Shepherd Centre here
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