Major housebuilder donates money to Shrewsbury homeless cause

Persimmon Homes West Midlands has awarded The Shrewsbury Ark a £1,000 grant that will go towards the costs of a former pub that is being turned into a day centre for homeless and vulnerable people.

Wendy Faulkner, Ark manager, thanked the company for its "generous donation" which will go towards general costs of the new converted pub premises in Castle Foregate.

She said: “This generous £1,000 donation will help our wonderful volunteer and staff team who work with these local people and it will give them a massive boost in the process.”

She added: "We completed purchasing The Rock & Fountain pub in July and have now started the exciting process of refurbishing so it’s fit for purpose.

“We’re going to reconfigure the internal space to provide kitchen facilities that people can learn to cook in, a quiet room for those who have had a tough night on the streets, a medical room for our GP weekly service, toilets, showers, laundry facilities, an outdoor exercise area and meeting rooms for interactions with authorities.”

The Shrewsbury Ark, formed in 1972, does not charge for its services and relies entirely on donations to survive. It must raise around £150,000 to ensure it can continue its work.

It supports people who are self-harming, helping those fleeing domestic violence, young people involved in crime, or even finding a site for an 86-year-old to park their caravan home.

Persimmon, which donates up to £64,000 a month as part of its Community Champions scheme, hopes the donation will help to raise awareness too.

David Greengrass, head of sales for Persimmon Homes West Midlands, said: “The charity doesn’t charge a single penny for its services and has never turned anyone away which is an absolutely incredible achievement.

“It gives us great pleasure to be able to play a small part in helping Wendy and the team achieve their goal of offering another warm, welcome and safe space for people who are really struggling.”